Help with Livingstonia Chinensis seedlings

[Little Tex]

I have 7 left and only one is doing ok. I gave the best one to a friend, but the rest look bad. ill put pictures when my camera charges. 

The first one is pushing a nice green leaf I trimmed the others off because they were brown and shriveled(Direct sunlight)

The second one is doing great pushing a new leaf other leaves look healthy

third looks the best healthy leaves, 

The rest look weird ill upload a photo

[JLM]

I grabbed a small handfull of seeds off on one of these i think last summer. Got a few to germinate, but i only got on to produce leaves. It eventually died while putting out its second leaf. It was sad. I did learn something from it though, these little suckers need shade when young.

[Little Tex]

Update: A lot of them rotted from the roots so I removed those 2 now I have 5, I had to cut them all back because the leaves were brown and shrively so its just the spear.  Their soil composition is kind of weird but it worked for the others, I have no clue what's up with this batch, 

its 2 parts Miracle grow palm and cactus, 1 part fluval stratum(for aquatic plants but is very mineral rich) with gravel on the bottom for drainage. (Mulch on the top)

Partial sun, in a 2 cup size pot.  I have one in a .25 gallon pot that is AMAZING its older and is putting out a third leaf same soil, same everything, different parent.

[teddytn]

On 3/16/2022 at 2:03 PM, Little Tex said:

Update: A lot of them rotted from the roots so I removed those 2 now I have 5, I had to cut them all back because the leaves were brown and shrively so its just the spear.  Their soil composition is kind of weird but it worked for the others, I have no clue what's up with this batch, 

its 2 parts Miracle grow palm and cactus, 1 part fluval stratum(for aquatic plants but is very mineral rich) with gravel on the bottom for drainage. (Mulch on the top)

Partial sun, in a 2 cup size pot.  I have one in a .25 gallon pot that is AMAZING its older and is putting out a third leaf same soil, same everything, different parent.

I’ve had good and bad luck in the past with the palm and cactus bagged mix. Seems like sometimes you can’t water it enough, just won’t retain any water. And other times holds water and won’t dry out. Pretty sure it has to do with peat being in the mix. May have held too much water and rotted the seedlings? 

[Little Tex]

2 hours ago, teddytn said:

I’ve had good and bad luck in the past with the palm and cactus bagged mix. Seems like sometimes you can’t water it enough, just won’t retain any water. And other times holds water and won’t dry out. Pretty sure it has to do with peat being in the mix. May have held too much water and rotted the seedlings? 

Yes, about half of the seedlings rotted from the roots up, the rest were drying out, That's what I get for not looking into that soil. The new ones that I mixed with Fluval stratum are hanging on. I love Fluval stratum, Works for everything.