6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

Pacojam,
Currently all my seeds except one variety are germinating. The 11 flats are outside. Temperature varies between 38 and 76 degrees.
What depth are you planting the seeds and what type of seeds?
How dry is your air?

I tried plantin from Landreth below Hollyhock (Indian Spring variety), Foxglover (digitalis), Butterfly weed, Bee Balm. Black Eyed susans

From Burpee I tried agastache and Bee Balm (2 sources), and Lavender.

None of these say plant directly in Ground since some do not transplant well at all. So I avoided these. I kept them waered well (moist), and the hollyhock is only one that came up, but then shriveled and died. I plan to try this again soon. Ill use the styrofoam approach with a cover and new potting soil from Miracle grow this time.
Thanks for everyone kind guidance here. I really appreicate everyones input. I teavel nearly 100% in my job making it hard (due to sheer exhaustion) to get on here to see who posted any feedback. i love this forum

If you can't lower the light more (you can always use string or small chain) then raise the seedlings to it. 8" is still way to far away. Sit the trays on boxes or books or something.

Dave

Young plants do not need fertilizer. Fertilizing seedlings will often set the back. I would say the ones in with your wifes plants probably have the right amount of moisture to grow better. Those fiber pots are useless. They dry out and mold. I tend to sprout seeds in a shallow communal pot and transplant into disposable drinking cups when they are ready. My favorite communal pot is mushroom flats with holes in the bottom.

Your lights should be an no more than an inch above your plants for optimal light exposure. The plants should not touch the bulbs though. Either lower your lights or raise your pots by putting something under them

Bah! those seeds will be totally fine. They can all take a frost and come back smiling. The seeds are more resilient than the tender leaves, and in my garden all those things can laugh in the face of frost even after they've germinated. The leaf lettuce in my garden took six or seven hard frosts last spring where it would be frozen solid in the morning, but the warmth of the day would thaw it and it would be delicious and crisp and ready to eat by dinner. I wouldnt worry at all about those seeds.

They may well be fine but as digdirt mentions a lot depends on the conditions in your garden. In a climate like mine ungerminated seeds sitting in cold damp soil generally rot or are eaten by various soil dwelling creatures or foraging birds. But since you can't unsow them I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. My current absolute nemesis is the soil dwelling slug which eats anything attempting to sprout.

If you do some reading through this forum and the FAQs here you will find all sorts of pics folks have posted about their light set-ups. I linked several of them below that the search pulls up. And google images will bring up 100's of more pics.

If you only have 1 tray then a 2' fixture may work if it has enough lumens but the 4' fixtures and bulbs are much cheaper than the 2' ones are simply because they are much more common and in higher demand.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: light set-up discussions and pics

A shop light with reflectors and T8 daylight bulbs is what you need. One that has chains and a plug. Not one that is to be hard wired and has no plug.

The reflectors are important because they train the light down instead of all around the room. T8 bulbs have a full spectrum of light unlike many of the earlier fluorescent bulbs

Dave and dowlinggram, thanks so very much for your responses.

I did some more research and think you're absolutely right about my overwatering.

I did not know that the soil can be allowed to get dry with transplants. I thought that they needed daily watering for several days for their root systems....This is so helpful!

I will also get a fan---thanks so much for these tips. In the meanwhile, I'm really enjoying this whole process even though my learning curve is quite steep.

Take care and I look forward to learning from you as the season progresses.

Elisabeth

Dave and dowlinggram, thanks so very much for your responses.

I did some more research and think you're absolutely right about my overwatering.

I did not know that the soil can be allowed to get dry with transplants. I thought that they needed daily watering for several days for their root systems....This is so helpful!

I will also get a fan---thanks so much for these tips. In the meanwhile, I'm really enjoying this whole process even though my learning curve is quite steep.

Take care and I look forward to learning from you as the season progresses.

Elisabeth

I've started "Alexandria", they are very slow to start & they will stall with insufficient light. Did you chill them?

I did not chill the initial ones I tried. And they are a few years old, having been kept sealed in an unheated garage. Maybe they've lost some vitality, but I figured they would be cool and dry there.

A while ago I put some of them to chill in the fridge for a few weeks and planted those..they haven't germinated. I also just propped up the container to be a little closer to the light.

This post was edited by wolfpup64 on Wed, Mar 20, 13 at 16:06

It has been years, actually decades, since I experimented with this so take this info with a grain or two of salt, ok?

Plain white tissue paper works best. Thin, single layer strips for both top and bottom. Crepe paper takes much longer to dissolve as it has reinforcing fibers in it. Colored tissue would work ok but then you have the dye contamination (not all the dyes are organic based) not to mention the stained finger tips to deal with.

Here are a couple of past discussions about making them that will provide you with more info.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg0402110219445.html

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg1222223019774.html

Hope this helps.

Dave

I use toilet paper. Roll it out to the length you need and mark off your spacing. Mix up equal parts flour and water and place a dot on the space for the seed. Place the seed and fold the toilet paper over. You will then have about an inch to an inch and a half wide tape. It dries in about 20 minutes.
If you are doing square foot gardening, you can do this with paper towels. They are usually two ply, so just separate the layers. I hope this helps.

Jen

This post was edited by JennySweet on Wed, Mar 20, 13 at 0:15

Agree that if you aren't going to supply supplemental lighting, which is really mandatory for growing indoors, then outside will result in much better seedlings. No comparison.

Plus that way you won't have to harden them off.

Dave

Hmm, glad I asked! Thanks, guys. I just figured inside was warmer ,ore consistently and the windowsill gets some serious sun at angle (of seed cells).That, and it's cleaner....like bug-free.

Okay, I'll keep them outside. :-)

As dowlinggram said, only time will tell now. But personally, if they survive then as soon as they are big enough to be transplanted, I would remove them, replace the garden soil with a good potting mix, and replace them.

As you have discovered only soil-less potting mix should be used in containers - for many reasons. So to give them the best chance of survival consider transplanting them.

And let us know exactly what you planted? Some plants, namely herbs and some flowers will do ok in the dirt. Vegetables and most other flowering plants, not.

Be sure to check out the Container gardening forum here for much more relevant information on container gardening.

Dave

And, if you garden in the desert, check out the Arizona forum.