Not sure what I'm doing wrong

I have a Parks Bio Dome. I put the seeds in the medium and add the water then cover with the lid. I put it under lights. A few days later I am excited because things start popping up.

Here's what happens then, however. Some get tall and thin. Some don't come up. Then I took the cover off. the lights are about 5 - 6 inches above the tops. A few more start to pop up but some are dead at the top.

I see pics here and in the Parks catalog of short full plants. Mine don't do that. I have heard that if the lights are too high then the seedlings will get tall and leggy.

I'm sure it's me, but not sure what part I'm doing wrong.

TIA

Lights need to be 1 or 2 inches from the leaf tops. It also sounds like they may be a bit wet. Does the lid have a lot of condensation on it?

Yes, it did. I finally took it off. It was on a heat mat.

I've had really good luck with the Bio Domes, 2busy. In fact, that's all I use now. I soak the whole tray for a few hours before I plant the seeds, so the "sponges" are good and wet ("soggy!"). Then I completely empty the bottom tray, plant my seeds, close the lid vents and put it on the gro-mat. I don't add any more water. Since it's a "closed system" the water that's in there stays in there, providing the necessary humidity for germination. When I can see most of the cotyledons rising above the sponges, I open the lid vents. When I see most of the seedlings have formed 2 true leaves, I take the lid off completely, take the tray off the heat mat, and move it to a spot in the greenhouse that fits it's light requirements. I've planted over 600 seeds this way this year, and only 3 showed any kind of fungal "involvement", and I've never experienced any damping off with the sponges (but I sure have using other methods! It's ugly). Leggy seedlings is probably light related. I''ve experienced that too, BG (before greenhouse). If you've got gro-lites, put them as close to the lid of the Bio Dome as you dare, and once you get the lid off put the light jusy a couple of inches from the tops of the the plants. My experience has been that once plants start out leggy, they stay leggy and weak. Good luck!

thank you for the info. I'm still learning what works.

I think (?) if your seedlings are too leggy to please you, that you can plant up to the cotyledon leaves (burying the stem) when you transplant. At least, works for some things..

avianut, I've had good luck thus far with skinny seedlings planted up to the cotyledons (I'm knocking on wood as I write this!) So far so good with broccoli, Aquilegia (pretty hard to screw up those), Asclepias, and Clematis.
Now that I have lowered my lights, the seedlings are short and stocky, so I don't need to bury them.

StonoRiver-
I've done the same method with peat pellets, except I always end up with either rotting seeds/algae on the pellet, or the pellet dries out. Have you never had this problem? By the way, I use a mixture of diluted hydrogen peroxide and water.

I've had the same thing with the pellets. I guess I'm just not doing something right. I've got one tray in there that only about half came up, so I don't know what to do with the lid. Leave it on to germinate (or try to germinate) the ones that haven't come up, or take it off to take care of the ones that have germinated.
Anyway, I spend all my time taking off and putting back on.

Same here - lots of round-robin with tray covers! I've taken to potting up any seedling the second I see roots, or when they have two sets of true leaves. Once the cotyledons finish up, I figure I should start a very mild fertilizer. At least that way, I have room for more seeds : )

That's true, I've found myself doing that too , then can add other seed.
When I transplant, I put them in the Miracle Grow with fertilizer in it.
(supposedly) Should I still fertilize?

Very little fertilizer is needed for seedlings. What it will do is promote top growth. Let the roots develop first, and you will have a plant that is better suited to face the world.

The MG potting soil will be plenty of fertilizer (you can even mix it half and half with non fertilized soil) If you feel that you must feed something, cut the normal dose down to 1/4 strength.

Fertilizer companies exaggerate how much is actually needed because it sells more product.

This is true, don't you just love it.

I had experienced the same thing with the peat pellets, plantaholic186, but haven't had it happen with the Bio Sponges. Dont know why. I never used a peroxide solution on the peat pellets...seems like that should take care of it! But I do think the peat pellets hold more water than those Bio Sponges, which may contribute to the problem. The high humidity in a closed system is just aking for algae/fungal formation, and I do get algae formation in the Parks Biospheres. But it's limited to growth on the styrofoam containers, never on the sponges. I wonder if they add some anti-fungal ingredient to those sponges? If so, it works!

most of those pellets have a mesh covering that you should tear off before planting. It's something that the pellet makers fail to mention. The pellets won't break down if you don't.

In my experience, it's best to tear the bottom out of peat pots too. I've turned my garden over in the fall and there they were, exactly the same as they were in april. I haven't used them in many years, don't know if they have made them any better.

I hate peat pots for that very reason. I am trying some Cow Pots this year... I have heard very good things about them. I have gotten so I don't even use the peat pots anymore. I tried plastic cups last year, but they are a pain to get the drainage hole in.

I have a ton of peat pellets, so I'll be using them for a while. It just means I have to water some more than others, which is a pain, but there you have it.
Peeling the netting off is no prob for me- by the time I pot the seedlings up, the netting just comes right off with a gentle tug. And, I generally pot up when I see one or two roots coming through, so I don't tend to damage too many roots removing the netting.
I'll try cow pots next...

Have any of you had seedling growing outside the pellets? I've had a lot to do that, I'll see these leaves and take it out thnking I need to repot and theres lilttle plants on splity little stems. I know when I put seeds in there I'm real careful and am not putting seeds down the sides. I noticed the ones that are doing that are Bachelor buttons and a few mariglds. There has to be a reasonl
Those of you who use the pellets, how long do you keep your seedlings in them before you transplant. Afraid I've been taking out too soon.
If I see aroot I'm taking that sucker out and putting it somewhere else. That can't be right

Roots sticking out is a good sign: root growth! Keep in mind, I don't remove the seedling from the peat pellet, I just rip off the netting gently, and then pot it up into a 4" pot where it will stay until it starts to root out the bottom.
I, too have had seedlings find their way to the bottom side of a pellet. If nothing else, it would make potting up troublesome! If I have too few seeds, then I use my trusty tweezers to sow them.
I have had success sowing directly into a 3" or 4" pot, and putting it into a gallon baggie with a few little holes, on a heat mat.

I am not having much luck with my bio domes either...at first everything was coming up and doing well and then they just started dying off...I am so disappointed. I am sure it is me, I was hoping these were idiot proof! LOL I don't have grow lights though, so maybe I can't start seedlings inside without them...I don't know. I will keep trying though..lol

Soon it will be warm outside to do some in trays, that works better for me, I guess because of the light problems.

Janet- I found 'shop' lights at Home Depot for about $10 each to use for grow lights. Very cheap and made a big difference in my seedlings. And I just use regular flourescent bulbs, not the fancy 'grow' bulbs to keep costs down, too.

Lots of good info on this thread--thanks! t.

Thanks for the info T. I guess this should be one of my Summer projects, when it is too hot to be outside here. I really love planting things and getting the to come from seed so much more that purchasing the plants themselves. I am finding unless they are seeds I can sow outside or in pots on the porch in season of their growth, that I do not have much luck with them...it makes me feel sooo guilty to plant them and them watch them die...isn't that silly! LOL

Well, I know what you mean. I am a klutz with seed starting and transplanting but I am trying to learn. This year I've had more luck than in the past, but I've picked up lots of info and a few skills here on DG that I didn't have before.

There is more to it, isn't there, than just tossing seeds in a pot!? You have the cold treatment, the nicking, the lights, the 'bio-domes', the right starter mix, the heat mat, the misting! LOL Sometimes it seems worth it to pay the exhorbitant prices at the garden center.

But then my daughter said, well it's like the difference between cooking a menu from scratch or buying the (almost) prepared food at the grocery and then 'assembling' the menu or heating it up. Good analogy I thought. More creativity, more variety, sometimes better plants!

If the lights are supposed to be 1 to 2 inches above the seedlings, how do you do that with the bio dome? It's about 5 to 6 inches tall.

You have to take the dome off in order to get the lights the appropriate distance away. I generally remove the dome once my seeds germinate anyway, it helps prevent things from getting too humid and causing fungal problems.

Yep, the domes come off as soon as the seeds start to come up. They are only used to keep humidity in while waiting for germination. I never use them past the moment the first seeds break ground.

Wow, I'm sure that will make a huge difference. Thanks.

Thanks to all of you! Great info! This is my first time starting seeds indoors. I bought a 5-shelf chrome (build it yourself) unit @Lowes-$75: 4 shop lights & fluorescent tubes@Walmart-$50 and saved myself over $300. Also have 1-Bio-Dome, 3-Jiffy 72 cell trays w/ lids, a timer, 4-seedling heat mats and a small oscillating fan. Am I missing anything? Oh, of course I have the seeds, and have made a chart showing what to start when. I can't wait to get started!

It sounds like you're all set, strandlmt! I've got another "Seed Starting 101" article scheduled for this Thursday, on sowing & clump transplanting... you might pick up another tip or two there, and you also might check my previous article on preventing damping off, http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/277/. Keep hanging around this forum, and you'll learn a ton of useful stuff!