Question
QUESTION: i started my plants from seed better,best and cherries all at the same time on the 18 of march i keep them under light on the cloudy days and have been hardening them off know about every other day on our recently warm 60 to 70 degree days and they all have seemed to lighten in color and have developed grayish white spots on the leaves i have fert. about 3 times now with a diluted miracle grow 1/4 tsp or less to a qt of water once every 6 days or so in the past 2 weeks can you maybe tell me what is wrong

ANSWER: Jeremy-

The spots could be powdery mildew or spider mites. with the light colored leaves I suspect you may be over-watering. The light leaves could also be not enough light.

Elyse

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok what should i do and how often should i be watering /fertilizing. i usually only water when the pots are dry inside the pots on the bottom

Answer
Water your plants when they feel dry 1" from the top, don't let them totally dry out. They should be recieving 12 hours of light a day, whether in the sun or under lights. Lights should be florescent type, and only about 4" from the top of the plants.

Check for spider mites, to rule them out. They are very tiny red insects, you may see some fine webbing on the leaves. If you don't see any evidence of mites, then it is probably mildew. You can spray the leaves with a mixture of 1T baking soda to 1 gallon of water. A couple of drops of mild dish soap will help the solution to stick to the leaves, but is not necessary.

As for fertilizer, it depends on what you are using. The amount you described seems diluted enough to use often, but you can over-fertilize you plants. You can probably hold off on any more feeding until you transplant them. Then use a high phosphorus (2nd number on the label)food at regular strength.