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Re: [SHADEGARDENS] Unfinished Compost

 it might
>explain why my hosta seeds germinate, grow a little, and then the seedlings
>slooowly decline until they die.  I don't think it is damping off because it
>is so slow (over a couple of weeks).  The seedlings start to turn yellow at
>the tips and then down the leaf until they die... :-(  (not all of them, but
>at least 2/3s).  I think I've kept them moist enough and the light is about
6">to 8" above the seedlings.
Cindy, from the description of your dying plants, it might be overwatering.
If you overwater seedlings, they die from lack of oxygen to the roots. I
have had great success with Terra-moist. These crystals absorb many times
their own weight in water. You put them in water overnight and then mix them
into the potting mix. They provide water to the plants so you don't have to
water as often. When you pull the seedling out, you will see the roots
clinging to the crystal of Terra-moist. People tend to kill seedlings with
kindness....not only watering too much, but often overfertilizing. Kay's
suggestion is also a possibility. What tends to happen when plants are
looking yellowed is that the person tends to water more because he/she is
afraid that the plant doesn't have enough water. I wouldn't use anything but
a sterile potting mix to start seeds....no compost, no garden soil, etc. I
learned my lesson when I used non-sterile soil, because I had great problems
with damping off. I raised 1600 daylily seedlings last year under lights
with no deaths by using the polymers. At our nursery, young plants also seem
to be particularly susceptible to overwatering, and show similar signs to
what you're describing if they are overwatered. Jean Bawden-Madison, Wi
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