soil question

first post.

i germinated 3 seeds that i was lucky enough to get of some fire a while back and planted them in a large pot. i'm lucky enough to live next to a wheat field that has piles of horse fertilizer already mixed with soil and other stuff. the process was going fine untill only one sprouted up. i didnt think anything of it, untill about 3 weeks into it. the one that DID sprout looks perfect. nothing wrong with it that i can notice. i can see growth every day..

so i move around the topsoil a bit and notice there's little threads stuck together that look like a dead dandilion. i found the other 2 seedlings under the soil that have finally come out of the shell, yet there is a weird mold on them and are obviously dead (no green to the leaf). now i'm not sure what causes this but i'm wondering, since the other one was lucky enough to grow and mature, is it safe to keep it in there, or will it kill it by transplanting?

it now has 4 sets of leaves and a bright green color. sorry for no pictures, i got mad and threw my camera against the wall..

Sounds like you need some legit soil. I use roots organic, and its working great for me only not much water retention. but what ever you decide to use I suggest getting it into some real soil not just whatevers in the yard, the ferts in the horse manure could be to much. if you have no access to potting soil try some cleaner soil you have with no poo in it. also make sure your pot is big enough i use 5gal some use bigger. also you didnt mention if your indoor/outdoor.

sorry, its outdoor. might sound ignorant but i'm growing them in a 5 gal pot to make sure they get enough growth before i transplant them later on. there's no little insects running around or mold on the side of the growing plant that i can notice straight up.

Sounds like to me you just threw some seeds literally into a pot of dirt not soil and hoped for the best. Try germinating them in a moist papertowel or soaking the seed in water a little before planting, thats the first step. Secondly, Im sure the wheat field dirt is good enough for commercially grown crops because of the steps they take throughout the season, ie; foliation chemicals, ferts, and irrigation techs. In reality its still just dirt not soil. Go to wal-mart and get you some african-violet or similiar soil, leech it out before you put it in your pot to rid it of all the ER food that is pretty much dangerous for new growers, then add some perlite, moss or coco for water retention, and start over. Honestly ask yourself, what else is in that dirt you used, it's unknown such as bacteria, built up salts, and countless types of dormant larvae that are waiting to fuck your shit up.

i germinated in a cup of warm water with another bigger black cup around it so no light can get in and waited for them to sprout. i planted them seed down about half an inch down with the root tip sticking up like you're supposed to.

will it kill it now if i transplant it to better soil ?

Kroniq said:

i germinated in a cup of warm water with another bigger black cup around it so no light can get in and waited for them to sprout. i planted them seed down about half an inch down with the root tip sticking up like you're supposed to.

will it kill it now if i transplant it to better soil ?

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root tip is supposed to be planted down, not up

riddleme said:

root tip is supposed to be planted down, not up

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lol every guide that i've read has told me to make sure the tip is up so that the roots will turn down, causing the seed to come off as it grows upward. they say "MAKE SURE THE TIP IS POINTING UP". then again, this is my first trip to rollitup.org.

the other one seems like nothing's wrong with it.
regardless, can anyone answer my other question lol

Transplanting it will help it not kill it, good idea to get it into better soil as others have already said

Kroniq said:

i germinated in a cup of warm water with another bigger black cup around it so no light can get in and waited for them to sprout. i planted them seed down about half an inch down with the root tip sticking up like you're supposed to.

will it kill it now if i transplant it to better soil ?

Click to expand...

No main thing to remember is to keep as much of the original medium around the main roots, you will see web-like thin roots everywhere depending on how long it has been but these are usually microbial organisms that actually work with your plant roots by increasing surface area for absorption. These plants are actually tough just be gentle when seperating the seedling from the medium and place it in the new soil and bury the trunk deeper than it originally was this will stimulate lateral roots to grow and make your root system even stronger than before. Good luck

good advice, thanks everyone

Root tip down, seed up you may have read it wrong. Riddleme is right because think if you were stuck in a box feet up you would have a harder time to push out that box than if your feet were on the ground. Sorry for the childish metaphor but sometimes it helps.