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The true leaves of my roselle seedlings are brownish at edges and discolored.enter image description hereenter image description here

Aksh
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Something happened during the time of the 1st and 2nd set of leaves. Too hot? Too cold? I can see some sort of insect infestation, can't see very well but maybe white fly or mealy bug? That would account also for the 'sucked dry' of the first leaves. I don't see them on the new leaves. Look beneath the leaves just in case.

Cut the dead/dying leaves off at the stem, do not cut the new growth at the top of the trunk or main stem of this plant. Think of this plant a tree. You do not want to top this tree. One takes the branches off right at the trunk.

Looks to me that you are watering too much. I am glad you used potting soil I hope there are drainage holes, bottom of planter/pot raised slightly off the surface where it sits...an air layer between pot/planter and the surface that supports it... and absolutely NO rock or gravel below the soil and above the drain hole.

Your plants below the first leaves look extremely healthy. What are you doing for fertilizer? Do not add any more fertilizer for quite a while if at all for your season...where is it that you live? Cut back the water. Don't water until dry. These plants are succulents they store their own water and too much water will start root rot. Try to focus watering the root zone, wet but not sopping and slightly watering the rest of the soil where there are no roots as yet to suck up the water. Roots will drown and rot if the pore spaces hold water too long. Roots keep the water moving and draining. No roots means a water logged bog and drowning roots of plants.

stormy
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  • Plants in Delhi, India. I haven't added any fertiliser to these except the compost that was originally there. The previous week was very hot for September with direct sunlight. Then once there was rain. Now temperature is a bit lowerThese were planted from seed 17 days back. I can see a black ants wandering in the potting mix and climbing on these. Seedlings planted in plain cocopeat trays have all green leaves. However, in another pot with same potting mix the leaves are discolored. The tub has 4 drainage holes in the middle with a plastic plate supporting it. – Aksh Sep 21 '19 at 06:06
  • A week back there used to be very very tiny things that flew whenever any seedling was disturbed even a bit. Now those are not there. Moreover, September this time is unusually hot with temperature touching 35 degrees. – Aksh Sep 21 '19 at 09:44
  • Edit- Added latest picture. I need to use plastic plates since the apartment owner does not allow plants without them. – Aksh Sep 21 '19 at 09:45
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    Put a sheet of newspaper between the pot with drainage holes and the plastic plate. If the paper goes wet and soggy then the drainage holes are not doing their job. As @stormy says, the enemy here is too much water in the soil. – Colin Beckingham Sep 21 '19 at 12:04
  • Yup, Colin is saying what I was going to say as well! I am unsure about the ID of your plants. Rosette will have leaves that form 3 lobes. I think this is more – stormy Sep 21 '19 at 19:28
  • ...this is more an impatiens. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/sites/default/files/2016-11/Impatien.jpg – stormy Sep 21 '19 at 19:31
  • I looked up immature Roselle and your ID might be correct, sorry. Too much water and too big of pots. You need to buy little clay pots 4" to 6" in diameter. Transplant those plants dropping as much of the wet soil as possible and transplant into clay pots with fresh soil, NO newspaper at the bottom. Soil coming out only happens at the very beginning but you could use panty hose over the hole! Absolutely no gravel or rocks below your soil. Your soil looks like potting soil and it is draining well. What did you use to make your soil? No direct sun, patio with roof is good. – stormy Sep 21 '19 at 19:40
  • As they grow out of the pots, roots will be coming out of the bottom. Then transplant into pots 1 to 2" in diameter larger. With fresh soil. When they outgrow those pots then a `1 gallon pot with fresh soil. Then they should be planted out of doors after acclimatization if they will need to be in the sun. Put them in the sun for 10 minutes per day for 3 days, then 15 minutes a day for 3 days, then 25 minutes a day for 3 days, then 45 minutes and if this is partial shade those plants can be planted into your garden. Include the soil in the hole. Fertilizer with Osmocote 14-14-14 – stormy Sep 21 '19 at 19:47
  • ...I should put this in the answer. Later, I've got to hurry. Cut off flowers as soon as you are able to stomach cutting them off. The energy going into the flowers will then be directed to the entire plant, making it larger and more vigorous. You HAVE to fertilize. Make sure the first number is lower than the next two numbers; N P K...Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium. That N number needs to be lower than the P and the K. Or no flowers. Always use HALF of what the directions tell you. Growilla is 2-5-4. This is the type of numbers to look for...Not necessarily 2 and 5 and 4. – stormy Sep 21 '19 at 19:51
  • Is that a thing under the pot for drainage? Super!! – stormy Sep 21 '19 at 19:52
  • I used 1:1 vermicompost and cocopeat with a lot of perlite and vermiculite. Also added some teaspoons of neem meal. The thing at the bottom is used to collect draining water from the pot. – Aksh Sep 22 '19 at 04:26
  • I have a plastic 4 inch diameter pot. Can I use it? Otherwise 2 inch seed trays and 8 inch plastic pots. Or should I buy clay 4' to 6' ones separately? – Aksh Sep 22 '19 at 04:30
  • And how many seedlings per pot? – Aksh Sep 22 '19 at 04:30
  • Out of curiosity, I wanted to ask why the big pot problem does not occur in the ground which is like an infinitely big pot? – Aksh Sep 22 '19 at 04:51
  • Excellent question!!! In the garden proper, the soil is one big....ummmm, organism. The soil is not restricted to one square foot. The water drains through pores and the surface tension keeps pulling the water through the soil. Not happening in a pot. One can plant a little plant in a big pot but the watering is oh so very critical. Little plants in a big pot of potting soil have little roots that do not help the movement and extraction of water through the soil. The water is able to sit for too long and will cause root rot. Don't get me going on potting soil only for pots!! Grins. – stormy Sep 22 '19 at 22:09
  • Nice info! Tell me if I can use plastic 8 inchers or 6 inch pots instead of clay ones. Or big seedling trays? And how many seedlings per pot? – Aksh Sep 23 '19 at 20:27
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    Yes you can use plastic pots. You could even find them 'used' at nurseries. Make sure you clean them with chlorine (not chloramine). Seedling trays are great to start seeds. The only way really to start seeds to make starts to acclimate and then plant outside in the garden proper. Plant ONE seed per seedling section in a seedling tray. Use a spray bottle to keep moist NOT wet as well as a plastic dome to hold the moisture in the 'system'. After seeding in little pots WITH POTTING SOIL, once the roots come out of the bottom, transplant in 4" pots with potting soil...then 6"... – stormy Sep 23 '19 at 23:12
  • What about the seedlings in question? How many per 6 inch pot? – Aksh Sep 24 '19 at 07:17
  • One per pot. Gosh, I would buy 4" pots to transplant these starts. 6" might be too big. These babies are drowning if you can believe. Roots need oxygen. When water fills all the pores the roots have no oxygen. – stormy Sep 25 '19 at 05:13