Is that a typical seed starter medium or something else used in the pots?, it could be the picture quality but it appears rather chunky/woody.

Whats the temperature?

Temps 70-82 degrees. Weird potting mix I think caused me issues last year (forgot about that). Seeds sprouted but did not do well. I did add some 10-10-02 fertilizer last fall and have watered with miracle grow 2-3 times in the past 8 days.

I have had the bloom light off on the led light only the "VEG" light is on.

I'd say it's the "weird potting mix". Perhaps it is holding too much moisture. I would buy some new potting mix and start again. Seeds do not need fertilizer until they have their second leaves, so that could also be a problem. I suggest you reserve the weird stuff for when you need to pot up.........

Linda

I would put the "weird stuff" in the garden and spread it around and till it in.

Did you just water? It's hard to tell in the pics, but the potting mix looks wet to me. Watering is easier in smaller containers because the soil will dry out faster. In a large pot, that water just sits there with no roots to take it in.

I don't use MG on baby plants. If you can, please get a gentle liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion, or kelp/fish emulsion, and use a very weak solution weekly, gradually increasing the concentration.

And make sure they get plenty of light, very close to the plants (about 2-3 inches above). Your containers look like they are not the same size. Can you prop the smaller ones, so they are at the same level?

I just watered them. Light is 16" - 18" over pots. Several plants are doing great so it does not seem like it is a light issue. I would think cheap potting mix would be ok with fertilizer? I am starting again but hoping to save some now - to harvest sooner then seeds I plant now.

Replant that tomato seedling in the first pic into some decent potting mix in a small container/pot and it may survive. Don't overfeed it ! Three times in eight days is way too much, it's a miracle anything lived. Get some good seed starting mix and sow more seed. Do not give seedlings any plant food until they have two sets of leaves, like Labradors said. No, cheap potting mix + fertilizer does not equal good potting soil. You don't need potting soil at all until you replant the seedlings into individual containers. I agree with Jojo about the lights, 16"-18" is too far away. You can watch videos on Youtube to learn about growing from seed, find websites they will tell you how to do it, and we have a forum here that may help you. https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/seed

Good luck !

Lights are at minimum height manufacturer recommends and plants further away from center and not directly under the light are sometimes bigger then ones in the center directly under lights. No way it is not enough light.

Don, you can certainly re-pot the tomatoes and pepper seedlings into some new potting mix. Just be gentle and they will be fine :).

Linda

"Potting Mix" is such a nebulous term and there's a lot of krap on the market, if one is "starting seeds" then use a "seed starter" mix, it's on the bag....and in it ;-)

As to lights, the way to think about it is the distance from the foliage to the lights should be MUCH LESS than the linear extent of the light to get the maximum amount of light. That is, if you have a 12x12" LED lamp, the foliage should be an inch or less under it. If you have a 100x100" LED lamp (ha!), no sweat if the plants are a foot away. Another way to think about it is what we call solid angle. If you were the plant, looking up at the light, how wide would it look? That is, would the light look 30 degrees wide? Or 60 degrees wide? You want it to be as close as possible to 180 degrees wide, filling the entire hemisphere. (Of course, you want to be careful not to burn the foliage, but LEDs won't do that.)

Remember that the minimum height recommended by the manufacturer provides the minimum light needed for growing. As in, a pretty cloudy day, A one-meter square LED panel that draws 1000 watts will emit pretty nearly 1000 watts of light. With a one-meter square growing surface underneath it, and pushed right up to it, that will pretty nearly duplicate the light intensity of the full sun on a clear day. Do not be deceived. Real sunlight is VERY bright.

Thanks! I do somewhat understand lighting. To me the edges - plants that are actually not under the light at all - and get a lot less because of the angle, are doing great. Mathematically they are getting much less light then other plants that are doing fine.

How often do you water plants with only 2 leaves and with the second set of leaves (4 leaves)? I am watering about the same as in the past - but last year and this year have been a LOT worse then the 5 years before that. I do not think it is just the potting soil - location and temps are the same. I am trying to figure out what else I might be doing wrong.

Some potting mixes dry out really fast and others can hold water. I found it really confusing last year when I potted my seedlings from Promix HP (high porosity) to Happy Frog (which really held the water). It's so easy to get into a habit of watering and just keep doing it, without realizing that it's too much......

Linda

I have suspected over watering. The leaves are really purple - even peppers. Odd.

Don, the first 3x I tried starting seeds, it didn't go well. [g] By that 4th try, I had fixed multiple things I was doing wrong and since then I rarely have a problem, so hang in there. I agree with those who point to the potting mix. I would start again with something that has very few additives in it - not Miracle Grow - peat moss/perlite - even just those two ingredients would be better than what you are using. To make it easy on yourself look for an organic seed starting mix. Simple. I never fertilize my seedlings. I think they grow better outside in well prepared beds I plan to transplant them to, so I try to time them so they don't have to keep being potted up to larger and larger pots. One transplant to a larger pot from a small seedling in a cell. is all I plan on before I put them in the garden. So no fertilizer while they are in the house before they are going out, a little on the small side. They make up for lost time/size once they establish in the garden. I also use an oscillating fan on plants under lights, which was a big fix with problems I had with seedlings. Strengthens the seedlings and keeps fungal problems away. And I set mine on the 2nd speed to get a good breeze going. It dries out the potting soil so I check it a couple of times a day and water when dry. The grow light needs to be close to the seedlings, as some others have described. If not they can get leggy and not be as good as you want.

Good luck with your seedlings!

The fan is a GREAT idea!!!!