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ipswich, ma usa

I have been playing around with seed starting this winter and seem to have it down pretty good. Have a prop mat set up in an enclosed shelve with grow lights that are height adjustable and then enclosed the whole thing with plastic sheeting to keep in the heat and water. My question is this. The plants all seem to be growing very well in the begining but all of a sudden they started to turn yellow on the new growth. Have heard from some sources saying the plants are probably root bound and this may be one of the reasons. I didn't over fert or water them and kept the light moving up with all the new growth. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on why this might be happening. In the spring the plants would already have been in the patch long ago, but in winter it was fun keeping them going for as long as possible. If anyone has a theory would love to hear it.

Thanks

John (5150)

2/19/2003 3:33:48 PM

[email protected]

A grow light could cause this if it's too close.
Steve

2/19/2003 6:23:43 PM

Montoursville, PA

John....These girls really grow and grow fast. From germination to breaking ground and the first two true leaves appearing is only a week on top,of the ground. Under the soil the roots will hit the bottom of a gallon sized pot, in the same amount of time... and a day or two later be pot bound. Remember the rule of thumb....For everything you see on top of the ground the plant has two thirds that much root development under ground...or would like to have!

2/19/2003 8:08:24 PM

syracuse, ny

as far as over-watering is concerned, if you can't blow away the top layer of seed starting mix, it's still too wet to add water to it...when it turns to a light brown color, that's when, and even then---well, try growing them in PLASTIC, little clear containers, like dixie-cup sized...then you can SEE the roots, as well as how moist the soil is, and if you use Jiffy-Mix for seed starting, then you're doing everything i've been doing and having no problem EXCEPT they do not get past the second true leaf...
i think that's root-boundedness! and once they sprout,
FOR TESTING ONLY< NOT FOR YOUR REAL SEEDS---give them the windowsill....the cold air at the window will slow them down, making up for the rapid growth associated with the day/night cycle and warmer temp. of spring...evens it out...
i think it's a 2 much H2O problem--OR your brand of starter mix-----try the above and good luck! 'pal

2/20/2003 1:46:59 AM