6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Agree. Too wet and not enough air circulation. Cutting back on watering and using a small fan to increase air circ solves the problem.
As to using the domes - not a direct cause of the alage, too wet soil under the dome was. But not using them to begin with is a definite plus. If used they MUST be removed as soon as the plants even begin to break the soil surface.
The darn advertisers that show all these pics of plants happily growing under the domes do gardeners a real dis-service.
Dave
mccommas - feverfew needs to be taken in large quantities to have adverse effects. It is not in the foxglove league.
Here is a link that might be useful: Feverfew discussion
Too many variables to know. Weather - some nights it will be plenty of insulation with no added heat, other nights you may have to double the cover on the low tunnel or up the heat. Some nights it may even be too hot in there. It's the fickle nature of early spring weather. We have the same issues in the greenhouses.
As long as you can closely monitor the temps and adjust as needed you can make it work but it takes real close monitoring, lots of thermometers, and often more than 1 source of heat.
Dave.
Hi!
I am down in zone 5 too. I plant my cold weather crops in pots and trays most of the time. Our growing season is so short, you are correct,it is hard to get succession plantings without a hoop house in the beginning. Planting in pots and trays warms faster and I can plant earlier then in the ground. Plus, if I get a late frost I can bring them in or cover them easily.
I did plant lettuce and spinach in-between my tomato rows last year. I planted the cold crops first then the tomatoes around May 15th. So I hard both crops out for a bit, but by the time the tomatoes got big, the cold crops were done.
I hope that helps
Keriann~
Thank you Keriann, you have helped a ton. I think that you're right--I need to just plan that the Spring and Summer crops will be in the same ground for a short time. I think it will be okay because tomatoes always take about four weeks to take off and get big after you plant them and so do the other Summer crops that we plant. And most spring vegies are kinda puny--except for broc and peas.
Once all the seed pots have sprouted I can remove the plastic cover from the miniature greenhouse, and then the chilies can get some good fresh (indoor) air.
Those pots that have already sprouted really need to be removed from under the cover as soon as they sprout, as soon as the seedlings break the soil service. Keeping them covered only encourages damp-off to develop and leggy plants because of the limited light. There is no benefit to keeping them covered and exposure to air, especially moving air is vital. I assume you know that the plastic covers are not required for germination. They are just a convenience for the grower and any cover should be removed for a period of time 2-3x daily for air exposure.
be sure to avoid moving the seed pots around too much if you don't have to. Also, you probably shouldn't touch the sprouts either. Their delicate stalks are very fragile and it would be a shame to break them and have to start over from seed again.
May ask what's the source of this info? It is contrary to standard practice. In the greenhouse we transplant 100's of seedlings, peppers included, at the cotyledon stage every day. With even minimal care it is easy to do and the plants not only tolerate it but benefit from it as well.
Dave
Since it is primarily a South American tropical I'm just guessing that it isn't a big demand item in the US - thus the lack of seeds. And trying to find a South American based seed supplier seems to be more difficult than most any place else for some reason.
Dave
Dave...
I'm guessing the same thing. But the nursery industry/plant retailers are in business to make a buck, and I believe that they would sell anything if there was a demand. Being a tropical plant, I would think, means little, if the public buys their products. The markets are loaded with Brugmansia, Hibiscus, and other plants that are not native to the US, and they have been mass produced, retailed for years in Garden Centers all over the world.
I'm now wondering if this plant has some major problems when grown in quantities needed for distribution? Who knows?
Anyway, I bought a few packets from your source. Now I will see what happens, assuming I successfully germinate the seeds.
Frank
Last month I germinated lettuce, spring onions and radishes indoors, then hardened them off and put them in a small greenhouse I purchased from amazon. It is only about 6' tall and 2' wide and fits nicely into a corner of our deck. I think it is functioning similarly to a cold frame. Like others have mentioned, the only drawback I've found is needing to monitor the internal temperature of the greenhouse. Once external temps get to about 60 outside, it is blazing hot inside and I have to remember to open it up. Other than that, it's working well for me. I'm planning to move pansy seedlings out to it soon. I am waiting to start tomatoes and peppers indoors closer to our last frost date though.
I think it was because the dome was left on after germination. Right after the seeds show sings of life of break the surface the dome should be removed. The plant went into shock in my opinion. From super humid and hot under the dome to the correct climate of less humid and 75* and direct light. I would keep the dome off and see how they do. Don't over water and maybe start a few more if you need more. Just be sure to remove them from the dome as soon as they germinate, they will have much better chances.
FYI- domes are just used to keep the top of the soil moist while they germinate.. that is their only 'job'.
Good luck!
Keriann~
Hi HWG,
I suppose whether or not the celery seeds are still good would depend on how hot they really got. My guess would be that they are still good but refuse to germinate at those higher temperatures. According to the chart linked below, the optimal germination temperature for celery is 68 deg. and it will not germinate at all at much higher temperatures. I'd try moving the celery pots to a much cooler place and give them another week or so. According to the chart, they should start germinating in about seven days.
Hope this is helpful,
Art
Here is a link that might be useful: Germination Temperature Chart
Thanks, Art.
I moved the celery to the top of a piece of furniture that's out of the sun, but the temp there still gets up to 75 deg due to our woodstove, so I'll have to look again for another place. Perhaps a room on the north side of the house.
I sure do hope that they'll sprout now! They've had time to be wet, so I hope that they don't just turn to tiny little grains of mush. I guess we'll find out!
I transplanted some of the broc seedlings into the former pansy pots, so now we have 20 broc pots instead of the 10 I'd planned. I figured that we'd better go with our strengths!
I hadn't thinned out all the seedlings yet from the original pots, so I still had plenty of strong seedlings to choose from the extra seed we'd planted.
monet_g, sorry, your reply came probably the same time as I was typing my reply to Moonpeople, so I didn't see yours earlier.
Thanks for your suggestion. I have used wicking method for my African Violets, but they are mature plants. I was/am a little concerned about the vermiculite getting too wet, but as you said, I should try it out before the last day....
Reporting on what have happened since last post:
On 2/1, I decided to enclosed the seedling in a terrarium-like environment. Then I left town on 2/2. Here is how the "terrarium" looks before I left.
I just came back from overseas a couple of hours ago. This is how the thing looked like when I came back:
And here is how the inside looked/looks:
All seedlings survived my 3 weeks of absence!
I got them last fall at our local IFA. As soon as they get there seeds out I will see if they have them again. Most seeds Catalogs have them, its the red candy ones I cannot find seeds for. I will get back to you as soon as I know if they are carrying them this year.
I don't do the paper towel technique...too much work for me! But, I do have light above my sand bed, so the minute seedlings emerge they have light. I too don't wait for all seedlings to sprout before taking them off the heating bed(I do wait for a majority to sprout though), but I am a bit slower to remove my peppers. I have seen peppers absolutely stall once off that
heat:( Providing light when seeds germinate solves many issues.
It sound like more work to sprout the seeds in towels. More chance of damaging the sprouts & roots. I'm starting seeds like my father showed me. I plant in Rubbermaid trays and use sheets of thick plastic to trap the moisture while on the heating pad. But I hold the pepper on the heating mat longer too.
'It is always fun to save a few bucks!'
I realise you are enjoying this project for its own sake and maybe relish working out the technical aspects of lighting etc., but all of your 'companion' plants are hardy and would grow perfectly well if sown outdoors. No bucks at all. Sledgehammers and nuts come to mind. ;)
Flora UK, yes I do have a tendency to really geek out on the engineering aspects, but right now it is getting down into the 20's at night so I don't knwo if those companions would survive, and with the plague of pests I had last year, I want to be sure these things are ready to help from the moment my veggies sprout outside.
We're using the same lights. I have two of those fixtures over 4 trays total (as of today). But mine are probably leggy because they were too hot previously, and also maybe because they were under HPS lighting.
Keep us posted on how they harden off outside. I'm going to sow another batch of cabbage, broc/caul with my now lower temps and fluro lighting. I'll update later to see if there is a noticeable difference.
I like your site! Good luck with your seedlings!
oh - I did have a giggle when you described yourself and your roommate as "collage students".....
Trishcuit, I find the convenience unparalleled, and I usually try to minimize transplanting, so their perfect for me to just germinate directly in the cup. I found out last year though that transplanting isn't all that bad... I think they compensate for whatever stunting that happens with the added space for the roots, which allows them to grow a lot faster than they were before transplant.
t-bird, Whoooops :0. Thanks for pointing that one out. It pretty much sums up my collEge experience though... misspellings everywhere! I'm in more of an engineering program, so spelling isn't exactly my forte (although I do like to read and write a lot). Thanks for the encouragement. I just updated the site with some pictures of recent growth. Check it out :)
Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of Plants Growing (1)