Last year I tried to grow some Boston Pickling cucumbers. They grew to about 2 inches and just as they got their first true leaves they wilted and died. I had just moved house and had planted those indoors on a heated propagator in mid May (I used that method to grow Vorgebirgstrauben once at my last house and it was a success). I chalked this up to bad luck.
Now this year I've tried to grow Vorgebirgstrauben and also National Pickling varieties and they have followed the exact same pattern. I propagated in mid April, seed leaves grew and then the plant just wilts.
So now I've started a second run of National Pickling, this time not on the propagator but in a greenhouse at the start of May. 2 weeks later I'm in exactly the same situation, first leaves appearing, plant is dying.
The seedlings start off a good colour, but very suddenly yellow, or lose their colour on the seed leaves. I've attached photos of plants which 2 days ago looked very green, although I think for 2 weeks of growth these plants are behind where they should be.
Things I've tried:
- Using pots instead of propagator to give seedlings more soil depth.
- Watering a tiny amount each day just enough to keep soil moist.
- 3 different seed varieties at this point.
I've not had this issue in the past. Generally I'd start the seeds on the propagator and re-pot them to a large pot once the first set of seed leaves were somewhat established.
Anyone have any suggestions? I'm going to plant more straight into a large container this time and see if that helps.