6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Have you ever saved seeds for hyacinth bean before? Are you sure it was fully mature? You can try sprouting the seeds on a moist paper towel in a ziploc bag. Keep checking to see if they sprout...if you don't see any action, the seeds might not be viable.
This is my first year starting onion seeds. Most everywhere I looked said start inside 10-12 weeks before transplanting. April-May is the date set by Purdue University, That is what guide I use. Last Year I planted the plants Mothers Day and they done great. I just looked at the directions on the package of seeds and it said start 8 weeks before transplanting. If thats the case then I may be a little early.
For some strange reason I can not get onion seeds to sprout this year. Walla Walla or Spanish sweet varieties. Indoors OR out. I finally bought some starter plants today locally. Not sure why they won't pop up for me! Normal under florescent light method.
I wintersow most of my perennials. I always do my foxgloves and delphiniums this way, delphs and a few others need some cold treatment to germinate well. Because most perennials don't bloom the first year, I usually wintersow them, then move them into larger pots for the summer, then,in early fall I move them into their permanent beds. This way, I can have flowering annuals in their beds for the summer, instead of the perennials which won't give me any flowers until next year. I have a batch of wintersown delphs, foxgloves, columbines and armeria in pots now, which I will plant in Sept. For me, in zone 5, summer is a bit late to start them, as they are not always big enough by fall to be hardy enough for winter.
OK so I need to rethink my plan here. It doesn't sound like summertime starts will work for me. Looks like I will be trying out wintersowing this year. hpny2, I like your idea of keeping them in the pots throughout the summer and then planting out in the fall. What size pots do you find yourself using for the foxgloves and delphiniums? And are you giving each plant its own pot or is it more of a community pot setup?
morz8 that Clothiers database is excellent!
Thank you to everyone for sharing your knowledge. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm very appreciative of the guidance you offer.
Thank-you for the explanation Al. Most of the seedlings shrivelled up and died yesterday; so I re-started 2 batches in 3" cups this time. When they out-grow these cups, I'll move them to 6" pots then to their final 10" air-pots. I hope I can suceed this time.
I dug out the dead seedlings, their roots are white but very thin and short - less than 2" long. On the other hand, I started some Bok Choi just last week in a smaller and shallower container, their first true leaf is just starting to emerge, but their roots are already sticking out the bottom holes! So, starting with a large container really doesn't work well...plus I watered too much too often. I'll update if my new batch in 3" cups will grow better. Thanks :-)
SInce many (most?) people seed them directly in the ground, I dont think to young is an issue. The issues are how big the pots are, the weather and making sure you harden them off if you have started them indoors.
I'd get them in the ground as soon as you can. In zone 5, I am sure the weather is fine.
Regarding hardening them off, not really. They were under a grow light and on a heat mat until the seedlings germinated.
They were then put in a sunny area (w/no protection) as soon as the seedlings germinated. The only real protection they've had is being brought indoors at night when the temps dip too low and/or being put in a greenhouse outdoors.
They've been exposed to windy weather, hot weather etc.
Regarding how big the pots are, they are 3" peat pots. There is a little bit of roots sticking from the bottom, but nothing indicating the seedling has outgrown the pot.
Thanks Kerrianne - building the porch was the first big project when I bought the house. I love being outside in the evening, but I hate mosquitos. I havent done the spring clean up of it yet, so it looks pretty trashy right now, but a power wash will do wonders.
Lynneblack, that is possible. I just transplanted a bunch of my pellet plants today, too. Another factor could be that they've run out of nutrients and don't have any more energy to devote to growth.
Anyways, regardless, it sounds like your transplanted seedlings are much happier. It shows that it's never good to leave seedlings in those pellets for too long.
This is my second season growing from seeds and I used these again. However, I don't germinate in them, I germinate the seeds using the Baggie Method. Once the seeds have germinated, I put them in the peat pots.
I soak the pots to expand them, then I loosen them by squeezing them a bit. I then poke the top of the peat pot with a toothpick to loosen it further. I dig a hole, with the toothpick, just deep enough for the existing root to fit and put the seed in it, root down. I put it deep enough to just see a tiny bit of the seed poking out. I then drop a few drops of water on top to get the peat into contact with the seed.
In a few days, the seed pops up out of the peat, sheds the hull and the cotyledons fan out. I give them about 1-2 week indoor (depending on the plant) and then take them out to start acclimating them, but not in direct sunlight (that will dry them out).
When I first used the Baggie Method, I put the seeds in too deep and it took forever for them to pop out of the peat...some didn't. They also grew faster.
Once the true leaves appear and grow a bit, I transplant them to a pot/ground. I think they are convenient, because I don't have to go outside (if sown in the ground) or move a large number of pots around indoors. I bought one of the larger ones, so it's usually big enough for whatever I'm growing.
GOOD LUCK!
Soooo... about a week ago I planted mesclun mix seeds in my outside garden and voila! there are a ton of seedlings, the question is, do I thin them all out? Or do I do nothing and let the lettuce grow? I dont' know what kind is what as seedlings there are small differences and all but basically I don't want my lettuce to suffer, I want it to flourish and have some from every different kind.
will they just be fine? Let me know!
It sounds like the soak should take care of it, germination shouldn't prove too difficult -
Here is a link that might be useful: desert bird of Paradise
Just wanted to update this thread now that spring is here.
I gave up on the mini blocks for the aforementioned reasons (for this year anyway), but did decide to go on and start the majority of my pole beans in the 2" blocks using just some Pro Mix BX. The blocks seems too spongy when I was making them, but they worked beautifully! The blocks did hold together very well in the end.
I transplanted some of them yesterday and the beans I started in the blocks were noticably stockier and much easier to handle than those I started in the cell packs, where the soil was looser and the plants quite a bit leggier. There was no overcompression with this soil mix, even though I didn't change my packing technique from the last (failed) attempt. I wonder if it was the better quality of peat in the Pro Mix BX compared to the cheaper peat I was using in my own homemade mix. The roots had no trouble pushing through this time.
I bought a fogging nozzle and found it a lot easier to water them that way, too. :)
Nice discussion.
For wicking I found an dead pine branch ~4" in diameter and cut it into 2" slices. Each slice then holds a 3" diameter soil block which I make right on top of the slice. I use ABS 3" pipe to mold them and a metal water bottle as the plunger. A normal black seedling tray holds 8 of these blocks with a pine slice base.
Watering is easy just water to the bottom of the tray about 1.5" and the pine slice wicks up plenty of water to the block. The soil doesn't get disturbed at all and no misting required.
It is also easy to move individual blocks around before plants have sprouted, since they have a hard base (pine slice) to hold them from.