Mango Seedlings Not looking so good : (

[dsoni]

I have two mango seedlings which I planted near the end of the summer indoors. They both showed tremendous growth to start out. One of them even had some leaves form but over time the leaves are wilting away and the plant seems to have stunted in its growth. The other plant never actually produced leaves. The two baby leaves wilted away and now there is a small leaf of sorts on the top of the stem. However, both plants have been in this stable state for a few weeks now where there is no signs of new growth but the plant itself seems to be alive. I am not sure what to do with these plants and if they are even able to come back now. I would like advice on things I can do now or if these guys are gonners  .
Any advice would help. I live in Massachusetts and all of my plants except for a hardy fig are indoors.
I also would like to mention one of the plants seems to have  fruit flies around it. Is that a cause for concern?

[JeffDM]

I live in sunny San Diego and also have problems keeping my mango seedlings alive.
I suspect that I over water without realizing it until it's too late.

Some of the experts here will be along shortly to offer advice on maintaining your mango seedlings.

[plantlover13]

Flies may indicate soil that is too moist and soggy.

[PltdWorld]

What grow medium are you using?  Leaf tips look burnt?  I'm not a fan of miracle grow, but have had success with their "Moisture Control" potting mix for use with avocados and mangos.  There are a lot of factors involved: temperature, light quantity and intensity, soil/medium, water quantity/quality + any fertilizers/chemicals/etc.

Mine get watered 2-3x/wk in the summer and maybe 1x/wk now that we've hit colder temps, shorter days and less intense sunlight.

That said, I had a half dozen all next to each other in same size pots (1gal), same soil mix and same water source - one of them died early on when the others thrived.

[dsoni]

Hi there thanks for the responses guys. I am using regular potting mixture soil "miracle grow brand". I have not used any fertilizer yet and was researching on which one to use and when. I have to say maybe I was overwatering it since the weather has become cooler I believe I may have been watering it 3-4 times a week. I am afraid the embryo has become rotten and that is what is causing this change. I did keep the plants outside during the fall a few times over night which may have shocked them since the temperature was in the mid 60s. They are now indoors fully since the start of fall and have been in this condition. As for light, they both sit in a garden window over our kitchen sink. Temperature in the house is usually 72-74 degrees. Is there still hope?

[dsoni]

Does anyone know when a seedling stem detaches from the embryo?

[plantlover13]

Does anyone know when a seedling stem detaches from the embryo?

sorry don't quite understand that.

[shaneatwell]

Does anyone know when a seedling stem detaches from the embryo?

I suspect the connection between the stem and seed weakens significantly after a month or so. I know that I've pulled up some few month old mango seedlings that appeared to be still attached to the seed, but they pulled free. The seed stayed in the ground and i ended up with stem and taproot.

[dsoni]

I cleaned some of the soil around my seedling and found remnants of my seed which had blackened. I observed further and realized this.

This drawing shows what I saw today. My seedling showed a curved taproot of sorts and the seed itself detached. The black object is the seed that had detached and was floating around in the surrounding soil. Is this ok? Will the seedling survive? it has been like this for some time I believe..