Pot plants. What I am doing wrong?

Hello, fellow gardeners. For quite sometime I am trying to grow something in the pot at home. And this was supposed to be some type of Matthiola, but as always - the roots start to dry out and the whole plant dies. The same happened with lavender and few other seed packets I had. I think that I overwater the plants, is that the case? Or I am doing something else totally wrong?

https://imgur.com/pf56XF6

 

growing in pots is an art! it takes lots of knowledge, practice and loss. I generally don't grow in pots... it is a lot of work...(says the girl who gardens full time grows in high tunnels and greenhouses does farmers markets and has a roadside stand.....)

first lets start with your "dirt" what is it where did it come from? is this a sterile potting mix? I grow lots and lots and lots of plants in pots... I used up about 30 bales of potting mix this Spring, but I always use sterile potting mix ( I use one called Baccto) there are many brands on the market. it is comprised of mainly peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and possibly a time release fertilizer.. hyponex miracle grow, etc... don't, under any circumstance, start with topsoil, dirt or compost. there are way too many fungi in the mix that will attack and kill off the seedlings.

do you have drainage holes in the pot?

do you give it a good drink when it is dry... don't just water because you think it needs a drink. you can easily suffocate the roots of a small plant by watering when the soil is already damp or wet. Put your finger in to the soil to your first knuckle... is it dry or not? water only if it is dry.

What are you watering the plant with? well water, softened water, RO water, city chlorinated water, rain water?

Rain water is the best thing to water with. I use well water. unsoftened but filtered with an iron filter as we have a lot of iron. and I have a fertilizer injector, but you would use something such as miracle grow if you chose to use a water soluble fertilizer. If you are using city water let it sit in a bucket or jug open to the air for a few hours or overnight. this will dissipate any chlorine (which your plant has no need of).

anyway... its a start. a bit to digest but simple and doable. I will be gone for a few days and will check back in with the forum then. maybe others will have a few better ideas or questions, too. good luck. keep on trying though, don't give up. and some plants are better suited to containers than others. make sure you do your research to verify its growing needs.

....and as I see you are in a different country you will have different product brands to work with. look at the label for the contents

 

Are the seeds still in date SS? Like food the seeds will have a shelf life.

Try again with new bought seeds when they germinate hold the leaf and very gently remove and repot. Always water by the bottom of the pot.

It could be vine weevil, or another insect that’s in the compost.
K

 

Wow, thank you all for the replies. I will try to answer with all my knowledge.

Carolyn> You are a real pro gardener If only I had tons of garden and house space, I would probably go amazing crazy too - now my plant love is limited to 10 pots.
Pot mix - simple garden supermarket bought (sadly, I already finished it and threw away the bag). I have a few houseplants that somehow grow awesome with my skills and they seem to don't mind whatever dirt I put. I even joke, that only Duncan MacLeod type of plants grow in my apartment - he was an immortal TV show character that was very hard to kill. So, I am good at growing plants that are hard to kill anyway. I always choose the universal pot mix that goes well with pot and houseplants. Today I bought new mix, and I still have some seeds of Salvia Blaze of Fire and Ragwort Diamond, I will try planting them in the new soil.
Holes - yes, they are the must. Even if pot doesn't have any, I make some with screwdriver.
Watering - I guess I overdid a couple of times. Now I am also experimenting with pot Ageratum and Dark opal basil https://imgur.com/g4RC20J and I will be the most careful with watering and wait until soil dries our properly. My pot Parsley grows in the pot wonderfully. I use simple tap water, it has quite good quality in my city. Since I live in an apartment, it might be tricky to get rain water (I already imagine myself standing with a bucket in the rain...), but I will try the waiting idea.
Thank you very much.

Kate> Yes, seeds are still up to date. So, you suggest sprouting them first and then potting? Or it doesn't matter if I want to achieve flower-pot result?

Toni> I am not sure about the type, but the result was the same as with Matthiola - plant seems to grow super well, and then just suddenly dies off/dries off from the roots. When plant is dry, I tend to water it generously - but I might have over watered it a couple of times. Yes, the picture is of my plant, and I will still try to save it - the soil still seems a little moist, I will try waiting and watering it only when it's completely dry. Not enough sun might be the problem - I am growing on my windowsill, and some plants seems to be faring OK, but maybe Matthiola needs more of it aka full sun.
Right now I am experimenting with pot Ageratum and Dark opal basil (photo with a link above), pot Parsley is faring fantastically, some hot pepper seeds (bought from Ebay) already had some very hot fruit, I have seeds of Salvia Blaze of Fire and Ragwort Diamond, I will try planing them in the new soil. I also have some pot plants that weren't from seed packets and they seem to be doing very well - my Sedum morganianum is a beauty, will probably post a question about my Aeonium (I thought it was dying in winter, but it's growing new flower "rings" from the stem but behind the leaves - and I am not sure if I should remove them and plant them separately). My Devil's Ivy is probably two meters already. + three plants that are doing very well, but I forgot their names.