Dark leaves, weak stem: Seedlings in bad shape

[glopal]

Here are the specs for the grow

Soil Mix:
4 parts top soil (best I could find)
1 part Schultz Potting Soil (0.012-0.18-0.012)(Has some perlite in it)
2 parts Vermeculite
A small handful of Dolimite Lime

Lighting:
Two 23 watt CFLs, one 43 watt CFL, about 1ft above the pots.

Sprout/Veg Box:
1.5 x 2 x 3.8 ft

Temp/Humidity:
73F
45%

Watering
Bottled water, checked the ph, it seems to be good. I give them a couple mists about 2 times a day, if the soil feels dry, which it usually does.

Symptoms
Two out of my four plants are not looking good, the first sign that something wasnt right was that the leaves where a darker green than the other ones. Next the stems give out completely and they fall over. Now the real bad one seems to be shriveling up. I noticed on the other one that the leaves appear to be curling down.


Am I overwatering them?

Is there any hope for them, they look pretty bad?

How do I save my other two plants from the same fate? I think there growth may be slowing down...


The first two pictures are the bad ones. Sorry for the bad quality.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

The first thing I thought was nitrogen overdose when reading the title but looking at the seedling it doesn't seem to be unhealthy. Do you have a fan blowing on her to strengthen the stem? Get those cfls closer too. I'd say 6 inches. You can check to see if the lights are giving off too much heat by placing your hand right over your seedling. If your hand gets hot after a minute or so raise the lights a few more inches. Looks like you just have a weak stem from stretching imo.

 

[gettinggray1964]

i agree with the fan and the lights, i use cfl's i keep mine about 3-4 inches from my plants all around the plant. i would stop the misting until your plant can hold itself up. or repot it .

 

[Dizzy]

yeah move your lights down and get a fan to strengthen the stem up she dont look to unhealthy to me

 

[snuggles]

Yeah what they said LOL. Also they make things like Silica Blast and that might help in a couple weeks if things are still weak good luck, and other than the stretch I would say you are on your way, good luck friend.

 

[glopal]

Well, all my plants are on the brink of death, but I think I figured out why.

Whenever I watered then I did so with a mister, and only a couple mist to keep the soil damp. As a tester I gave a plant about 5 times more water than I usually do, and came back in about an hour, and stuck my finger in the soil. The first inch was wet, but after than it wa bone dry.

I think I didnt add enought perlite, which caused a serious drainage problem, which lead to my plants roots drying up. And since the top of the soil and the plants were always moist this drying up wasnt evident as the plant actually seem to be almost soggy.

This is what I think, but I'm no expert, clearly

So I'm going to germinate a new batch, and try to mix a better soil. Maybe also get a moisture meter.