6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Marg, you may want to watch your seed sources, article by U of Minnesota cautions " The species can be grown from seed, although locating viable and true-to-type seed can be difficult. "
I see Gardens North has theirs moist packed. As sellers of very high quality seeds, they don't do that without reason.
"Gardens North seeds: ACER pseudosieboldianum (Moist Packed)Seed has been moist-packed to preserve viability. Cold treatment required."
Plant Explorers propagation notes: "Fresh seed - Will be cold moist stored. Place seed in tepid water, sow sinkers immediately. Soak floating seed 4-24 hours until it sinks and sow immediately. Sow thinly at 6 mm deep in a sandy peat layer; tamp firm. Cold stratify for 60-120 days. Keep moist. Add a thin layer of fine mulch. Don't let germinating seed freeze, dry out or migrate onto the medium surface as this is fatal. After cold stratification period is over, expose to spring conditions to promote germination. Good indirect light is best for seedlings"
aquawise: Root rot might be the culprit. I may have left too much water on the pan at the bottom of the pot (I'm using plastic pots).
calistoga: Could it be a salt problem too? I'm currently using soil-less potting mix with slow-release fertilizer. The package doesn't say what kind of fertilizer it is, but they look like little beads that burst when wet.
I am growing some delphinium now in an unheated greenhouse. However I do provide 70 degree bottom heat to the soil. I doubt they will germinate in your zone with no heat. George says they will need vernalization or a winter chilling to flower and I would not argue with george. Al
I buy mine from Westcoast seeds (www.westcoastseeds.com). I've been buying from them from years, I've never seen such a great germination rate from a pack of seeds as I do from theirs. They're a Canadian company, not sure about shipping to the US (I know I can't send seeds to my in-laws in NYC, border issues).
I was in walmart the other day, and they have their seeds out. They carry ferry morse and american seed. The american seed is 20 cents a pack and I have always had pretty good success with them. I also have great success with ferry morse.
For online purchases there are several.
tradewindsfruitstore.com
rareseeds.com
sampleseeds.com
stokes.com
seedsaversexchange.com I always forget this one, I hope I put it in right!!
plus many more..
Diane, do you have trouble transplanting? I hear they don't like it, so have been hesitant about trying them again from seed. I sowed some last year in a couple of paper pots but they didn't grow or bloom well in subsequent container pots. Do you keep them in full sun? I started them last year in mid April because of the transplant concern, and worries that they would be too big by late May.
One can often get some good answers at Ornamental Grasses Forum - GardenWeb.
I don't see anything there that shouldn't be an easy warm germinator. And I'm not sure why the isolepis would say begin in mid Feb, it appears germination should take place in no more than 6-10 days warm, plant out at 6-8 weeks. Cultivation notes for this one do indicate it is happy in containers, more so than in most beds....possibly the suggestion for the early sowing is to get the most growth from this warm season annual to better enjoy it.
If you have adequate light indoors you could do the early sowing but I wonder if really necessary if that is not convenient for you.
Ooh, I ordered some cypress vine this year (another type of ipomoea)...maybe I will try that in a basket too:) I have some left over Glory Vine seeds from last year...I didn't have any luck with them...maybe i will try them in a basket. I love planning and new ideas, how exciting!!!
With those seeds I think you can get away without a heat mat.
Zinnias grow like crazy, I would only start them 2 weeks early as well as your squash. Both don�t benefit form transplanting large plants outside .
Depending on how many of each you are starting, you will probably need more lights (1 or 2 2ft florescent shop lights). If you stick with your two lights your seedlings will not perish, but they may become leggy as the stretch for the light.
Also, your 72 ct. seedling trays will be perfect to start them in or transplant once into, but you will need to transplant them again into larger containers before they are ready for outside because I believe they will get root bound those small trays.
Best of luck and keep us posted!
Keriann~
Your cukes and squash will need warmth and room, so you may want to either start them outside when the soil warms up, or start them in larger pots, say, 3" - 4". It will be easier to transplant them later. What herbs are you starting? Their needs will vary, for instance, Cilantro is a cool weather crop. It will bolt in the heat, so plant it in succession to keep a constant supply and let a few plants go to seed. It can be transplanted out earlier than Basil, which needs warmth and may stunt if planted out too early. I usually treat my Basil like I do my tomatoes.
Purple Coneflower is a perennial and may not flower for you the first season, so find a permanent spot for it..you will be rewarded the second season.
In your zone, you probably won't need to have your plants under lights for too long, so the clamp lights should do, especially if you have the addition of a sunny window(if not, don't start them too early).
Does your starter cell pack separate or is it a solid piece? Some of them separate into 4 or 6 cells and make it easier to transplant when some things grow faster than others.
It will be hit or miss this first time around, just don't get too stressed if you lose stuff and take notes for next year. HTH
With granular fertilizer it's better reduce the dosage on seedlings and young plants. Older plants can take larger amounts of fertilizer but tender seedlings would have some issues with granular fertilizers mixed at "full strength".
Not sure about fish emulsion but might be a good idea to take it easy the first few fertilizer applications until some good roots develop.
Thanks for the info. So it sounds like potassium nitrate is inexpensive and readily available at farm suppliers. That's good to know.
I'm soaking juniper seeds in plain water now and from what I've read they should soak for about 4 or 5 days for the water to soften the very tough seed coat. Maybe a shorter soak in potassium nitrate might help soften the seedcoats and improve germination?
I love Petunia 'Laura Bush'. The flowers are smaller than other hybrids, but it is vigorous, does not peter out fast like others and fragrant to boot:
I planted very small seedlings the last week of May. Here they are on June 16, 2 1/2 weeks after transplanting:
July 4:
July 14:
I sow my seeds in February or March the Winter Sowing method, i.e. sow them in a container, cover with a clear piece of plastic with drainage and ventilation, leave them outdoors in the sun and snow. They germinated in early April.
I have had very good luck with a type called 'Prism Sunshine'. They grow very easy from seed and don't really require a lot of dead heading unless it is a VERY wet year, then they tend to get yucky (as most petunias do in wet weather). I will put up a link so you can view them. I also really like the Blue Wave Petunias (which are really dark purple) but I have never grown them from seed.
Here is a link that might be useful: Prism Sunshine Petunia from park seed
I grow hundreds of seedlings and have found the best way to wet the mixture is fill a 5 gallon bucket about one third full with dry seed starting mix and add water until it is slightly soupy. Then keep adding more dry mix while constantly mixing until you get a moist but not dripping wet mixture. After you have mixed several buckets full you will be able to judge pretty well when you have the right amount of moisture.
Also, try to buy seed starting mix that contains a wetting agent otherwise the peat moss will just float on top. If it doesn't have a wetting agent then use very hot water. But I use Pro-Mix with Biofungicide so I don't use hot water because it might kill the friendly bacteria which eat damping off fungus. If you save rainwater, use that instead of clorinated salt laden tap water.
If by chance you do make the mixture too wet leave the seed starting container uncovered until it dries out a bit.
I have a collection of 33 gallon plastic garbage containers, I buy when they are on sale. Each of my ingredients is kept in its own container with lid. When I fill the containers I moisten the Peat, Vermiculite, Moss, Turface,Chicken Grit or Play Ball. Nothing is stored in a dry form. Anything dry is just too time consuming to mix with anything else. Al
Vivid, you can use a top or cover on seeds while inside, but if you are thinking of using tops inside for seedlings - that's not a good idea and can lead to damp off. The tops inside are for germinaton, maintaining a humid environment for the seeds, they are removed at germination so the seedlings can have circulation/air.
The method Gardenweed is showing you is for sowing of seeds outdoors in winter.
I am in zone 7, NC and I'd like to give that a try as well. thanks
If you need another person to test seeds, I would love to. This is my first year of using a greenhouse and I am very anxious to start something...anything. The greenhouse is heated and has a cooling system installed. Let me know.