6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Have you checked over on the Trees forum here. There seem to be several discussions about chestnuts (note spelling for search) over there so perhaps one of them has them.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Trees forum
Mix them with a teaspoon or two of sterile moist sand, or sterile moist vermiculite (not soggy, moist like a wrung out sponge) and put into a tiny zip lock bag. Date and refrigerate.
When you are ready to sow, sow the contents of the bag, sand included rather than trying to extract the seeds.
Something cheap and easy to use for small pots are disposable plastic cups from the dollar store. Clear ones will last a year and colored ones last a few years. I stack them and run the tip of a hot soldering iron through the bottom to melt drainage holes. Using anything else to punch drainage holes results in cracked cups.
Rhizo_1 - When you use the seed flat do you use a standard Seed Starting mix or do you start seeds with paper towles or some other trick?
I use Calistoga's method but once they are hearty enough to transplant I separate them out.
It sounds like everyone in this post is doing some type commercial production but myself I am only growing a few at a time for my garden and the extra's go to family.
Well you can increase actual germination rates, especially for tomatoes, with a seedling heat mat or any other source of bottom heat that you can come up with. Works with rock wool too just as with potting mix. Need a soil temp of 75-80 for germination. Then remove from the heat as soon as they germinate.
The leafy greens like lettuce don't really need it but will also benefit from it and germinate faster. But they only need 70 degrees.
Once germinated are you having trouble keeping the seedlings alive?
Dave
Are you talking about rock wool cubes? Many brands and "Hydro Cubes" is one brand of them.
If so they are used in hydroponic set ups - either wick or drip or capillary matting set-ups and are watered by whichever hydro system you use. They are not used in soil set-ups.
The water used on them has to have its pH adjusted before use down to 5.5 pH so in that aspect alone they are quite different and more work than peat pellets.
Lights used etc. isn't any different. Size of the cubes varies greatly so how they would compare to peat pellets would depend on which size you used.
But the biggest issue is if you would be transplanting your seedlings to soil then they don't work well. They do not break down in soil when buried and since most of the roots are embedded in the rock wool further root development can be stunted. They are intended to be transplanted to larger hydro cubes and then to blocks and then to slabs.
If peat pellets work for you, stick with them for best results.
Dave
I think it would depend on how badly they were frozen. Many people get volunteer squash plants in their compost piles. You could always do a germination test if you have plenty of seeds. Put a few between damp paper towels in a baggie, set them in a warm spot(like on the fridge)and see if they sprout. It should only take a few days to find out.
Well, I wouldn't say getting somewhere fast :)
I don't have any information in any of my propagation books for this seed. One would think from the size that nicking and soaking might be beneficial, but an online search doesn't turn up information that indicates that. Very little is available in way of germination suggestions that I find, other than sow @ 2 cm deep, and germination rate is typically somewhat low. I dont know how active the tropicals forum is, have you looked there?
yeah admittedly i probably jumped the gun myself here in virginia...i started tomatoes and peppers on seed warmer in garage yesterday...
this is my first time starting from seed, so i wanted to get an early start in case i mess it up i still have some time to try again. that and i just got real anxious
Mine also seemed to do better when I planted them in the fall but did not sprout until our spring weather kicked in. I have to keep planting just in case they do not come back the following year due to our hot summers. I still have some seeds if you would like a few. Just send me an email.
I have grown them a couple of times from purchased seed. Both the standard purple and the White Swan I didnt soak or cold stratify them. I began them in March, in flats under lights and planted them out in the late spring. They remained fairly small and didnt flower the first year, but came up huge and strong the following year and bloomed like crazy.
You could probably improve your rate by doing it artificially where you have better control of the temperature, moisture and insect problems. Al
Hey Kat,
I've had a lot of success with other plants which also prefer a cold stratification period by simply placing them into a gallon sized freezer bag along with a standard metro-mix soil or peat that has been ever so slightly dampened along with the seeds. Just let it sit in the fridge for 4-6 weeks. I recommend using sterile items such as a clean bag, new peat/soil and DI water if possible as 4-6 weeks is plenty of time for bacteria or other microbes to spread if there is any contamination.