Hibiscus Seedling - growing slow? - sick?

Hello all!

Im sorta new to gardening and I pollinated two hibiscus plants and waited (forever) to get some seeds and planted them. Two of them sprouted but the other one was attacked by pests and I don't think it's going to make it.... This is the first time i've done this so maybe the seedling is fine or it's growing roots or something but im just not sure....

Anyhow here is a picture of the seedling:

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb58/dh1979bucket/PlantPhotos/HibSeedling001.jpg

I've put a jar over it because I thought it may have needed more humidity...

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb58/dh1979bucket/PlantPhotos/HibSeedling002.jpg


It sprouted about 4 weeks ago
Temp kept about 70F - 72F (It has been down to 65F a few times before ive gone to 24h lights...)
Humidity - I mist it sometimes but humidity keeps dipping from 20% down to 15%
Lighting - I had it on 18hours light and 6hours off but im running the lights 24h/day now... I don't know if it will help or hurt it...
the lights are 2ft fluorescent tubes.
Soil - Potting mix & perlite close to 50/50 mix (I think)

The pollen mother is a single classic pink hibiscus - Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
The seed pod plant was another tropical hibiscus I think. I'll have to see if I can find out what it was.

I reeeeally would love to see what kind of flowers this Frankenstein creation might make... I just hope it can make it to that point!

Thanks for any help!

Seems like I left off the first image attachment with the "browse" button.


I forgot to add that I started it in a pellet/humidity tent plastic tray.


Thanks again for any help!

I too had bad luck starting Hib seeds. I had 6 pots of seeds and not a one sprouted. You've got better luck than I did.

TX,

The second photo looks a bit dry. But it is a balancing act to get a little wet but not too wet. The jar is exactly what it needs. Always have it in a humidity dome and keep it warm. I have mine under a fluorescent light inside a fish tank. I also bought a $5 thermometer and humidity gauge from Walmart so I can keep an eye on all that. And I bought a seed starter heat mat too. But that is going a bit overboard.

If you see some tiny gnats flying around... I had the same thing. They don't do much, but one did get to one of my seedlings and laid an egg on one of the leaves. It chewed tiny holes in the poor thing. Once I saw that, I took a Q-Tip, slightly wet, and just brushed under the leaf to get whatever was attacking it off. And it worked. So if you have holes in the leaves, give it a gentle swipe with the Q-Tip. My seedling bounced back once whatever was eating it was gone.

Hope this helps.
Kristen

Do you have any idea at what growth stage you can give your seedling a diluted fertilizer? I have never tried to grow hibiscus from seed as I've read how difficult and slow the process can be, so I applaud you for succeeding with 3 of them. Good luck growing these babies out.

Tussee

TXUS_red,

You didn’t mention if the parent Hibiscus were tropical or hardy? I start all my Hibiscus seeds using the Demo Method which is discussed on the Hibiscus forum starting at this link:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1137901/

Using the Deno Methor, I have successfully germinated more hardy Hibiscus seeds than I can count. In truth, my only problem is over production of hardy Hibiscus seedlings. This winter I started germinating a semi-tropical Texas native Hibiscus martianus and was much less successful. I have one very healthy seedling which is now over 6 inches tall from my first test batch and all of my other batches have failed. Using the Deno Method with seed nicking, germination rates are low (i.e. under 20%) and the seedlings become compromised with what appears to be a root fungus. I tried using the natural fungicide cinnamon but that didn’t work so I try chemicals next. Hardy Hibiscus are descended swamp dwelling plans and like having their roots wet, which may not be the case with Hibiscus martianus which is a desert plant. But it is spring and time to try again!

Let us know want type of Hibiscus you are growing.

Mike