Looking for advice with beginning stage if growth

[mLmine]

Hello,

I got a bonsai kit from and I wanted to grow a cherry blossom bonsai. I had germinated the 5 seeds in the fridge and when it came time to plant I had 3 good ones. I planted them all in a small pot and placed them on a heat mat with plastic wrap over the top. It has been a couple weeks and it’s getting colder outside. I had 2 seedlings breakthrough and grew about half an inch, i was super happy. The third one did not grow It seems but the plan was to end up with one eventually. I removed the wrap for an hour or more a day to give the new plant air. Now it’s been about a month since I’ve started seeing green and it seems that they are dying. Leaves are getting a tad of brown and the roots are brittle and the two plants have basically collapsed. I have kept the soil moist and haven’t needed to water but I did water one time with some bonsai fertilizer as well. Are the plants going dormant? Or are they damping off? I am hoping someone can let me know if my bonsai seedlings can be saved at this point or not. I am also wondering if there is anything I did wrong. Any help would mean the world. I have no problem starting from scratch. Thank you

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Seems a lot of threads been getting missed.

I'd use what you've learned and start over in spring!

Sorce

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Hard to tell what's wrong without pictures.

However, cherries air layer pretty easily (6-8 weeks) and it can take 10 years for a cherry to become adult enough to flower. So starting over from a cutting, an air layer or even a store bought plant (if you can find ones without a graft) should be a piece of cake.

If it's damping off, you'll see the trunk wrinkle vertically. If it's dormancy, it shouldn't wrinkle.

 

[Mikecheck123]

and placed them on a heat mat

Is this an upsell that the scammers are selling now? This is like fourth person I've seen mention a heat mat for their bonsai seeds.

 

[shinmai]

Is this an upsell that the scammers are selling now? This is like fourth person I've seen mention a heat mat for their bonsai seeds.

That might be because they work.

 

[Mikecheck123]

That might be because they work.

I wonder how trees survived for hundreds of millions of years without them.

 

[caffeinated]

I wonder how trees survived for hundreds of millions of years without them.

They're growing in the ground where temperatures are stable. Heat mats help roots grow. They aren't necessary, but propogators use them because they are effective.

 

[mLmine]

The heat pad helped to replicate warmer temps, entering the cold season. But I think it may have also kept my soil too damp, which killed my seedling. I never watered during the month I had with my seedlings as the soil stayed damp from the plastic wrap and heat pad. The soil never got a chance to dry, I believe. Would that be possible? Next time I’m think I won’t use the heat pad. It never got hot, just a subtle warm temp.

 

[mLmine]

Hard to tell what's wrong without pictures.

However, cherries air layer pretty easily (6-8 weeks) and it can take 10 years for a cherry to become adult enough to flower. So starting over from a cutting, an air layer or even a store bought plant (if you can find ones without a graft) should be a piece of cake.

If it's damping off, you'll see the trunk wrinkle vertically. If it's dormancy, it shouldn't wrinkle.

Thanks for the reply. 2 seedlings just poking out of the soil with about 2 tiny leaves on each. 1/2” tall maybe little more