Seeds sprouted but not growing

I started some tomato and pepper seeds and after a week the tomatoes sprouted and after 2 weeks the peppers. However, they are not growing any more and the tomatoes haven't gotten any true leaves yet. In fact, one has lost it's first leaves altogether and another has turned yellow. They're in commercial potting mix in peat pots under a grow light. I also have them on a heating pad set very low. They receive 16 hours of light per day. Any thoughts?

Hard to tell from your pictures, but either to dry or to wet.
I never use peat pots. They take the moisture out of the soil.
But you have them in that pan. That may be not letting them drain.

We put ours in a germination chamber. They come up in a couple days.
Then on the table under lights. Water nearly everyday. Need transplanting a few weeks later.

Germination chamber is about 80º.
Room where growing tables are, 65º.

I never have used heat mats.

This message was edited Mar 23, 2015 10:09 AM

Tomatoes in third picture were seeded Feb 6.
Transplanted into those pots Feb 16.
They will go to the greenhouse end of this week & into the ground in a hoop-house around April 1.

Should look like this by mid June.

Sam, did you use potting mix or seed staring mix? Does your mix have fertilizer in it? It should not.

And peat is notoriously difficult to keep wet. I will sometimes transfer a very few plants in peat pots, and I have to monitor them daily to make sure he plants don't dry out.

Thanks for the replies. I've been keeping an eye on the moisture and water as soon as the soil looks dry. They are in a potting mix, maybe that's part of the problem. I can switch these to a plastic seed starting tray, but they would still be in the same mix.

By your pictures, your potting soil looks fine.
Fertilizer won't hurt unless it is over done.

I'm interested in "sprouted but not growing" since I'm having that problem with only one variety of tomatoe seedlings: Early Girl.

Since EG was in a seed try with 11 other varieties of tomato, I highly doubt whether this is due to anything I do/did: all other varieties are growing and thriving! True leaves (albeit tiny. . . the whole seedling is only about 1/4 inch. . a mature plant only grows to 18 inches) arrived on ALL varieties around the same time. . .but then EG just STOPPED: it stayed green while the others grew and grew and got large enough to transplant into individual transfer pots (ultimate destination is containers on May 1).

With EG's growth arrested and the other seedlings gone, I transferred EG to a newly sprouted tray of tomatoes. To my surprise, it began growing again and got a couple of centimeters taller: but still extremely tiny!! When it's new companions got mature enough, I potted THEM into individual transfer cups. I had no more room or choice but to also pot up EG.

It's been three days and EG is still green and pliant: while it hasn't died, neither has it grown!

I've decided it's this particular variety of tomato and am considering whether I want to plant it.

Where did you get the seed ? Don't sound typical for Early Girl.

You might be right: the "EG" seedling doesn't even LOOK like a tomato (I can take/post a picture in the morning - the after-effects of a dental visit is starting to wear off).

Someone from here who I hadn't met before, sent me 5 seeds. This was the only one of the first three seeds that sprouted. I sowed the last two seeds Sunday and estimate they SHOULD sprout Saturday . . or not!

In any case, I have SEVERAL extra well-growing seedlings of other varieties to substitute for a lack of an EG seedling to plant!!

Early Girl is a hybrid. If they saved seeds, they would be an Early Girl.

ok, curiosity has got me!

I went and took 4 pictures, of which only one was in focus (zooming to see the tiny seedling as anything but a green dot made them too blurry).

Below is that one

With Early Girl being a hybrid I believe any plants may not come true to seed.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54789/

Rockgardner is right. Hybrids do not come true from seed. you will get a plant, but it definitely will not be the plant you are after.

If you want to grow your own plant, "open pollinated" is the word you are seeking.

I said the same thing a couple posts back.

>> under a grow light. I also have them on a heating pad set very low. They receive 16 hours of light per day.

That sounds like enough hours of light, but is "a grow light" intense enough? Usually seedlings will stretch and get "leggy" if they don;t have intense-enough light.

Another thing: usually seedlings grow stockier and more healthy if they have cool air and soil after they emerge. I don't think warm soil and air would make them stop growing, but in general, I think tomato seedlings only want warmth to germinate.

Indeed you did, Country Gardens, and I saw it. I just wanted to throw in the term "open pollinated" to give Bet a term to seek when growing.

Sorry, mistyped. Should be "they would not be Early Girl."

Today we are moving plants from the basement to our greenhouse.

Sam,
my first year growing tomatoes from seed...and so i'm a beginner with not much experience (unlike others who have already commented). However, I used the same peat pot strips to plant my tomatoes...4 different types. I have them under my "under kitchen cabinet lights" and they started sprouting in 3 days. i monitor them for water needs as they are the first thing I see when I get up in the a.m. and enter the kitchen. The peat pots tend to stay too wet or dry out fast, but my seedlings have done better than any other seedlings so far. I wonder if you should try another seed and see how you fare. It would also be a good idea to have backups :)

I am using vigoro potting mix, which also has fertilizer in it, so that hasn't affected my seedlings.
My seeds sprouted pretty fast, and grew about 4" tall and then didnt do much for a couple weeks (I'm guessing) now are getting their second set of leaves.
Hope some of this might help.