Seedling found dead and flat on the dirt overnight

[Vkush]

welp i had 2 "practice" runs from some free seeds. first round i had two 1-2" seedlings. one died cuz i think i left the seed case on the seedling too long. the other one was doing good but i think i messed up the watering of it. i know people were saying water once every 1-4 days. another thing was feeling the weight of the cup to judge when it needs water. well does the entire cup need to be damp? cuz thats more water weight, but the roots arent gonna be all the way at the bottom or the sides just yet so why put all that water in there. so i def kept the stem and leaves and roots directly underneath watered every 1-3 days. but it died.

next round i just had one sprout, so i tried again, my light timer came in so i finally figure out how that works. i didnt have any fans blowing on this seedling (about 1" tall) and overnight i find it limp and on the dirt flat. is that a tell tale sign that something in particular was off? maybe mold since i didn't have fans?

just wanna try to figure out what im doing wrong before spending more money on an actual "grow"

 

[NoobieGreenz]

Pictures help please

 

[Gentlemencorpse]

Sounds like it damped off. Usually a sign of over watering. Could also be from a lack of light though. As mentioned, pics are helpful, as are more details about your grow.

 

[Vkush]

yeah, shes a goner. i still wanna try to see if we can figure out what i did wrong.

damn...i wish i could know for sure if it was over watering, so i can correct my mistake for next time. the lights are pretty damn weak (dont know the wattage, but just 2 desk lamps). using some miracle grow potting soil, no nutes. again, this was more of a sample run/i got bored so let me see if i can sprout these seeds kinda run.

obviously once im ready for my actual legit setup: tent, 240w led, fans, carbon filter, timer, organic soil, fabric pots...everything will be more automated. this run has brought to my attention that i need to figure out exactly how to water the seedlings. apparently the "water it once every 1-4 days by weight" isn't "scientific" enough for me to replicate

here's the poor girl...her death will not be in vain

 

[Renfro]

Well that chunk of dirt prevents us from seeing if it's damped off lol but it is indeed dead

 

[Vkush]

oh my bad....i guess u need a picture of the root?

 

[Renfro]

oh my bad....i guess u need a picture of the root?

If it's "pinched" at the base then thats damped off.

 

[Vkush]

oooo i see....yeah it was definitely disconnected at the base

so damped off means mold or fungus, right? and that's caused by lack of moving air? cuz i just had a ceiling fan blowing 20 ft away, barely reaching the plant. the soil is super old too, just been sitting in the garage for years, hah.

 

[dannyboy602]

yeah, shes a goner. i still wanna try to see if we can figure out what i did wrong.

damn...i wish i could know for sure if it was over watering, so i can correct my mistake for next time. the lights are pretty damn weak (dont know the wattage, but just 2 desk lamps). using some miracle grow potting soil, no nutes. again, this was more of a sample run/i got bored so let me see if i can sprout these seeds kinda run.

obviously once im ready for my actual legit setup: tent, 240w led, fans, carbon filter, timer, organic soil, fabric pots...everything will be more automated. this run has brought to my attention that i need to figure out exactly how to water the seedlings. apparently the "water it once every 1-4 days by weight" isn't "scientific" enough for me to replicate

here's the poor girl...her death will not be in vain
View attachment 4565981

That's not a seedling mix...Get yourself a mix that uses peat and permits as a base and add amendments.

just wanna try to figure out what im doing wrong before spending more money on an actual "grow"

First read a book about soil since you're growing in what appears to be a rather moisture retaining soil. Teaming with Microbes is a good one. I would use that soil youre growing in for perennials and some woody plants but not Cannabis. If you need help with soil I can help you.
It looks to me you did get damping off but I can't see close enough to say for sure...usually the base of the stem on diseased seedlings looks pinched.
I promise if you read Teaming with Microbes you'll be light years ahead of 75% of the soil growers on RIU. And you'll never need to post in the Newbie section again.