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Grittyville, WA

Interesting mix of maladies. Yep, this is why it's good to test things out first & start solving any issues.

I am trying miracle grow too but the formula they use could be different for different states. I noticed in my state it contains a lot of forest byproduct which may have less stable ph and nitrogen. I dont think thats a nitrogen problem necessarily, but whatever it is, thats sure not what you want. The cheap DIY tests or good probe/meter can tell you if the ph is way off.

2/13/2025 1:00:36 AM

Grittyville, WA

Ps i notice water droplets on leaves but you said you have not watered? Does your setup need more air ventillation perhaps...? Backseat driver here :(

2/13/2025 2:11:36 AM

Syracuse, NY

Next time, try this:
One 12-Dry-Quart bag of Jiffy-Mix Natural & Organic Seed Starter Mix, $5.95 each;
One, or none at all, Burpee Natural and Organic Seed-Starting Mix in a BRICK format
that goes from brick 'to 8 quarts in 2 minutes'...$4.95 each, this part being for if it's
convenient and easy to mix the two TOGETHER for the best of both worlds, as in a little less
clumpy yet a little more crumbly and I will have NO other, lol. Add 1/2 cup or even 1 cup of any
Mycorrhizal inoculant - In my case, Bio-Grow Endo Plus from Holland's Land O' Giants;
Mix in at least the Jiffy-Mix Plus the Myco in a 5-gallon bucket with ONE-THIRD of a gallon of
H2O, no more, with a broom handle vigorously, getting in a workout, or all three items with probably
a full gallon of H2O, butt after half a gallon, season to taste. 'Potting Mix' has never been recommended
as a main substrate for seed-starting, nor for growing AGs in general, or, at least, I'm not gonna.
NO ISSUES, EVER, USING THIS JM CONCOCTION. I use it for everything and when I start to fertilize
seedlings at all, I use MG WS 24-8-16 at 1 TBSP per gallon H20 and currently I'm using
MG Tomato Food WS 18-18-21 at 1 TBSP/gal and I am having great results with a FP plant and previously
with a Squash and several test AGs. They get to the male flowering stage just fine, on a very
small scale, butt I never intend to grow a plant beyond just something to mess with and keep happy, lol.
Then, That Day of its Termination comes.
Bummer. 'Well, at least, it was nice and green';

2/13/2025 4:22:16 AM

Syracuse, NY

PS---Meanwhile, SS Mix drying up? I add in a 5? oz. cup of MG+H2O to my 16? ounces clear plastic cup(s)
and it gets back on track. (Shocked that they don't show a 5 oz. size comparison to be sure, lol)
If leaves ever become distorted, shrivel up and die, it is due to the
plant itself being malnourished, in concert with Little Ketchup's making a point of that a year or
two ago, and now, I'm totally convinced of it.
PS---I have even used 2X-strength MG 24-8-16 as an initial SS Mix component last year and the seedlings
were bigger, more robust and lasted longer, until needing more MG, than the others. 2-3 I tried it on.
NICE!
4X was TOO much, lol! Happy Growing! eric g

2/13/2025 4:22:27 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Trash the Miracle Grow potting soil. My bro used them a lot and his plants looked same, its trash soil for germinating. Choose a better starting soil, I like Happy Frog, and Fertilome starting mix. Keep up the experimenting.... Best of Luck
Wizzy

2/13/2025 10:32:57 AM

valtierra/spain

The beginning is more important than we think.. a strong plant, good leaves and good initial roots, is the best start of the crop. Try to find a good substrate! Ask good growers in America what is the best substrate there

2/13/2025 3:53:42 PM

Grittyville, WA

There is a difference between potting kix and seed starting mix. I'm interested to see how Sutherlands tomato seed recipe does for you... guessing your next round of plants will probably look great!

2/13/2025 6:20:49 PM

Syracuse, NY

Lol---I'm gonna do Ziploc Hydroponic with MG Tomato food,
lol---I'll use the 142.6s of mine that I have 5 sprouted and plenty...Well, I had wondered what the Fabulous Five would be used for, lol!
Heeeeere, Seedy, Seedy, lol---eg

2/14/2025 3:49:01 AM

Tyngsboro, MA

For the next experiment try a couple of plants in different potting mixes. At this time of year a local hydroponics store would be the best place to find some

2/14/2025 9:20:20 PM

Connecticut

Looks like an iron deficiency... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=339841

3/16/2025 8:48:23 PM