6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
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
What helps me is having two lists of seeds. One list is an alphabetical listing of seed plants with the weeks before frost date to start the seed (2, 4, 6, 7, 8, etc.)You can find that info online and on seed packets (and later, by your own experience for your area).
The other is a booklet with each page having the seedname and seed starting conditions for each seed, to start that week (Page one has all the seeds/info to start 2 weeks before the last frost, etc.) Then I have the seed packets arranged by week also, in a glass canister. It makes it very easy to start seeds. I even have a container for seeds that need to be started outdoors. You can further separate that into whatever categories you like.
I cover each cell-pak with loose plastic wrap to keep in moisture, and remove it the minute the plants emerge. That's a happy time for me!
Just know that it takes a lot of experience and note-taking to get to the place where you have it all down. That's the fun with overthinking, getting it to the fun and relaxing stage. In the meantime, keep a notepad handy at all times.
I want to add that I fit a lot in my small garden by planting closely in small beds with pathways between. That was known as Square Foot Gardening years ago.
I prefer Pro-mix for starting seeds indoors and also for container plants. I have no problems with it and it holds more water than other mixes I've tried.
This post was edited by susanzone5 on Wed, Jan 23, 13 at 18:04
Ah, list-making. You just won me over!
Thank you for all the suggestions.
I have been looking at sqft gardening recently, since the garden has gone from feeding just me to feeding me and a vegetarian fiance' with a love of peppers. I am thinking of incorporating that this year in the larger space as well as REALLY putting vertical space to use. (We failed miserably at using vertical space last year, but had just moved here, got a little of a late start to the garden, and then had to concentrate on the house more than expected) This year, we have time to plan ahead!
We over-purchased transplants last year and ran out of room; poor, poor planning mixed with over-exuberance taught us a lesson. Although I will admit the winter squash and sweet potato we tossed over the fence did wonderfully and tasted delicious, even if they were cultivated using cruel, Darwinian methods. :)
Live and learn, right?
My 400 watt HID lamp is over my bottom heating plate, and my newly emerged seedlings need the light but not the heat. My solution is to insert overturned pots under the seedling trays, moving away from the heat and closer to the light. A fan is always running over my seedlings. My unheated greenhouse seldom falls below 45 at night. Al
I've been growing both moonflowers AND morning glory for three years. I've never had any problems with poisoning despite the fact that I foolishly refuse to use garden gloves, and I've had great success with growing them.
Don't pamper moonflower seeds. Thats the problem a lot of people face. YES, they do take 10-20 days to emerge from the soil, yes, keeping them watered regularly is good (don't have them SWIMMING in thier own pot LITTERALLY), but you just need to give them TIME. Yes, they do well in good soil (not clay or gravel soil), but the reason they would rot is...
1. Its humid, hot, wet, moist, and the seeds are all forced to go through this condition...
2. You have maggots in your soil. I dare you to check and not freak out. (be careful when putting your seeds in soil. At least EXAMINE the dirt before you stick the seeds in them.)
Another thing.
Moonflowers, both the vine AND bush, are poisonous. Don't consume, and don't let your animals consume it either. Indoor animals shouldn't have a problem if you wash your hands after working in the garden. But if you have a neighbor's cat who comes to the back door like I have, and litterally has a police cat stake out on your porch, be careful about where and how you do your planting if you're starting seeds in a pot on your porch, or in your garden where the cat often roams.
hope this is useful for those moonflower lovers out there...
but you dont have to take my advice. I'm only 13. ^^
Just bought 3 packs of moonflower vine seeds, and have them soaking, I scraped them with a metal file and the water has hydrogen peroxide in it. There are 7 seeds and I decided to soak all of one package. They are from American Seed Company, I got Morning Glories one time and they came up ok, I even got one purple one to bloom in the house over the winter. A friend is sending me a couple of dozen in the mail so I will have several to try.
If you use rope lights make sure to buy the incandescent ones. The LED ropes don't put out heat.
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