True leaves not growing

[JJJmoffit]

Alright buds. I'm kinda worried bout my seedlings. They germinated and sprouted fine but true leaves don't seem to be growing much.

The seedlings are getting tall but leaves are not coming on. I'm growing on a windowsill in Ireland. So there probably not getting a massive amount of direct sun.

Is it some thing I should be worried about?

Seeds are blue cheese, sweet tooth and morning glory all from Barney's farm.

[redisiel]

[QUOTE=JJJmoffit;1070580744]Alright buds. I'm kinda worried bout my seedlings. They germinated and sprouted fine but true leaves don't seem to be growing much.

The seedlings are getting tall but leaves are not coming on. I'm growing on a windowsill in Ireland. So there probably not getting a massive amount of direct sun. Here lies the main problem I reckon mate it would be handy to see a pic if you can, you say the cotyledons but know other leaves coming through?
Redz

[OrchidLady]

Also how long they been growing, what media are they in and how many hours a day of direct sunlight do you think they're getting?

[JJJmoffit]

pics probably not great.

The true leaves came through on the first day and havn't grown since. I watered them last night and think i gave them too much cause they've gone kinda droopy. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

they have come through the soil bout a week ago. its my first grow so i may be panicking over nothing I dunno.

They're in john Ines seed sowing compost. Theres 10 hours of daylight coming straight in the window every day. But Its Ireland its cloudy very little strong sunshine, if any

[OrchidLady]

You're over reacting don't worry, they look about a week old, they're on the smaller side from what I've seen but not far off.
Looking at that soil you're definitely over-watering.

If you want to support your stem you can use a straw - cut it to the length of your stem, then cut vertically down the straw so you can wrap it (carefully) around your stem, that'll support it for abit until it can support itself.
You want your soil to be on the dry side, only watering when the soil is dry. (there is a much better tutorial of the straw thing somewhere on the site, but I can't remember i'm fucked up)

not heard of that brand of compost, and can't comment on if it's appropriate or not, but it looks very packed together like there's not a lot of room for drainage.


There is a few things that can be stunting your growth, over-watering and little light I think are your biggest suspects right now.
10 hours of direct light isn't a great deal at all, your plants may end up thinking it's autumn and start to flower - however that might be what you're after, plus tons of people grow on windowsills so hopefully someone else can help you.

[JJJmoffit]

Thanks bud. Its just good to get opinions from people with experience.

I have another question if you don't mind. I know its hard for you to say when you cant see them, but how much water would you give them when do water them? A few wee squirts with a sprayer every day or two? Or a decent drink and leave them for a week?

[OrchidLady]

It depends on how your soil is draining, and what the soil is composed of, what temps your grow is at etc.

All these variables means it's impossible to blankly say every x days or even every x-y days because there's too many different things to consider.
A lot of people go by sticking their fingers in the soil (don't crush your roots) up to their knuckle and if that's completely dry then it's time to water.

How much to water also has some variables to consider mostly the same but with the addition of your plants age, now your ladies are seedlings so they don't need a ton of water, in fact they're more at risk from overwatering than an older plant you do not want to be giving them some water if they're already got some to drink in the soil, so if the soil is completely dry then wet it - dampen the soil don't drown it. I use a spray right now and it's easier to direct the water where you want it to go (you can loosen the lid to make a steadier stream of water) and it's easier to control how much you water aswell so I would recommend it. Go slow.

Remember you can always add water, but you can't take it away. If the soil is damp leave it alone, you don't want your roots to go through any complications like rot this early it'll be hard to recover from.

A few wee squirts with a sprayer every day or too may be about right for your plants, but if the soil is still damp (try the knuckle thing) then I'd leave em alone mate. Don't forget you haven't got heat coming from a light or anything like that so your soil won't dry up as quickly as other indoor grows which may need water every few days. Also it's fucking ugly weather right now in our hemisphere. so grey.

Also I've not ran into any problems yet, so I'm not experienced in dealing with them I'm just an obsessional reader, but I've had an awful lot of issues I've got other with many other plants. Still someone with lots of exp will be willing to help you if they see the thread, so no worries man x
Good luck, all the best with the girls.

[JJJmoffit]

sound advice. im gona do that straw idea with at least one of them (the sweet tooth) its growing very tall its gona get top heavy pretty soon.

Thanks for taking the time