6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Last November (2010) I bought 500 Japanese red maple seeds
I followed the instructions: I kept in the warm water for 48 hours and set up in a plastic bag with mixed pit moss + sand + perlite for 65 days.
I sowed the seeds outside on a semi-shade in the mixture of pit moss, sand and perlite on February, 28 2011.
I am in May 14, 2011 and I did not get any sprouts.
What did I do wrong?
Here my observation. I will start the seeds in cells, could be moss cells or plastic cells. This makes transplanting them to 4 inches pots simple and easy. These seedlings are so fragile and if you are not careful during the transplanting you lost them.
Thank you morz8 for the link. An area of my garden has been growing Columbine continuously for over 10 years with no help from me. I enjoyed reading the link and have seedlings now about a foot high in another garden, and will be disappointed if they do not flower this year. Al
Putting your seeds dry in the refrigerator didn't count towards conditioning them...they need the chill and the chill must be moist, dry is only storage.
There is no need to nick. Sowing in Fall when seeds are immediately ripe is best - seed pots left outdoors exposed to fluctuating late Fall and Winter temps will often germinate the first Spring. If you haven't had them in time to sow right after harvest, pour hot water over seeds and leave them 24-48 hours. Then provide a moist chill of approx 40F, 2 - 4 months. You can accomplish that by putting the seeds in a bit of moist sterile vermiculite or moist sterile sand and placing them in a dated zip lock bag in the refrigerator.
I use the same method for toms and peppers. I put them in the shade for a few hours, then bring them in(they need to get used to the wind as well as the sun). I do this for about three days, then I place them so they get maybe an hour of dappled sun, then put them in the shade for the rest of the day, then bring them in. I repeat each day giving them more sun each time(if it's cloudy or rainy, I leave them out longer). After about a week, I put them in sun, then in shade and leave them out overnight. After a few days of this I leave them out in sun and plant them in their permanent homes, be it large pots or the ground. So I take about ten days or so to harden off. I may be over-doing it, but I've lost plants planting them out before they're ready. HTH
I am lazy. I have a screened in porch (including the roof). I put them out there and only bring them in if it is going to drop below 40. All day right from the start. Its fairly shady but gets dappled sun. The wind is muffled by the screening. After 3-6 days I plant them, if it is a sunny day I will use shade cloth for the first day
I havent had a problem yet, maybe I have just been lucky.
I have found that a little stress for tomatoes, like a bit of wilting and drying, doesn't seem to hurt them. In fact, sometime the stress makes them stronger if you are careful with them after. Just my experience. But yes there is a limit. The odd 'oops' doesn't hurt them if they bounce back. It is sustained neglect and irregular moisture etc that causes long term damage. Just like eating the odd big old fat steak won't clog our arteries but eating them several times a week certainly will.
yes my pots have holes,ill give them a week and see what happens.i dont understand why just the beefsteaks were affected and none of the others.and for the GH,its still too cold here in the yukon,the snow is still melting.i would have to fire up the old oil furnace and that just to much$$$$
i have zucs on the window sill and some under the 1000w MH and there's no comparison.the 1's under the light r 4 times bigger and greener.even thought we r getting 18 hrs of sunlight.
As I read your post my interpretation is you want to sow your seeds when the soil is not warm enough for good germination, in order to extend your short growing season. I think I would try warming the soil. One tried and true method farmers have used for centuries is to apply composted steer manure (a byproduct of dairies or feeding pens). This is applied to the soil surface and scratched in just before seeding. Another method would be to lay a 2mil clear plastic over the soil surface to collect the radiated heat. Depending on your climate this may take a little trial and error to keep from over heating the soil. Al
Celery.. No cover light required for germination at 70F taking 10-17 days.....Rutabaga/turnip light cover temp 70F taking 7-14 days to germinate.....Carrot light cover soil temp 64-72F taking 10-21 days....Lettuce light cover soil temp 65-70F taking 6-10 days to germinate.
Many inserts for growing seedlings are 1 inch deep but others for starting trees are 6 inches deep & may be used for starting root crops.Starting in a cold frame is common & instead of using FRESH manure on the surface I use it & cover with 1-2 incches of sand & it generates a lot of heat. A light bulb will also help.
Also look on the package it gives time to maturity ....pick those varities with with the shortest time to maurity. I hope this helps
Patreesh
You are in zone 5 and you planted seeds outside you are lucky they germinated. I am in zone 7a and hesitant to take my plants outside. I am waiting to June first. The soil temperature has to be 65 in order to have healthy plants. Yes you could have stressed plants in cold but stressed plants do not produce. I keep using the thermometer to measure the soil temperature it is not 65 yet not even close.
Thank you so much :) I will definitely inform you of their color when they bloom :) it will be fun
If you get the opportunity to grow Nicotiana "Only the Lonely", it is heirloom and will grow true from collected seed. The flowers are white, the plant is NOT dwarf (4ft) and it smells HEAVENLY.