what now? Yfrog - xmzr.jpg about a week and a half old, I hooked up a drip yesterday night, however, it was too much, and in 2 hours, the soil was completely saturated and there was standing water. I did what i could to soak up the standing water, but the soil was still wet. the next morning it was still strong, but later that day, (i checked around 7pm) it was lying on the soil, limp. I put a paper cylinder around it to try and support it. Will it recover? and if so, when? what should I do?
that shouldnt hurt it if you did it once, but it looks to me like it stretched out to get to the light, and got to tall for its own good , and bent over when the stem got moist from the water accident. what kinda light are you using?
8 watt flourescent, most likely soft white. It is on a 16 hour day. growing in a desk drawer and my fan is a small CPU fan. here are a few pictures Yfrog - twt.jpg Imageshack - 0414102100a.jpg Imageshack - 0414102100.jpg Imageshack - 0414102058a.jpg Imageshack - 0414102059.jpg
That tube you have around the stem is probably doing more harm than good by retaining moisture. Need to get a fan going on that baby to dry out the soil. You also could transplant very carefully into another cup with new moist soil and hand water lightly, or spray foilage when the soil is close to dry, Yes more light of the proper blue spectrum would help the plant use nutrients to grow.
UPDATE: the plant is still limp, and with a noticable kink in the stem. it is currently being held straight by two coffee stirrers on each side. it is still a nice green though.
why did you hook up a drip in soil? Soil needs time to dry out in between waterings. A constant steady flow will keep the soil constantly wet/damp/moist, which will attribute to root rot. You should water less. And what kind of water are you using? You should also try to wean your plant off its crutches. Unsupported branches will grow thicker to support the weight. If its supported however, the branches will stay skinny and flimsy.
@the drip I now know that, and no longer have a drip @the water I now no that, and will water less. I am using Tap water through a water filter. @the crutches this it just for a few days to let the plant fix itself.
I have to agree with the weak light. If that is over one week from the time it sprouted it is also small (due to low light). Even with that light directly over it, it is not the same as having a brighter light, farther away from it. In other words, because the plant is so small, does not mean it needs less brightness. I tried a grow with like 40watts of cfls and even after a month, it was not what I would have considered healthy enough to last outside. My 2 cents. BTW- Once I replaced the light with a larger cfl (105w) the difference was absolutely mind boggling. I know you were more concerned with overwatering so I apologize. I have found that on a plant as small as yours, if the roots have "soaked" for long enough to start root rot you might as well start over.