PlainJane wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2020 6:14 am If you can get the light closer to the plants that would be beneficial.

Unfortunately since I chose such large pots for the up-potting, I think I need that height to spread to the edges (front to back, looking at the picture), that's only a narrow LED lamp. I'll try to get it adjusted a little better, thanks for the input

I would definitely recommend getting the light closer. If you are unable to lower the light, maybe put something under the tray to raise it higher. Having the lights 1-2" above the plants is generally recommended to avoid leggy seedlings.

To get the plants closer to the light I use something to raise up the flat. Then when the plants get taller I remove it. It saves me from having to move the light fixture up and down to adjust the distance from light to plant top. I don't use the peat pots because I live in a very dry climate and they dry out too much. I use solo cups. At the end of the season I clean them and can use them for several years. Be sure to drill holes in the bottom for drainage.
Good luck with your seedlings, they look good since repotting.

brownrexx wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:52 am I would definitely recommend getting the light closer. If you are unable to lower the light, maybe put something under the tray to raise it higher. Having the lights 1-2" above the plants is generally recommended to avoid leggy seedlings.

I think if I lower it back down to that level, the light spread won't get to the ones in the back and front rows.

I know, I have that problem too. Scroll back to the picture of my set up and you will see that I only have the pots down the middle of the tray. This is your first year so next year maybe you can do it differently.

I agree with the others but you do what you gotta do. There is another solution here. You can raise the tray by putting something underneath it and then move the pots around daily so that those that are on the outer edges are moved into the center the next day. Normally I would say to get another light, but not this year...

Well...I absorbed everyone's advice and propped up the shorter plants to get them approximately the same distance from the light as the taller plants. This thing kind of ballooned on me, as I have noted in my introduction thread, I have only been growing a few years, and this is the first year I am growing seedlings. Previously I have bought seedlings online, my favorite place is a family farm in CO, that I first found because my better half became enamored of ground cherries, and that farm was the only place I could find at that time that was selling any.

This year I couldn't get Maglia Rosa seedlings there, which I had enjoyed last year, so I decided I would just grow my own, no big deal. Then I wound up at the Artisan site to buy the seeds...and it went from growing a few MR's for me, and one for my sister, to a full-on project with 16 then 18 now 20 tomato seedlings. Next thing you know I have 2 grow lights, joined a tomato forum, and am trying to grow a bunch of pollinator flowers to boot. I think most of you know how it goes.

So this year's setup was kind of quick and dirty, next year I'll have it planned out a little better (of course this year I thought I had it planned out pretty well...I'm sure a year from now I'll be saying the same thing...such is life).

Awe your are a newbie. Just wait to see what you grow next year.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. There are a lot of knowledgable people here to help you if needed. I've learned a lot from them.

Setec Astronomy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:16 pm Ah...another rookie mistake. I have forced air heat and these are right under a register, so my airflow should be pretty good. Thanks for all the help!

I think tomorrow I'm going to plant my peas in the planter outside, going to soak them now.

Many use a fan to shake the plants a little (as well as for air circulation). That makes the stems thicker and sturdier, a stronger plant overall. I have a tiny fan I use to shake the seedlings up a bit three times/day, on a timer.

Growing Coastal wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 9:58 amMany use a fan to shake the plants a little (as well as for air circulation). That makes the stems thicker and sturdier, a stronger plant overall. I have a tiny fan I use to shake the seedlings up a bit three times/day, on a timer.

As I noted, I have forced-air heat, and the seedlings are right under a register, which I opened all way. I run the fan all the time to de-strat the house, so the seedlings are swaying in the breeze.

Get a cheap grow light such as this;

you can put them alongside your plants - light doesn't have to be overhead.

LOL, I already have that one, that was my first one. I don't have a timer for it, maybe I'll try plugging it back in during the day though, thanks for the idea, that actually should help in the other area where I'm growing some salvia and oregano, and trying to grow lavender. Going to plant some basil in a day or two.

EDIT: I forgot that one has a built-in timer, I just have to figure out how to use it again.

Setec Astronomy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 1:30 pm Thank you both, plant-out was planned for a month from now, but it's been so warm I think we may not have another frost (famous last words). I do have an old cold frame which would reduce my risk a little if I set them out early.

I would often be in a similar position since with hot peppers you start the slow-growing super-hots very early. Rather than take the plunge, I'd take the flats for a walk. Put them outside during the day; bring them in if the night threatened to be chilly. This introduces the requirement for a new set of skills - dealing with the sun and wind.

Before getting into that, do you have the option of taking them for a walk in a protected (shaded, low-wind) environment? The cold frame I would be leery of. In full sun they can become awfully hot, and your plants aren't hardened yet.

DMF wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:02 pm Before getting into that, do you have the option of taking them for a walk in a protected (shaded, low-wind) environment? The cold frame I would be leery of. In full sun they can become awfully hot, and your plants aren't hardened yet.

Actually the cold frame has a thermostatic opener, presuming it still works, it hasn't been used in...45 years? It was my father's.

There's ambient heat, which the opener would deal with. But there's also sunburn. Indoor plants have to be introduced to our diurnal friend slowly, slowly. For first walkies, avoid sun altogether. Then 15-30 minutes. They may be big enough for that now, but the bigger the better they'll be able to handle hardening.

Someone mentioned putting a fan on them indoors. Have you done so?

DMF has an excellent point. Your plants need to be acclimated to the direct sun. They have been indoors and under lights which is nothing as strong as mother nature provides. You need to introduce your plants slowly to the full sun. First place the plants outdoors for a day or two in the shade. Then give them only an hour or two of direct sun increase the direct sunlight for a week and then you can keep your plants in the sun without frying their leaves.

It started with this:
I thought I had let the plants get too dry, as per MissS's comment about the peat pots. So I watered them good.

Next I noticed this on another plant:

And now this on a third plant:
I searched a little bit on this and found a few possibilities...too little water, too much water, not enough light, wrong color temperature of light, too much fertilizer, not enough nitrogen, aphids, etc. I fertilized 5 days ago, but I realized the day after that I misread my notes and although I thought I was mixing the liquid fertilizer at half strength, it was actually full strength (Espoma Bloom!). I did get some burn on my little salvia seedlings, but I flushed them out (that's how I realized I had used the wrong strength, when the tips of the salvia leaves started turning brown). The tomatoes seemed fine.

But now I have this wilt problem, the first plant did get those whiteish bumps that you can see in the third picture, at the point where the leaf flopped over. It's the lower leaves...so far. Any ideas?

Edema. "Intumescence" is another name for it. It's physiological and can have several causes, including lack of UV spectrum light (and/or far red too) transpiration failure due to high relative humidity, and others. I've had the same problem especially with peppers I allowed to dry entirely before watering too much, anywhere under lights that doesn't get natural light (even with fluorescents) and had it really bad on tomato plants I put under a shoplight LED and watered well just after potting up.
If you can get them out into natural light for a few hours a day (or more), let them dry out a bit and try to just keep them evenly moist, you can stop them from losing more leaves to this. (The leaves don't recover, and tomato stems can be affected too - which is much worse.)

This might be helpful:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... ato_plants

In addition, remove those leaves. If it does not clear up very soon, I would re pot them into fresh soil so that there is not so much fertilizer in the mix.