Growing from Seed Inside: Troubleshooting Sought.

Hi,
I've been at this for many years but this year I found this time very challenging. My plants which I all started from seed are less than robust. They are long and spindly and the leaves are not very vibrant looking. Looking for advice. Couple of things to maybe help with the diagnosis. I used new grow lights....led ones I bought from Amazon. I kept them on 24x7 and learned this is not optimum (Before this I had fluorescent lights). I did put it on a timer but it was late in the season. I also have heat mats under the plant trays too. The other thing is that I used seedling soil that I purchased last year. I bought a big bag of it and it was leftover. Another part of this story is I went with another seed supplier, yes they were considerably cheaper but....maybe I'm paying the price for being overly frugal. As you can surmise, there are a lot of moving parts here. I appreciate any help you can offer.

Many thanks,

Bob

It's the sum of the parts. Have you been fertilizing? Seedling soil mixes generally have little to no fertilizer. Some mixes even state fertilizing should begin ten days after seed emergence. Old mix is not a problem. Unless otherwise recommended, once secondary leaves show fertilizing should begin.

The 24/7 lighting is a huge problem. Seedlings are exhausted and showing signs of disease. I use florescent lights twelve hours a day and heat mats. I also have the advantage of a glass wall in the basement so plants get around four hours of natural light. Plants start coming off the mats after the first set of secondary leaves to begin hardening off. A fan runs 24/7 to simulate natural breezes. This strengthens stems and reduces excessive humidity around plants.

Certain plants, such as peppers and eggplants, don't fare well when stunted early. Even if they survive transplanting, they generally produce poorly. I think you'll be visiting your local nursery this year. Hope this helps.

Thank you! You've given me alot. So appreciate your response.

Yes, I think the local nursery will see me! Live and learn. I've never fertilized my seedlings, I will start next season. Any recommendations would be welcome.

Thank you again!

Wow. Strange that a seasoned grower could get that far off the path. First, heat mats are to encourage germination, so assume it is counterproductive to leave it on after. Alaska with long day summers grows some huge plants/fruits, but I've never seen full day lighting recommended. If no timer, why not turn off at night and on in morning? Regardless, spindly plants are associated with light deprivation, not excess light. Might your lights be cheap knock-offs that are not as advertised, or might they have been too high above the plants rather than the recommended couple inches? (Look at online reviews for the product you bought.) However, you also changed soil type and seed supplier too, so each could be the cause or have played a part. You might want to plan a controlled experiment next yr (or better this summer) changing one variable in each sample. Hard work, but it's worth it. Good luck.

Well, whatever fertilizer you choose is fine. I mix one quarter strength and feed at every watering. I don't know if what I do is best for your situation. You probably start much earlier and have plants under artificial conditions longer than me. Just be aware that all the organics have an odor. Fish emulsion is the worst. I've used Zoo Doo and mushroom compost tea. They all stink. I have three furnaces in my basement and have managed to fumigate my entire home with fish emulsion and kelp. I've been using Miracle-Gro Performance Organics. It smells but not as bad. Standard chemicals, such as regular Miracle-Gro, don't smell. It's a choice. I try to be organic but am personally more concerned about pesticides than fertilizer.