plant collapse?

I have always been succesful growing seeds until now.

Planted 3 seeds, but for some reason the little plants bearly a week old have died down. on observation the stem at the base of the plants are turning black
causing the plant to collapse.
What have i done wrong? Help and thanks

 

Tell us yer settup, could be too much water, nutes, etc.

 

You have not done anything wrong , but got a fungal infection , something called damping off. There is a solution that you can buy at a greenhouse or garden centre called DAMP OFF. It is too late for the plants you have now- but if you this product when you plant the seeds, it will prevent it from occurring. It is a wise idea to use something like this every time you germinate seeds, especially when you are paying a substantial amount for your seeds...............PAX

 

thanks for replying, damping off must have been the cause , at the inspection the young plants had no roots and the bottom stem were black.
is it better to soak the seeds in water or to plants them in soil?
I have always soaked my seeds for 24 hours until they sprouted but is it better to put them in soil directly? and how far from the light i would appreciate some feed back.
thanks so muchxxx
peace be with you

 

I have had the most success germinating seeds by soaking them rather than sticking them in soil. I find that what works best is to have them in a wet paper towel soaked with a solution of water and damp off . Keeping them in a warm cupboard or on top of the fridge works best. The heat helps the seed to sprout.
What I would suggest you do - is to invest some money and purchase some good grow books: it will be money well spent. If you live near a large city, find a used book store and buy your grow books there. Without knowing what kind of set up you have- it is difficult to answer any more of your questions. .............PAX

 

thanks so much for the tip useful xx
peace be with you

 

Overwatering will cause damping off - be careful the seeding can be easily overwatered.