6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Hi Merrin :)
Last month I sowed a wildflower mix from Burpee's that contained cosmos in my soil. I'm from nearby Guam and right now it's been a hot summer. It's supposed to be rainy season, but we've only had about 50/50 days of rain and days of hot-dry. I sowed the seeds in poor soil with some stuff to keep the bugs away, then lightly covered them with some kind of soil mix my dad made (i believe just the same poor, clay-ish soil I planted them in and some potting soil) and watered them for a few days. Then some rain started coming and generally I have stopped watering them.
Now the cosmos are the tallest, and are about to bloom, and it's only been a month :) They were the first to grow. I didn't pinch them or anything. Hardly did anything.
I suppose it depends on the seeds you get, your area... I did this wildflower sowing as an experiment to see what would grow here. I'm a beginner gardener too and it's best to experiment with what will grow where you are, because even if our climates are similar, there are so many different micro-climates depending on the very spot where you plant them.
Cosmos were one of the very first flowers I successfully grew (I am still a newbie!), they were soo delicate & pretty, attracted nice butterflies & bees, some ladybugs too. The kids loved them! They were also very esy to save seeds from & we did & shared them with several relatives & friends, we're planting some from saved seeds now. All we did was barely cover the seeds with seed starting mix in cups. They germinated quite easily & did pretty well actually throughout our very hot, humid, rainy summer & our record freeze for Florida in winter. They reseeded themselves as well. Very easy flower & pretty!
I put them in full sun and despite the scorching heat, after a week, they started standing up fine and I transplanted them into the ground so now they have more room. They look great. A couple of lower leaves died but I just removed them and the plants are standing up straight and healthy.
It seems to me you will have to be more concerned with too much heat as opposed to heating. Any structure you build need only be kept a few degrees above the freezing point, but will have to be cooled or opened up during the heat of the day so it doesn't get too hot.
I would suggest you investigate hoop houses on this website in greenhouses and garden structures. These are pieces of PVC water pipe covered with UV plastic sheeting. They will have to be built so you can roll back the plastic during the day. They are usually made over a raised bed. Don't make it too high, just high enough that your tallest plant doesn't touch the plastic.
I would also recommend you look at shade cloth and a minimum-maximum thermometer. This mini-max thermometer helps you with adjusting the temperature because it gives the hottest and coldest temperature since it was set.
Keeping the cheapskate going.... I cut my gallon milk jugs just below the handle and viola, a nice size container. And with the way we go through milk I make about 3 a week. Not to mention garage sales. I had a lovely lady once give me all the old plant containers in her garage (almost a garbage bag full). All because I noticed a couple she had in her Free box. :0)
I used the Gypsum clay-breaker in one area, and might get another bag (it's inexpensive). Not many birds here, althought they're always lots of ants all over the new seed and soil.
Should the seed just be placed and left on top, or raked in or even submerged slightly within the soil? I just added some head-resistant seed in some areas yesterday. Trying alot of approaches to see what works best.
You do not need to rake it in. I use a leaf rake to evenly spread it around after seading and put a thin layer of manure over it. You do not need to use the manure, if you don't want to. I use it to get nutrients into the soil to further break up the clay.
The ants are not a problem as they just take the seed down to their holes. It will still sprout. If its in area that gets water. If its not in an area that gets water it will not sprout.
Hi Susan, thanks for commenting.
I didn't know chives were perennials, that's great.
I forgot to mention - oops - that I was interested in indoor container planting for now. I have outdoor plants and pots but I wanted herbs I could use all year long inside.
I may try oregano, sounds good. And maybe rosemary. I am zone 5.
I cook Italian, Chinese, American everything. Yea, I am only interested in herbs I will use.
Thanks.
Store seed at 70F for 2-3 weeks then store at 40F for 12 weeks.....
Then do not cover the seed as light required... soil temp 65-70F & takes 10-21 days to germinate & 13 weeks of growing on time to be large enough to set out "green"
If this does not work then check viability of seed....
1) fertilizer (Nitrogen) neeeded for growth
2) choice of plants important
3) peatmoss retains water
4) plants get oxygen through the roots ... water reduces pore space & therefore the amount of oxygen avaible to the roots. hence poor growth & death
5) sand. perlite. gypsum, increase pore space & improve drainage
5) wet soil promotes fungal growth & root rot etc...
It is always best to start seeds outside. Right now though in my area it is to hot to start anything. Seeds like certain temps for germination. If you were to move your seeds outside now you will need to harden them off. That means that you will need to slowly get them use to the different atmosphere that is outside.
In regards to the wilt it could be several things it could be a pest. It could be lack of water. It could be to much water. I try my hardest to always water any of my seedlings from the bottom. Seedlings outside take more water than those that are inside. I am not familiar with a cocount husk planter, but any planter needs venting holes at the bottom. I would suggest maybe putting your husk in something like a bowl or a shallow dish of some sort, place your husk in a window, water by adding the water to the dish. As the water dries up then add more water if your leaves start to turn yellow slack up on the water for a few days.
This advice is given as thinking that your plants didn't suffer root rot. Look at your seedlings closely if they look like they have been actually pinched, then sorry there is no hope. If there is no pinch mark then your plants are only wilting for the lack of water and sunlight.
Here is a link that might be useful: How to harden off your plants
Here in Texas they had no problem sprouting in the summer and are self seeders. Never worried about the soil as if they will grow in Texas soil they should grow anywhere. Have you any friends who are growing a Rose-of-Sharon Bush? If so ask for a small cutting and dip in root-tone and pot. When it sprouts enough stick it into the soil and let it grow. Even here I had no problem getting them to grow and they were sent to me by a nice lady here on this website and they came in the hot weather and I thought I had lost them as they looked like they had been steam cooked in the mail. I know they even grow in Michigan and make better bushes than here in Texas. They grow more like a dwarf tree.
Paul
Mums are robust growers that often grow too tall and fall over before blooming. Starting them so late in the year that may not be a problem, but should be anticipated. Here in California where we have a long growing season, I have to pinch them back at least twice. Al
Knowing the parentage will not help you.
Yes if a hybrid is grown from seed the seed will likely be viable, but you will never know what you are going to get especially if it is open pollinated. It may revert back to the parent. It may be like the hybrid or nothing like the parent or the hybrid. It may be like another species that was the pollinator. It may have been self pollinated or not at all and will produce small flowers or not be viable.
When growers produce hybrid seed, they are hand pollinated from a like species when the flower is in bud, and then covered with mesh bags so no insect can pollinate them. They are left until the seed falls into the bag.
If they are started from cuttings they will always be true because you are growing a piece of the original plant
As someone who works in the industry, I can tell you that the commercial breeders of hybrid flower seeds will NEVER disclose the exact parentage of their hybrids. That is proprietary info and closely guarded.