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Re: basic question re seedlings

On Sun 07 Jun, Susan Flewelling wrote:
> This spring - actually late February and early March - I started a lot of
> seeds - more than I should have.
Were they overcrowded, did you prick them out at he right time?
>However, they germinated past my
> expectations and were doing great - until in early April I got Plant Start
> (5-15-5) at the recommendation of a local garden centre.  Well, they
> stopped growing - I know this is to help them put down roots but it's been
> 2 months now and they are just so scrawney that there'd be no point in
> putting them out in the garden - I doubt they'd survive.
> 
> I so enjoy growing from seed - the foxgloves are doing well - that it is
> very discouraging to have to go buy bedding plants (especially ones that
> are 6 to 8" up).
Tall plants, especially if already in flower,can be very disappointing.
> 
> Can anyone offer any suggestions as to what might have gone wrong?
>  Susan 

Only a suggestion, but I suspect your plants have run out of nitrate.
The seedlings started with all the nutrients in the seed capsule, this
will all be gone now. If the leaves are a yellowish, even purplish
rather than dark green, this could be an indication. You don't say how
you started the plants but if it was in ready made multipurpose compost,
this only has fertiliser for up to three weeks (if fresh, maybe it is
stale), perhaps you have been a bit overgererous with the watering which
would wash nutrients out and also cause compaction of the compost, we
don't know about your weather conditions.

That plant start is very unbalanced and while it may be all right in
some conditions it would seem to have overdone the P a bit which would
minimise the already depleted nitrogen.
 I suggest you try foliar feeding, the seaweed based formulations are
 usually very good on trace elements.   I have proved to my satisfaction
that Miracle Gro really works but I have no reason to doubt that other
formulations are equally as good. Use at standard strength and
concentrate on wetting all over, then use at half strength at every
watering.


-- 
Allan Day  Hereford HR2 7AU allan@crwys.demon.co.uk
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