discolored stems possibly

i planted 2 plants in miracle grow starters soil, its been 4 days since they sprouted, both of them seem to have discolored stems. now im color blind so its hard for me to tell.

they looked purple from far away, but the more I looked, I realized I have no clue what color they are, but they arent bright green. they are still lighter colored when its close to the first set of leafs. the stem also has very short white fuzz, which im sure is normal.

the stem is about an 3/4 of an inch, but I mounded a bit of soil making it look less.

Also I have another question, so the "smooth leafs" [I forgot what theyre called] came in, and then the first set of real leafs came in, right above it. When will I see another set of leafs come in higher up? I dont see any new growth in the last few days except on the first set of real leafs.

im using 2 27 watt cfls over a 4" wide pot. theres 2 plants, 1 im really growing and the other I am just gonna kill sometime or another, its also a day younger. 1 cfl is about an inch 1/2 above the plant, and the other is on the side with a reflector pointing, about 4" away from the plant [thats the closest I could fit it].

later on I will have pictures, in 8 hours actually. [I take pictures every day around 11 to record the progress].

the leafs are also starting to reach for the lights, slightly, but there is no streching.

1 foot away from the plant at the same level is an 8" fan turned on low.

I leave the fan and cfls on 24/0.

I did look for the thread to answer common problems with your plant because I know I have seen this, but I couldnt find that thread anywhere -_-.

Contributed by: KiDKiND

DO NOT PANIC. A seedlings purple stem doesn’t necessarily indicate an unhealthy plant. Please take the following possibilities into consideration:

1 - Purple Stems could be a result of that wonderful thing we call genetics, if this is the reason, you are to expect a purple stem throughout the life of the plant. It must be noted that purple stems aren’t a dominant trait, and are rarely genetically induced.

2 - A baby sprout with a purple stem is almost always 100% natural. Young seedlings are still adjusting to their environment and may be slightly lacking in a Nutrient. If this is the case, healthy plants will regain their green/greenish-brown color within a few days to a week or two.

3 - If you have ruled out the possibilities of genetics and the seedlings adjustments to life, you should begin looking for a nutrient deficiency. Purple stems are commonly caused by a Phosphorous (P) or Magnesium deficiency, if there is a P deficiency you may also notice symptoms such as brittle leaves or greyish spots. To assist the uptake of Phosphorous (as well as most other nutes) you should ensure the pH is slightly acidic-- 6.0 will suffice.

the leafs look healthy. same green color all around, and not thin at all. from what I was hearing, is that if anything my soil would be to acidic, but it was highly doubted, and I dont have anything to test anyways.

I did pull the second plant though, it was exactly 3/4" til the first set of leafs, but I did see something, the roots turned a full 90" making an l shape, then went back down... I think I may have accidently packed the soil when I put it in the pot, not a lot though... but the soil did just seem pretty firm in places.

you think that could be the problem?

I dont know what the other plant's roots are like.

the discolored part of the stem is also thinner, and slightly more stiff than the white part right below it [the part that was in the soil].

i have been informed that they look brown blackish, and then fade into the tan color and then into the healthy green color of the leafs.