Can you give a little more information about them....did you slowly get them used to the outdoors? How are they dying...shrivelling up completely, burnt leaves, or tipping over at the soil line? Just a little more info would be a big help in identifying why you are losing your precious seedlings.

jaffa ice
blk eyed susan
pink coneflower----once they sprouted I put them in the sun. We have been having a avg. temp. of 72.

I water everyother day. they are in peat pots.
they just shrivel up......

Sorry to keep asking so many questions...but were these seeds started indoors under lights? Is there any fungus growth on the soil or the pots? Are they in direct sunlight all day? Did you transplant them at all? When you water them are they parched and wilting?

I started all echinaceas
indoors/covered/in peat pots.
When they sprouted I uncovered them and put them in indirect sunlight
For a few days. Then they went outside , under the patio

They started going outÂÂÂÂI watered them. no change. now they are gone

Blk eyes susans s
When they sprouted I uncovered them and put them in the patio
For a few days. They started going out so I put them in the morning sun and watered. these are very dry bone dry so I watered.

none are in the ground yet, just peat pots, no fungus...

Very young seedlings can't tolerate direct sun exposure, wind, or high heat. All seedlings started indoors need to be gradually hardened off over several days before full exposure.

But there could be other explanations too, the disease damp off being the most likely (there is a FAQ here about it).

Dave

I have to agree with Dave. Perhaps direct sun on the porch was just too much for the little seedlings and it cooked them. Aswell, seedlings don't tolerate super dry soil very well. Its not good to keep them soaking wet, but too dry and them wilting will surely do them in. Sorry for your lost seedlings!!

Yea, seedling watering is way more of a science than an easy task. There are always hurdles to overcome & it's almost impossible to do it perfectly.

I never have any luck with starting seeds indoors. I want to grow vegetables this year. I have a 25' by 50' spot with full sun. I started seeds indoors and they are emerging but they are leggy and falling over or the top of the seedling is dying but the stem is still there. What am I doing wrong? I started them in trays with soil specifically for seeds.

I started seeds indoors and they are emerging but they are leggy and falling over or the top of the seedling is dying but the stem is still there. What am I doing wrong? I started them in trays with soil specifically for seeds.

Light, light, light! Especially the blue spectrum, which encourages stocky, leafy growth. Our eyes sense light roughly logarithmically, so the outside doesn't look *that* much brighter than indoors, but in terms of absolute energy coming down, it's orders of magnitude more outdoors than indoors. If using fluorescents or LEDs, pack them in as closely as you can over the plants, no more than a few inches away. If using HID, keep them just far enough away from your plants that the light feels slightly warm on your hands. To amplify your light to cut down on your power bill, surround your grow chamber with white or reflective material. Get the bluest light you can for seedling starting -- that means a high "kelvin temperature". If kelvin temperature isn't listed, go for "daylight" or "cool" bulbs, not "warm" bulbs.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the help!!!! I will try it. I am so glad that there are people out there willing to help me. I would never know where to start.