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All was going well with my Carolina reaper seeds using the baggy method. After it had grown its second pair of leaves I decided to plant it in a pot with some of the paper since the roots had grown through it.

Say two weeks later it hadn't grown very much but looked fine. But when I got home one day the leaves had all dropped down. The day after they're even worse and seem to be curling and maybe slightly yellow.

What's caused this and what can I do to fix it?

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  • The soil was always this wet?
    – Alina
    Oct 26, 2017 at 17:09
  • @Alina I guess so I spray it a few times everyday
    – Aequitas
    Oct 26, 2017 at 20:59
  • roots are rotted, pull out and check.
    – Graham Chiu
    Oct 26, 2017 at 21:01
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    @Shule I have a 40w lamp on it all day, and turn it off at night, it's indoors, but would get some light from the window too.
    – Aequitas
    Oct 27, 2017 at 0:07
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    Whatever size container you have this growing in, its too large - a seedling that tiny should be in a small pot, then potted on into larger pots as it grows. Keeping it sufficiently well watered without rotting will be very difficult with that much empty soil round it, and it won't form a good rootball either. Next time you grow, pot your seedlings (when they have two sets of leaves) into small pots first.
    – Bamboo
    Oct 28, 2017 at 23:32

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I think there is too much moisture and the seedlings can't absorb it. If the very top of the stem is not wilted, then there might be a chance for the seedlings to stay alive under the condition of reducing the moisture. If the top has wilted as well, there is nothing to be done. Next time when you grow them, moisten the soil only when needed. Too wet soil promotes rot in addition to overwhelming the root system of small plants.

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  • The stem is not wilted at all, it's quite sturdy so i'll stop watering it and we'll see how it goes. Do you think it was a bad idea to plant it with the paper? as that probably retains some more moisture then it would otherwise.
    – Aequitas
    Oct 26, 2017 at 22:32
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    A sturdy/strong/tough stem is a sign that the plant has a good supply of potassium. If there are lots of wood chips in the soil, they can add a lot of potassium and calcium (potentially too much).
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Oct 27, 2017 at 0:06
  • @Aequitas Not necessarily bad to plant with the paper, but also not optimum. Many books teach us to keep the soil moist in permanence, but in my experience this is risky. If you have more than one container, next time try to mist one of them less and by watching them grow you'll figure how much moisture is best.
    – Alina
    Oct 27, 2017 at 6:08
  • @Shule Thanks for sharing this, I didn't know about it. I don't fertilize my seedlings and I use regular potting soil instead of special starter mix because it has worked perfectly so far, so I' not familiar with symptoms of fertilized seedlings.
    – Alina
    Oct 27, 2017 at 8:08

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