What Happened to them?

Hello All, This is my first post ever! I had 6 seedlings in 1in rockwool cubes in a try with about 1/4in of water in the bottom. They seemed to have trouble penetrating the rockwool with the tap root. They got long and twisted in the little hole in the rockwool without growing into it. After a few more days the root/stem shrank to almost nothing, starting in the middle and then spreading out up and down. They only had the first two round leaves and were about an inch tall. Any idea what I did to these poor things?

In books I've read that it is impossible to overwater with rockwool and that oxygen isn't a problem either. Is this true? I have set up a drip system and just let it drip all the time. Should I be cycling it on and off? Thank you in advance for any help anyone can offer.

Please, don't let me kill again!

Regards,
Marq
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I think you overwatered them. You should have the drip system come on just a few times a day for a few minutes. This is what I think the problem could be, but there a few other possibilities.

BTT

One more detail. The PH was a little high, like 8.1. Would that be enough to wipe out the plants?


Regards,
Marq

Sounds to me like you got some kind of hydro system, am i right? For hydro you want the ph level in the high 5's or low 6's if i'm not mistaken. ph of 8.1 can't be good..

rwool is alkaline to start, 8.1 ph is bad, did you use tap water? and did you let it sit out for 24 hours prior to use?