6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
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
susan2010:
I've heard this before on this site and I just want to know why someone would pinch out 2 plants to leave one. It seems to me a big waste of seeds. With some seeds you only get about a dozen seeds per package. Much better to do like rhizo1 and I do. Sow in flats and transplant into individual containers.
Interesting topic. I'm fairly new at this and I'd like to make a soil that encourages growth for woody plants such as pine, spruce and fir seedlings. Zone 5 here.
I have lots of different things in the garage to work with, such as turface, pine bark, granite, silica sand, haydite, peat, sand (several grades),etc.
Any thoughts on a good soil mix for first year conifer seedlings?
Thanks!
Confused??? Are you actually having cold weather in zone 10 in August?
Like yioges said worm castings will not help with germination. A seed needs only constant moisture--not wet, moist,and the right temperature to germinate. Which is why I would never try to do them in trays outside. It's too hard to retain the moisture or temperature. In the ground is another matter. The ground helps retain the heat and moisture.
A hard seed needs extra moisture to soften that hard coat so the seed inside can come through. Hence nicking or soaking or keeping them in a plastic bag with a wet coffee filter until they sprout.
yiorges - thank you for the tips. I'm going to better adapt the environment according to their needs.
oilpainter - sorry for the confusion and I'll try to explain better. To be honest I'm not sure I'm even in the correct zone for a start! It may be more like Zone 9b or something. I'm in South Africa and this particular area which is down south is about 50-60km from the sea, we're quite high up in the mountains (1000m+). We get mild frost only occasionally (15 days in a mild year - 35(ish) in a heavy year). It is also the tail end of winter over here at the moment (southern hemisphere).
So you think I'd be better off bringing these seeds indoors where I can provide the warmth easier and make sure the temperature stays stable?
My worm bin is located outside (its one of those homemade converted bath types) and it is currently bursting with germinating seeds) even the old carrot tops have started to sprout and grow! Seeing all that germination going on in the total darkness of my worm bin is remarkable and is why I wanted to add some castings to my seed trays to see if they made any difference whatsoever.
I have been soaking some 'Ekebergia capensis' seeds overnight in warm water to soften the bits of fruit still covering parts of the seeds. I read it helps when cleaning the seed before sowing.
Cheers again for the tips.
PK
The first picture. It may just be that it was too wet.Have you had a lot of rain? Or it may have been too dry. I don't think it's much to worry about.
The second picture. I think I see a seed sprouting just beyond that brown seed. They sprout from the top like that then turn and plant that sprout in the ground. It looks like that brown seed has swollen too. Wait a while and see if they come up
Thanks folks. I did not get your answers in time and planted the seeds. I will report back as to how they grow. I did a little poking around on that web thing and some of what I read said that with worm castings, some have noticed a marked improvement in germination rates. I will let everyone know what I find out. By the way, they are my own castings so I know what went into them.
rich
I.ve always wanted to try growing olives, but I have never been able to find a source for fresh pits. Any Ideas where I can aquire some?
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)