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Slow seedling growth

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Jack in NB

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This year marks my 6th or 7th year of growing, and I can't seem to get the seedlings to planting-out size in less than 12 weeks.

I get great germination results (2 to 6 days), and transplant at the 2-3 leaf stage in 4 weeks or so. About 3 years ago I switched from a compost/peat/soil mixture to a soilless mix (Pro-mix, a non-fortified product used by the commercial greenhouses around here). No difference in growth, but no weed or damping off problems.

No fertilizer to transplant time. Transplant into 50 cell trays (root material roughly a 2" cube). This year had one tray with different packs - 4 cells like mini ice cream cones perhaps 3" deep. This tray gave perhaps a third better growth rate, which started to show up 4 - 5 weeks after transplanting.

Liquid feed 15-30-15 weekly, trays kept 70 - 72 deg temp. One tray 4-6" under a 2' gro-lux tube, the other two trays, 4-6" below a 4' gro-lux tube. Lights on 15 - 16 hours daily. Trays switched around every couple of days to be sure all plants get similar light exposure. While there are size variations (some varieties are larger than others by planting time), there are no significant variations in growth at the edges or ends of the trays.

Growth really doesn't take off until the last 4 weeks, and I have always had the floppy/curly stems discussed by others earlier. Giving the leaves a haircut now and then did not seem to have an impact. No failures in the plants in the trays. Planted out this rear June 8 - 10.

The end results are satisfactory after I get through the cutworm/earwig/slug phase.That's just about over now. Replaced about 15 plants out of 115 plants so far, even with cutworm bait.

But I am clearly missing something, when I read that some of you are able to plant 6 to 8 weeks after seeding!

Thoughts?
 
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