6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Yes beet seeds will sprout more than one sprout from each 'seed' Think of them as many seeds packaged in one bigger 'seed.'
Some seeds like from citrus and mango can produce many shoots from one seed because they have multiple embryos inside.
Maybe the seed strains offered by certain companies aren't very good. I grew "Bright Lights" from seed this spring and, out of a mass of seedlings, I got a tiny handful of yellow-stalked plants, a few deep reds and an awful lot of wishy-washy pinks. No oranges at all. I've grown them in the past and had all kinds of stem colours.
Here is a link that tells you how to plant Sycamore tree seeds inside and outside. I hope it helps.
http://www.gardenguides.com/88679-plant-american-sycamore-seeds.html
I cannot rememember now but it was later than this. I rememember that i also lost some Morina longifolia. I had foolishly sown them in autumn thinking they needed a period of cold to germinate. We had a very mild spell that year just before Christmas, which made them germinate followed by hard frost lasting at least a week. I was grumbling about it to a grower and he said that was nothing, he had lost several hundred pans of seedling and was having to resow.
The toughest has been the red Meconopsis, M. punicea. I sowed that as soon as I got it, which was the advice and it germinated in mid winter after some frost. Before i could move them the whole pan got frozen solid so I left them. they seemed to come through it unscathed. Mind you the seed was sent to me from Alaska - I think they are tough out there!
I am not taking any chances this year. I moved all pans onto the garage windowsill where it is cold but above freezing. According to the forecast i will move them between there and the greenhouse. I think it will be worth the effort if i can get the headstart on spring sowings that this gives me.
I would love to grow the Meconopsis. I have tried many times. From seed and the plant. Plant died and the seeds never came up.
What would be the best way to grow them and where? I would love to see this poppy flower just one time. To all who can help Thank you :O)
I use heating blankets with no thermostat but I do check it 3 times a day to make sure it has not over heated, and yes, that is the main purpose (in my opinion) of the thermostat, to prevent overheating.
I agree with the above comments, a glass dome is much too hot for seedlings and they need more consistant light then the sun at that time of the year.
What are you planning on sowing?
Keriann~
I am jealous! I can't afford heat mats. I use my studio as a 'nursery' beginning in early spring. It's heated in there with propane heat. (The main house is oil, and my studio is an attatched building) I have had sucess every year by using the jump start grow lights on a large table, keeping the room around 70, and using a small fan to keep the air circulating. Prior to using the fan I had real trouble with damping off and lost many trays of seedlings. I wish I could use heat mats, but really, without them it's fine. The cost of heating that room is like maybe 50.00 a year. This winter I plan on overwintering many of my tropicals in there and still use the other side to paint.
Probably herecy to a professional gardener but, I scarified my olive seeds using my dog's Pedi-Paws (rotary sanding tool) to just open the outer seed case, and I've gotten close to to 75% yeild. Using a soil mixture of Vermiculite, Perlite, Peat, gravel, and Georgia red clay (25%, 25%, 15%, 15%, 10%, 10% respectively)
1) white fuzz etc is indication of fungal infection , damping off, etc not good... indicates death of plant soon, because to wet,,,,,
2) seed MUST be RIPE allow pepper pod to mature then do as intended
3) potting soil MUST be well drained ... initial wetting of soil must be all the waw through 5 seconds may to much or to little. check soil ... seed must be covered but not to deep coler seed to less than the thickness of the seed.
there is another forum for peppers check there for mor help in growing these plants
Thanks for the reply, yiorges-z5il! I was beginning to think that no-one was going to respond and help me with my peppers. I will repost this thread in the proper pepper forum now. I really need some specific help with both of the plants because my Trinidad Scorpion plant is dying very fast. :( Thank you again!
You must be reading some reseach papers from MNSU... Anti-cryptogamic (antifungicides) the literature on the products ava to you will list if & what seed it may be aply to READ the lititure
Cryptolithos is not a plant I am familiar with BUT is a structure on trilobites a fosal sea creature found here in Illinois +
Seeds from an immature watermelon would be immature too.
Have you ever watched peas grow--being a newbie probably not so I'll tell you.
They start out with just the pod and a tiny, tiny nub where the pea will grow. That little nub grows into an edible pea but it is still not a viable seed. The pod has to get brown and the peas get old before they are ready to grow into a plant.
It is the same with any plant. The seed has to be very mature before it is ready to grow. With melons and those plants that grow their seeds inside, it has to be very ripe.
As to saving seeds at all--if you are going to go that route you should use heritage varieties. Hybrid plants seldom come true to form--grow a plant that is like the plant you took the seed from. Heritage varieties do because they are open pollinated varieties.
Good luck and welcome to the world of gardening
You're welcome shellhoya. You're Hostas look nice and healthy.
Yes you can just put soil around your plants, If you water the soil that will help settle it in. Then you can add more if you need it later. The mulch you add later will fill any voids.
As to what a lasagna bed is--It is a neat way of creating a new bed with composting. particularly good for raised beds. You put your raised bed together on top of the ground. Then add a good layer of newspaper or brown cardboard all over the bed--this smothers the weeds. Now you layer in organic matter: much like making a lasagna.
There is lots of info on this site. Just type in no till gardening in the search box at the top of the page.
Oilpainter - Thank you for the tips. Sounds like I was on track. I feel better knowing I can tuck my babies in safely!
Shelley - Your hostas look gorgeous! Now I'd love to pick your brain and find out exactly what you did. I really want to start hostas and have it work this coming winter.
Sounds like you WinterSowed them? I did that for a few things. I learned about it around January, which made it a little late to start. The plants I WS'ed did very well, though. I'd love to hear what you did - medium, containers, etc. Did you post details as you did it? I could search back if so.
Oilpainter did a good job covering the basics of lasagna/no-till bed preparation. Since I've finally gotten going with starting from seed, I can afford to expand to the gardens I've always wanted. I've never done the no-till thing before, but it's going well. A local appliance store will give me as much cardboard as will fit in my station wagon, leaves & grass can be had at the dump, and a local horse owner bags manure & leaves it out for the taking. Makes the whole thing pretty easy. I was already pretty into composting, so it seems natural. (My DH & kids built me a 3-bin set up for Mother's Day - they knew what I really wanted.)
My question for Oilpainter about over-wintering my perennials in a different place was because the process of composting generates heat. The way it happens in no-till gardening isn't as hot as I get in my bins (which get up to 150 degrees), but I'm guessing it's still too much warmth for perennials which should be going dormant for the winter.
Star
If you are going to save vegetable seed, make sure you are using heritage varieties. They mostly come true--This years plant will be like last years plant. Hybrid seed may be like last years plant, but will more than likely be completely different.
I don't think there was anything wrong with your seed except that it was taken from hybrid plants. When you save seed from hybrid plants it doesn't come true. What you will get is a crap shoot.
I don't think you will get better results from freezing seed, in fact it may be detrimental to some seeds. Usually the only seeds you freeze are those that need stratification to germinate. You are not talking about germination but about your yield and freezing will not make the ears of your corn longer. That is determined by the seed you use
Stormy, I'm not sure my experience will help you with our climates so different...
My success with cuttings of any plant can be hit or miss but I've had good luck with wisteria taking semi-hardwood cuttings in late August, dusting with rooting hormone, leaving them outdoors over winter....in this mild maritime area that works for many woody plants.
Seeds started indoors have to be hardened off before setting them out in the sun. Set them out in the sun full time now and they'll fry, because they are not used to the UV rays.
The best you can do if you have to set them out is put them in the shade so they get a bit of morning sun and are shaded for the rest of the day. You run the risk of the pots drying out--especially if they are small ones and them getting leggier
I'm living in Houston and Crape Myrtles are EXTREMELY prevalent here!
I thought that I would write a little bit for the questions that I have read using the knowledge that I have gained about this beautiful tree.
1. Crape Myrtles come in MANY colors and I have MANY seeds from most of them. Purple, candy purple with whitish edging, lavender, very dark pink, dark pink, pink, light pink, red, and white.
2. The Crape Myrtle seeds need a three month dormancy period, so after you gather your seeds, put them in the fridge for three months. The Crape Myrtle is a deciduous tree and should be sown in the spring.
3. You can also take the small progeny that grow up around the trunks of the main tree...separate them off...and grow a new one!
4. Depending on your growing zone and your needs, the Crape Myrtle can be any size you'd like. If you live in more northerly zones, potting it and keeping it small is just a matter of trimming it! I have seen testimony of growers having 20 ft. trees as far north as Oregon!
5. Because the Crape Myrtle is drought tolerant, it isn't the amount of water that makes it bloom...but the amount of sun light! A Crape Myrtle needs at least 8 hours of sun a day to grow it's best and most beautiful halos of flora.
I hope this helps! If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email.
=D HAPPY GROWING!
What month should i transplant ? 3 year old trees i need to move ? sept ok ?