Green Stuff Growing On Soil

[in2it2]

I have just noticed that some kind of green stuff is growing on top of the soil in my seedling pots. It is a bright emerald green. At first I thought it was some kind of chemical reaction between the soil and the perlite because the perlite was turning green. I now have noticed that it is covering the soil. I have Pro Mix Organic w/ some (1/2) homemade organic (peat, perlite, blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, worm castings, lime, and epsom)in the pots. Will this green stuff have a deleterious(there's a $5 word)effect on my seedlings?

 

I have been having trouble with my seedlings. They have been sprouting fine, but then they seem to elongate to an extreme, the stem gets real thin near the soil line, and the seedlings fall over. I propped them up and they proceeded to turn yellow and start to become "bonsai" like. They never grew past 2-4" for the 4 weeks that they grew. I gave up on them and tossed them. I assumed the seeds were bad and complained to the seller. Now I suspect it may be this green algae/moss stuff.

[Jipo]

Perlite is very prone to algea/moss, it may be that. That sounds like a very very hot enriched soil for seedlings by the way. What is your PH of the water you're using on the soil as well as the runoff coming out of the pot after watering? I wouldn't put a plant into soil that enriched until it was a good week or two old and established a nice tap root. I recommend starting seeds in plugs of some sort, whether its a lighter soil like Fox Farms happy frog, or plugs like cocoa, rapid rooters or rock wool. I'm thinking the problem is that soil is way to hot to establish a seedling in.

[in2it2]

Perlite is very prone to algea/moss, it may be that. That sounds like a very very hot enriched soil for seedlings by the way. What is your PH of the water you're using on the soil as well as the runoff coming out of the pot after watering? I wouldn't put a plant into soil that enriched until it was a good week or two old and established a nice tap root. I recommend starting seeds in plugs of some sort, whether its a lighter soil like Fox Farms happy frog, or plugs like cocoa, rapid rooters or rock wool. I'm thinking the problem is that soil is way to hot to establish a seedling in.

 

Well, the last batch I started (the ones with the problems) were in some seed starter soil (Jiffy or something)with 0 nutes. They had trouble right from the start. I checked the soil pH at that time and found it to be 6.5 so I figured that wasn't the problem. The plants looked to be suffering from deficiencies. The current seedlings seem to be doing alright (1 week old) in the mix with the nutes, however, one of them had the same problem that the previous ones did - elongated stems that would become very thin at the soil line. Light isn't the problem. I have them under 4 54 watt T-5 fluorescents at about 4 inches from the tops. My previous grow was done using the same techniques and those plants flourished. Can seed stock be bad and cause problems?

[Jipo]

Well, the last batch I started (the ones with the problems) were in some seed starter soil (Jiffy or something)with 0 nutes. They had trouble right from the start. I checked the soil pH at that time and found it to be 6.5 so I figured that wasn't the problem. The plants looked to be suffering from deficiencies. The current seedlings seem to be doing alright (1 week old) in the mix with the nutes, however, one of them had the same problem that the previous ones did - elongated stems that would become very thin at the soil line. Light isn't the problem. I have them under 4 54 watt T-5 fluorescents at about 4 inches from the tops. My previous grow was done using the same techniques and those plants flourished. Can seed stock be bad and cause problems?

 

Yeah bad seeds are bad seeds. If they're in 0 nutrient soil I would say add a tiny bit of grow and micro nutrients to the water, the PH going in is crucial to the grow, but as is the PH runoff. Some soils are more acidic then others, when this is the case you will have to adjust the PH before it hits the soil to balance when it sits with the soil. Also some strains are more sensitive then others, what works for one doesn't always work for the next. What kind of seeds are you using, where were they acquired? I'm not knocking your methods by any means just trying to solve an issue and help you along the way. Where the stems showing deep reddish purple colors before they were falling over? Were the leaves greyish/brittle?

[affordablemimeds]

Sounds like you have them toooooo wet. And are just drowning them. the roots need air.

[in2it2]

Yeah bad seeds are bad seeds. If they're in 0 nutrient soil I would say add a tiny bit of grow and micro nutrients to the water, the PH going in is crucial to the grow, but as is the PH runoff. Some soils are more acidic then others, when this is the case you will have to adjust the PH before it hits the soil to balance when it sits with the soil. Also some strains are more sensitive then others, what works for one doesn't always work for the next. What kind of seeds are you using, where were they acquired? I'm not knocking your methods by any means just trying to solve an issue and help you along the way. Where the stems showing deep reddish purple colors before they were falling over? Were the leaves greyish/brittle?

 

The seeds I was trying to grow were White Widow Max from a British seed bank. I don't want to knock them yet because they are contacting the breeder to see if the strain has issues.

The stems were showing reddish purple before they failed. The leaves actually turned yellow then dried up from the tip back before shriveling up. The stems became very thin at the soil line. The growing tip on each plant was sending out progressively smaller leaves and even the new growth was yellow-green.

I grew some bag seed prior to these and those things THRIVED. They had fan leaves the size of a baseball mitt. I used the same techniques with the White Widow seeds but with vastly different results. I am returning to bag seed. Those plants were awesome and produced very respectable smoke. The only problem is that it is like a box of chocolates - you know the rest. I want to find a strain I like, grow it out, clone it, and get the same stuff ad infinitum. Maybe it was the seeds. I hope so because if elite strains are that much harder to grow than commercial ones, I may not want the hassle. Thanks for the info though Jipo. I really appreciate it.

[in2it2]

Sounds like you have them toooooo wet. And are just drowning them. the roots need air.

 

The soil mix is light and well drained. I am careful to avoid over watering. I think these seeds have issues. The last stuff I grew under the same conditions (actually worse conditions - I tried Miracle Grow potting mix) turned out awesome with only some nutrient issues in flowering. Thanks for the reply though.

[urminutegot]

I had the same problem and it looked like algae to me. I just let the soil go a little farther than normal on the watering schedule. When it was good and dry I scraped off the top 1/4" layer of the soil and replace it with fresh soil. Then I was conservative on the water for a day or two and, voila! No more algae.