6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
They are the nodules of what are called adventitious roots and normal. An indication that the root is looking for air.
But it is past time to get that planted into some potting mix ASAP so some feeder roots will develop. They won't grow in water.
See the FAQ here titled How to grow and avocado from seed. Click blue FAQ button top of the forum page.
Dave
I used to root my avocado seeds in water, but eventually just started sticking them about 3/4ths their length into the dirt with my houseplants. After that, the only care they get is the same care I give my houseplants...normal water, normal food, etc. In time, they sprout and grow of their own accord, and I find the plants to be much stronger and healthier than those I've sprouted in water.
I planted almost every seed from the avocados we ate last year and almost every one of them came up. I lost maybe four or five to my chickens, and approximately seven or eight to winter kill, but I only have limited room to overwinter my plants in my house, so I chose the two best looking plants to bring inside. Btw, all the plants survived quite well down to about 40 degrees on a regular basis, but hard frosts killed the exposed ones in my yard and the THIRD hard freeze finally got the one on the porch.
This gives me hope I can successfully overwinter these plants on an enclosed, barely heated porch in the future and not have to bring them into the house, as I'm pretty sure they'll do quite well if I can keep the room somewhere in the range of 40 to 45 degrees during the coldest months of the year here, which are generally January and February.
Currently, one of the plants has been growing for a little over a year now, and I've actively worked to dwarf it, so I can keep it in as small a container as possible for as long as possible. It stands a little over two feet tall right now and is putting out a new flush of leaves at the top. I noticed last summer that it had formed a ball-shaped leaf crown that was quite pretty.
The growth slowed when I brought it back inside for the winter and I stopped watering until I saw the leaves begin to severely droop, then I started watering again on a limited basis. Shortly after I resumed watering, the crown/tip of the plant grew about two inches and began forming new leaves; my plan is to continue to supply only the amount of water needed to support and encourage leaf growth, but not enough to encourage new growth in height.
I intentionally dwarfed this plant just to see if I could do it, and it's responded extremely well. I'm happy about this, because I've had several failures in the past, and discovered the stems have a tendency to become quite leggy very quickly if they don't have enough light early on in their growth. I just got very lucky with this one...:D.
Only three days ago I discovered a new and very 'leggy' avocado seedling sprouting from one of my houseplant pots and I did't even know it was there until it literally hit me in the face as I was watering! By the time I can put it outside, the stem will likely be so thin and wobbly it can't hold its leaves, but I might try staking it.
Good luck with your seedling!
Blue
You can use it on any seedling. How effective it may be is a whole other discussion.
Damp off fungus quickly circulates through the entire plant and destroys the cellular structure of the stem. So the odds of saving the plant is minimal and if it does survive it is with a very weakened circulatory system and chronic health issues.
Damp-off is easily prevented in the first place with proper watering techniques and adequate air circulation so that is the best route to take.
As to the ants - assuming they are not actually fungus gnats, I assume these are plants in the ground rather than in containers? Containers aren't normally bothered by ants. The solution is to discover why and where the ants are attracted from and eliminate that causes/source. Most ants are considered garden neutrals - do little to any harm to plants - so more details would be needed to address that issue.
Dave
My I suggest planting those as far away from foot traffic as possible, The sticker balls that fall from the trees aren't any fun. I build a new house back in 2003 at a property that had two mature chestnut trees and they were the first thing I had to have cut down..The trees were not in the correct location and just didn't work, tried racking up the sticker balls and there was 8 wheel barrel fulls and there was still stickers on the ground.
I love to eat chestnuts.
I want to know which season is best for seeding it and Propagate it ??????????
Which country has more growth of chestnuts ????
Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Service Toronto
For the lasagna method, you alternate layers of green and brown over the layer of newspapers. I top it all off in the spring with a layer of composted horse manure. The first year I tried this method, I had time to build a bed for the following year and got it about 24" high. It really sunk down over winter (2007/2008) and last year it was level with the original ground. I just keep adding compost in some areas depending on what I plant.
I think you're supposed to give the layers at least 6 weeks to settle down. Last year I wanted to get going on a new bed right away. It was for winter squash which I planted in hills. I made a hole where I wanted the hill and added a few scoops of composted manure. It worked out well but the bed itself isn't in as good shape at the beds I built up with more layers.
The lasagna method gets organic material into the soil. My earthworm population grew. I don't walk on the beds so they are always soft. I think just adding soil on top of some newspapers hasn't left enough depth for roots. Flowers are probably ok unless they have a deep taproot. The paper takes a while to decompose. If you have grass clippings, kitchen waste, old hay, old leaves (chopped up), I would build up a higher pile. Then put the dirt on top. You still have time before spring planting.
If you need materials, you might have a neighbor with a pile of old grass clipping (without herbicides) they'd love to have you cart away. I also find free manure advertised on craigslist.
I'd agree that based on the info provided we aren't talking about a lasagna garden. What you describe is just newspaper with some dirt on top. In that case you are going to need at least 6 inches of dirt.
As to the mulch, it all depends on what you plan to use. The best organic mulches like straw, hay, grass clippings, shredded leaves, etc. can be added at any time and will also help improve the soil. They are easy to pull back, plant and recover.
Other less ideal mulches - things like wood chips and bark - would best go on after the plants are up enough to see where the plants are. You could rake them carefully back in spots to plant the seeds but make sure the bark/chips don't get mixed into the soil where they can bind up nitrogen.
If you plan to build real lasagna beds that are several layers deep and made out of multiple layers of mixed ingredients then the guidelines say to create small pockets/handfuls of soil within the top layers of the bed and plant the seeds in those pockets.
Dave
This discussion of using heating pads for warming soil, reminds me of my friend who manages the produce in a large market. He always has a good selection of ripe bananas, while the competition has green bananas. When I commented on this he took me into the backroom where he has an old electric blanket. If he wraps the green bananas in the blanket at night they are ripe in the morning. Once in a while an early shopper may notice the bananas feel warm, but not a big problem. My lettuce seeds reliably show sprouts in three days in my incubator set at 80 degrees. Al
I don't think that you can "over-pollinate" the flowers. I get lots of pollinating insects, especially bumble bees, on my Hibiscus plants.
Have you tried a germination test? Roll up 4 or 5 seeds in a dampened paper towel, place the towel in a baggy and leave on the counter at room temp. Check in approx. 5 days to see if the seeds have swelled, a root is emerging, etc. Keep checking every couple days up to 2 weeks. If a root does emerge, you can go ahead and pot it up, using care not to damage the little seedling root.
Your Hibiscus plants could also be sterile. Do you know what variety you are collecting seed from?
Hibiscus seeds benefit from a 48-hour soaking prior to planting.
Let us know your progress!
Susan
I agree with mandolls....fluorescents don't put out much heat compared to incandescent, but it still puts out noticeable heat which surprised me. I am also a newbie and need to invest in a soil thermometer, but I can tell by experience so far that the shelf I added immediately above my top tier 4' 2 bulb fluorescent light fixtures stays a nice comfortable "warm" and has been perfect for germinating all manner of vegetables so far. You could even box in (or just tent it with plastic) the area above the light and it would become even warmer but that's not necessary for my setup inside the house where the air temp is usually 70-75 anyway. With a cooler basement setup you may want to build a sort of grow box to trap more of the heat rising from the light fixture as your germination station.
Now I've just planted daylily seeds on the rack to germinate so we'll see how they do but I expect good results.
Good luck with your seed starting!
One never knows what to expect at garage sales. About 5 years ago I was able to find an incubator as used for premature hospital births. With small modifications I am able to use it for those seeds preferring temperatures over 75 degrees. I keep it on the bench in the greenhouse and only plug it in as I need it. Al
That's not a cutting, it's not even a snippet :) Go back to the tree late Spring, try again. Time of year is important with cuttings and not every shrub/tree is the same. 6-8" cutting, rooting hormone, mist or tent for humidity, provide light.
Here is a link that might be useful: Instructions here :
Yes I have to agree seed trading is fun and inexpensive if you just have to pay postage. I hope to be on here daily depending how much work gets done around in the house! I love to be outside and right now it is so humid, here is Dallas, I did find a couple of good healthy worms while picking up leaves.
How old should corn and okra seedlings be if you're starting them as transplants and/or how many true leaves should they have.
I have heard that with other veggies you start them in small starter pots/flats and then repot them to larger starter pots.
I am going to assume that with okra, beans, and corn, you wouldn't do this since they are finicky with being transplanted to begin with correct?
So I am going to assume that whatever since starter pot you use, is the one you would transplant it in? What size would you recommend with the depth and rim of the diameter (3", 4" etc.)
People have recommended to not use peat pots, but what about cow pots (the kind that are made with compost as well as peat)
Five years ago I reported on my invention of pipe pots for growing large transplants without root disturbance. I've used them for many types of vegies and flowers, including okra. Below is a link to one on growing corn transplants.
Here is a link that might be useful: Starting corn
I wish it was that simple. :)
Instead there are some variables to consider. What age "seedlings"? What mix is in use - seed starting or a growing mix? What is in the mix? Was any rooting supplement used and if so you need to examine the root development. What type of seedling? Different plants have different needs. In your zone I'd be surprised you have seedlings already. What are the growing conditions provided? Container size and watering regimen? Overly small containers concentrate nutrients while over-watering washes nutrients out of the soil
So keeping in mind that many seedlings grown at the proper time for transplanting do not require any feeding, a VERY general guideline - once 'most' seedlings have developed 2 sets of true leaves (become a plant rather than a seedling) then a weekly (assuming standard watering regimen) feeding of a well diluted (1/8 to 1/4 strength), well-balanced liquid nutrient supplement will not harm them and may be of benefit.
But there are always exceptions so with seedlings, use any fertilizer with care. It is very easy to force top growth with fertilizers. But the focus needs to be on the roots and it is important to know if the root development can support all that top growth.
Dave
No seedlings yet... just planning ahead.. a Jiffy seed starting mix of peat and vermiculite, i think. 3 inch square Jiffy peat pots will be used (yes, i have read the warnings after the fact). no rooting supplement will be used for perennials and garden vegetables.. so, wait for true leaves then very dilute once a week
Well, with most seedlings, I uncover and let the chips fall where they may. BUT, in my limited experience, begonia seedlings don't mind a little humidity when they are still tiny. So I have done exactly what you are doing, with half closed or even open ziploc bags, or a loose tent of saran wrap, until more of the seeds have germinated. Or even just partially covering areas where the seeds haven't sprouted yet. As long as you are careful with the moisture, they should be ok, I haven't had any issues w/ damping off at all w/ the begonias. Heck, they are so slow growing that there is always some green mold hanging around mine, and they don't mind a bit. I have tried transplanting some when they were that tiny before, and had bad results. I think they'd be much better off staying where they are for now. You might try a little 'experiment' and spray a couple of the seeds until you can't see the coating anymore, and then see if those don't sprout up pretty quick. I just know that I've had instances where there was even a partial amount of that coating still visible, and the seeds would not sprout until I had completely sprayed it off. The seeds are SO tiny in that pellet, they just really can't get to the moisture until the coating is all gone. Good luck, hope any of that helps!
I planted 15 pelleted "Big" begonia seeds on Jan 7/2013 under lights and with a heat mat and thermostata. All fifteen seeds are up and growing without any problems. Appear to be as easy as wave petunias to grow. Variety of begonias are the green and bronze leafed, both red and pinkred and pink.
Hi Heather -
Last question first, ok? Yes you can get and save hybrid seeds from your garden. Most hybrid varieties still have/make seeds, a few do not.
The issue is that some times those seeds are sterile so won't grow if planted AND even if they are NOT sterile and will grow they will not produce a copy of their parent plant. The plant that grows from them will differ in size or color or shape or other ways depending on which of its genes are dominant or recessive. Just like people - the same parents produce very different children.
Many gardeners save hybrid seeds just to see what will grow and to see if they like it.
First question: you hand pollinate a flower with one of the same variety, will you get hybrid seeds from the fruit?
The only way to produce the same hybrid is to cross whatever its parent plants were. Some varieties have only 2 parents but many have 3 or more generations in them. So if you hand pollinate 2 of the same hybrid you will still get hybrid seeds and they may or may not be sterile seeds but they will NOT be the same as the original plants.
That is an over-simplified explanation but you can get the basic idea. If you want more details you need to research the differences between F1, F2, F3, etc. hybridizing.
Hope this helps.
Dave
Verbena can be tricky thanks to the hard seed coat. Stratify it first for best results.
But IME it is more about the moisture level and soil temp than covering or not, light or not. I prefer to very lightly cover the seeds with a thin layer of very fine vermiculite (perlite works but you need to grind it fine first). That helps stabilize the moisture level around the seed until it breaks the seed coat.
Dave
Thanks, Dave. Some seeds are so persnickety, it's a wonder that the species is able to propagate!