6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

thank you very much for the reply. i usually start watering the plant around this time after it has remained in storage ie room temp without any water. i dont bother to remove the dried flowers when dries up for a while to re sow the pot. the plant does go outside when the wheather is warm enough to get full sun up until september or october. i usally get the fiery bush variety but i did see 2 small combs twice.

is there any trick to producing the combs? i do pinch off dried segment to get it to regrow the usual appearance. i'll often get around 10 full grown plants and 5-6 reblooms after the initlal blooming. i dont really bother stealing the seedling for seperate pots BC i have enough different plant species alive at any point of the year.

i live in montreal where the temp isnt perfect year round but the plant stays inside when its too cold.

I live south of you and have celosia seeds germinate all over my garden every year, all different kinds. I pull up the ones that are in the way or too weak and not nice looking. I have some red feather ones that reach over 6 feet tall (which I got originally from street planterbox seeds I took in Cooperstown, NY ten years ago!)

Some of the plants need to be staked to keep them from falling over. If you have to grow them in pots, maybe you can rig up some kind of cage or trellis to tie them to. The brain shaped celosia just naturally bend over sometimes. I don't grow them.

Thanks guys! I was surprised to get so many responses in such a short time. My science teacher shall be quite pleased.

I have a grow light set-up but I don't use "grow lights." They're expensive. I use full spectrum fluorescent light tubes. I am fully satisfied with them when they are 1" away from the seedlings.

The light set-up I have is from Park Seed Company. It has two levels and 4 trays on each level, with a shop light on each level.This wasn't enough light so I added two more shop light fixtures, one on each level.

Best feature is adjustable chains on the lights which I can lower and raise. I am very satisfied with this set-up and have been using it for over 20 years.

I use a loose soiless mix and plant my lobelia seeds fairly thickly. I thansplant when they have true 2nd true leaves. I keep a margarine container on hand filled with warm water. I plant 3 to 5 plants to a 2 inch square -6 pack. I soak the container I've grown them in so the soil is wet. A plant separates from wet soil easier than dry soil. If the plants separate easily they go in with what soil they have on the roots. If they don't separate easily instead of tearing the roots I swish the roots of a clump of them in the margarine container of water washing off some of the soil and saturating the roots and they usually separate quite well then I poke a hole in the new soil for the roots and cover them in. I lose very few plants this way.

I grow them thickly in cell packs, tear them into clumps, and plant them directly into flower boxes as edging plants when all frost is gone. I don't bother with transplanting into bigger containers before planting out.

I can second the winter sowing idea. I often have volunteers come up in my south flower bed especially if they are in a protected area near the house.

They are fairly easy to grow if you don't overwater but they do take a while to come up and don't grow very fast at first

Hi,
I have started snapdragons indoors and painfully transplanted them outdoors and baby them all along the way. But late spring I went to look for something at Lowes and accidentally found they were practically giving good looking snapdragons away for sale cheap.
I could of kicked myself because I only have so much space indoors for seedlings.
I also got my snapdragon seeds from a dollar store that had three different colors available & was happy with the results. I hope they will reseed because if not I'll need a ride to Lowes :)

That makes a whole lot of sense -- I think I'll stick with the tried and true.

Thanks again!

If we build compost, which is done with a âÂÂlayer upon layerâ system; it can help accelerate the decomposition process. Hardware stores, garden centers and nurseries; supply the ingredients used for a compost bin. If you throw in a handful of ready-made compost with the microbes inside; then it will give your compost a boost.

You could use a recycled food container such as margarine,cream cheese,cottage cheese,dips,etc.I germinate my main tomato crop in a Coolwhip container.It is large enough to space seeds with a damp toothpick & can sustain them until I get around to transplanting into 8oz cups.
rose

I use commercial grower's plug trays and six packs since I grow hundreds for sales but the home gardener can use most any thing plastic including all those things rose listed as well as Dixie cups that come in all sorts of sizes, the trays from the salad bar, cut down milk jugs and pop bottles, etc.

Look at the pics in the FAQ here on containers to use.

Dave

Depends on if you will be transplanting them soon to larger containers like say 4" pot. If so then you can leave all as is. If you plan to leave them in those sponge pod things then the sage and basil would probably do best as 1 or 2 each. The mint is fine as is.

Agree with if sacrificing some use snips, not pulling.

Dave

I've had good luck with leaving numerous basil plants in the same container. If you want more plants you could also prick some out instead of snipping them off and move them to new containers. A little transplant shock but most will survive if done right.

Acer japonicum Aconitifolium...need 2-3 months cold stratification (moist, 35-40F) before being brought back to warm for germination.

I planted the whole whirlybird from some maples that were from about 15 ft mature trees nothing in 4 months so I am thinking I really did not know what I was doing :(

Thanks Dave I will do so right away! Ps I always enjoy reading ur responses to posts...u always have a weath of knowledge on everything!

Hi lovegardening,

Just to add to what Dave has said, the cells are usually perforated to make separating easy. Could you separate the seedlings, from the others, so they could be placed under the lights?

Art