Hello H P,

" I did a foliage feed of kelp and fish emulsion diluted a cap of each in a half gal of water. "

I don't foliar feed kelp and fish emulsion. I wait until the seedlings have a few "true" leaves before including a small amount of soluble nutrients in their bottom watering. I take it that you "believe" in organic gardening. Me? Not so much.

ZM

Temperature? Adequate light? Soil chemistry (is this really decent soil)? Lot of variables pertain. I agree that adding fertilizer very early after germination isn't smart, but I doubt that a high dilution of any minor fertilizer would affect anything.

I start foliar feeding with a very weak solution of fish/kelp emulsion once I can see the first set of true leaves emerging. Plants always respond with a rapid growth spurt.

Wait until you have at least the first set of true leaves and repeat the feeding. In the meantime, keep the potting mix moist but not wet. If the tiny pockets around the roots are always filled with water, the roots can't "breathe" and the plant will start rotting. So I would let them dry out *slightly.*

They all have their first sets of true leaves although they’re small. I made my own seed starting mix 1/3 each of vermiculite , compost, peat moss. They were started on a heat mat until a few days after germination and I took the heat away. Proper kelvin and lumen lighting kept about 2-3” away from their tops.

and yes I want to use as few, if any, chemicals as possible.

I think you're doing it right, but next time I would take the seedlings off the mat as soon as they start emerging to avoid cooking the roots.

The only issue that I can think of is the inclusion of compost that is super absorbent and crates drainage problems.

Also, keep in mind, the warmer the air, the faster your seedlings will grow. What's your room temp?

The air temp is usually in the mid to high 60s.

what are signs of damping off? Thanks y’all!

Damping off is caused by a soil-borne fungus, and affects seedlings. Tan mushy spots on the sprout, and darkening of the stem at the soil line, causing collapse of the stem. Timberrrr!

Be careful about overheating, with a heat mat. Your temps really don't make a heat mat necessary. Browning of the leaf tips could be heat stress. Best soil temp for basil germination is 65-80F,

"Help! I am keeping the soil pretty wet. Is that the issue?"

I agree with the Damping Off possibility. Your soil doesn't need to be pretty wet, esp for new seedlings that aren't going to soak up too much moisture from the start. I'd place the seedlings in the sun (slowly acclimated) as the UV light may help deter surface soil DO. Also start watering from the bottom once the deeper soil level is dry enough, when not over done bottom watering will also help keep the surface soil drier. Good luck!

Thanks y’all! I def think I’m watering too much so I’ll lay off that! And take the heat soon as they germ. I’ll try to update later!

to prevent damping off i use sterile seed starting soil and camomile tea

Never heard of camomile tea for damping off, but it seems to be well known. I gather the sulfur in it acts as a mild antifungal. It also happens to be understood to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-ulcer activity.

Hello all. I let the soil dry out some. I took out a seedling to get a general idea of how the roots are doing. They’re about halfway down my cell trays which is good I think. but since growing their first tiny pair of true leaves a week ago, they haven’t done a thing. I haven’t watered in about 4-5 days because I suspected they were too wet. Help!?

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Basil usually does that, as in popping out a few leaves and then sitting back for a while. But basil really thrives in heat, so if you can warm up the air some more, it would speed things up. It likes 80-90F. I assume you're adding some diluted all-purpose fertilizer. They look pretty green and non-wilting, so I think water-wise they're happy.

Thank you so much. I’ll put the space heater in there. It usually is only about 65-70. I had wanted to stay as organic as possible so I thought maybe I would water them with fish emulsion and kelp diluted about a cap full ea to a half gal of water. Thoughts?

Well, as to optimal fertilization, it's about what makes the plants happy, and less about what makes the gardener happy. To me, organic gardening leans toward the latter. NPK of kelp is negligible. Fish emulsion is mostly nitrogen. You might want to invest in some real all-purpose organic fertilizer if just for seedlings.

What would you suggest

I use MiracleGro for all-purpose, which would be called icky non-organic, with vulgar chemicals and scary blue crystals. Just ask at your local nursery, or Google "organic fertilizer". I suspect organic gardeners here will chime in. I am a safe and healthy gardener, but not really an organic gardener.