Seed compost question

[Tom Goode]

This year my tomato and leek seedlings were planted in John innes seed compost (an old opened bag from last year)
They germinated o.k ,got to around 2" and seemed to just stop and don`t seem to have grown for the last few weeks, i know we`r still not getting much light at this time of the year but reading on the bag it said there would be enough to feed the plants for 3 weeks.
Should i re pot them in a different compost as i don`t remember this being a problem last year , i re potted them last year when the roots were showing through the bottom of the pots , but this year it`s just not happening.
Whats worse is the leeks have all wilted and died and i can`t understand why, there were in damp compost and in a light room it`s as though the compost was bad if thats possible .

[hailtryfan]

Your seedlings would definately not have exhausted the nutrients in the compost so quickly and would not react in this way even if they had. I think the 3 week guidelines is aimed at more mature plants. It could be a little cold wherever you are growing the tomatoes causing them to stop growing. If your leeks have died this might be because of damping-off. Are you keeping them covered still?

[Two_Sheds]

You say a light room, but even the lightest windowsill doesn't really supply enough lux for growing plants

[Kristen]

This year my tomato and leek seedlings were planted in John innes seed compost (an old opened bag from last year)

No nutrients, to speak of, in Seed Compost. But that's OK as seeds don't need nutrients early on (and, indeed, they can be harmful to baby seedling growth)

They germinated o.k ,got to around 2" and seemed to just stop and don`t seem to have grown for the last few weeks

Might not be related, but seeds do tend to do that . They tend to chuck up the seed leaf / leaves, and then sit there for a while before the first true leaf appears. Its also not very warm, and light levels have been down around here, so being slow is not, in itself, a cause for concern.

Whats worse is the leeks have all wilted and died and i can`t understand why, there were in damp compost and in a light room it`s as though the compost was bad if thats possible .

That sounds like its more likely to be the problem. They sound as if they have too much water, or them may have damping off disease.

What temperature are they at? Tomatoes will need some warmth - never lower than 10C, and a bit more than that during the day for active growth - 18C for active growth as seedlings reducing to 16C as they grow a bit bigger - more is fine, e.g. if the sun comes out!

The Leeks don't need the heat. You can give them a little to help them germinate, but then they want to be cold. Keeping them frost free will help keep them growing, but warmer may encourage them to bolt later on. But by keeping them colder their growth may appear to be slow (certainly compared to Tomatoes!)

Not too late to re-sow both (I don't sow my Leeks until mid-March, and I only sow my Tomatoes at the start of march because I have warm conditions in which I can raise them)

[Tom Goode]

Your seedlings would definately not have exhausted the nutrients in the compost so quickly and would not react in this way even if they had. I think the 3 week guidelines is aimed at more mature plants. It could be a little cold wherever you are growing the tomatoes causing them to stop growing. If your leeks have died this might be because of damping-off. Are you keeping them covered still?

Thanks , i think i`ll put it down to the lack of light then ,i have only been growing a couple of years and probable started my seedlings in april last year ,thats all i can think of.

As for the leeks i still have no idea what has happened, they were never covered and 95% germinated and grew like 2" blades of grass ,and then just stopped and did nothing but wilt and eventually die.When we did see and sunlight i put them in it hoping that would help but it made no difference.

[Kristen]

April is a different kettle of fish! More light, more warmth, things will start off much more strongly

I think your Leeks had too much water, they won't have needed very much at all this time of then year as they are not growing strongly yet, and thus won't drink very much. But it might have been not enough light too.

If they were weak / over watered then that could easily lead to damping off disease.

[Tom Goode]

Thanks a lot for the help , i have sown the leeks again and will remember only to water them if they feel like they need it, i presumed that to much water wouldn`t be a problem to seedlings as they were growing, but this time will keep them a bit cooler and hold back on the watering .

[Kristen]

i presumed that to much water wouldn`t be a problem to seedlings as they were growing

The roots need air as well as moisture I'm afraid ... so waterlogged would be a problem, plus dampness promotes fungal diseases.

Try getting used to the "weight" of the container. With experience you will be able to judge how dry it is by feeling the weight - I can just lift the corner of a pot / container and tell if it needs water, but I've been doing that for many, many years!

Next time you fill some pots with compost stick one in a container of water for 10 minutes, leave it to drain a while, and then compare the "feel" of the weight of each, that should give you an idea of the range to work with

Most things are happy to get to the point of being "really quite dry" before you water again; if you leave it too long they will wilt, but although that stresses them they will recover when watered [well, you can't leave them like that for weeks in baking sunshine!]

On the other hand if you over water they will also wilt, but now you can't do anything about getting rid of the water - the plant has stopped drinking it. So over-watering is much harder to remedy.

[Two_Sheds]

I don't understand where this idea that veg needs to be watered every day comes from ?

My teachers are telling the kids to water their spuds every day - I piped up and said in a quiet voice "they'll rot ..." but nobody listens. The houseplants around school are literally drowning

Today I showed my Garden Club a thirsty geranium (pelargonium). They felt it (felt light) then they put it in a transparent saucer of water (a hummous tub) and watched it suck up the water. AMAZING !

The penny dropped ... ever so quickly, actually