Guys I could do with some help please. I've germinated three lots of seeds but can't get them to grow, don't know what I'm doing wrong.
I'm getting 100% germination in 24-36hr using the paper towel method. Using various seeds from Attitude. Then I'm potting them up into a moss peat, vermiculite & perlite mix. The problem is that from there they just don't grow.
The first batch I had in a humidity dome under 200W CFL, temp about 30C. A couple of the seeds made it up the surface in about 6 to 7 days then did nothing, I found they hadn't grown any roots so I thought I'd over-watered them.
Second batch I did the same but less water, after a week they hadn't grown much either, still no roots and looked a bit shrivelled too. I thought maybe they needed more light.
For the third lot I ditched the dome and put the pots directly under the light with a fan to keep the temp about 30C, I kept the soil just moist, not wet and not drying out either. Same result, after about a week they had only just made it to surface and then didn't grow, when I touched them they just fell over - no roots, see pic.
I think the problem must be the medium or the water, I'm using mineral water, see pic of label. I tested the ph of the water, see litmus on the right. Then I tested the ph of of the water after draining through the medium, see litmus on the left - too acidic?
Any ideas what's going wrong?
I'm thinking of changing to normal potting compost and tap water (left to stand for 24hrs). Is this a good idea? I've got some sharp sand to add for drainage if that helps?