6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
For some reason i never considered that earwigs could possibly ever be a problem and we do have quite a few. I did lose allot of green bean and cucumber seedlings that were completely uprooted and now some of my seedlings. What a gem this forum - I've just put out two large traps, fingers crossed i hope i get slugs, snails and earwigs!
Excellent tip!
Hello all, just an update from our from Italy- Italian cypress seeds. After they sprouted themselves in the fridge on the wet paper towel inside the zippie, they are now 12 in tall! I have only lost 1. They are still in my windowsill in Houston and will take them out to the yard in the spring. Will let you know how it goes!!
I am zone 7a and although Lantana can be invasive in Florida, Texas and other gulf coast states and can be perennial as far North as zone 8, it is not here-wish it were more persistent. I usually have a volunteer or two, but nothing like an invasion unless you count the butterflies that dance in attendance all summer.
I have never had difficulty starting the seeds on a heat mat in February for summer bloom, but if you had only one variety with yellow blooms and no others to pollinate you will probably not get the rainbow of colors you seek. My experience has been that saved seeds yield plants that bloom in colors very similar to the plants you collected them from, even the hybrids. Yellow hybrid's seeds tend to produce plants that bloom in shades of yellow, often with white. The chief difference in the seed grown plants from the parents seems to be in habit. They are often more rangy and taller than the hybrid plant they are derived from. Germination can be erratic and just when you think all of the seeds that are going to germinate have, another one or two will surprise you.
If you have one of the species other than camara then you will almost certainly have plants that are the same color flowers you started with. Lantana. horrida will be yellow and orange, Lantana montevidensis will be lavender, etc.
For best results, you want to keep temperatures at 70-80 degrees F during the day and 55-60 degrees F at night. So the garage is way too hot for seedlings and adult plants alike. Also, did you cover your seedlings up with a dome? Seedlings don't have roots so they tend to dry out quickly. Domes keep humidity high which keeps them from drying out.
I would wait, simply until you allow at least one mushroom to become fully mature, as the spawn looks rather like whisps of smoke, released from beneath the fully expanded cap, by the gills below, prior to drying up..
Place a fully grown cap with the mature gills facing downward on a plate, cleaned as well as possible & dried, to collect the 'spore print'.
Otherwise, if you were to damage the mycelium network, you may disrupt the growing cycle. Isn't that why they harvest, by cutting them at the base, as opposed to pulling them up & then removing the base, afterward?
I think I may have once re-used, a Shiitake inoculated, tree log, ( that required banging it hard, to resemble falling to the ground, in the forest, to begin production.) simply by placing a Portabello cap on top... (I stood the log, upright, in a large saucer, to keep it moisture level; ample)
There is an Italian supplier (Bavicchi?) that I used for Pioppino, that was available within the U.S quite inexpensively ( use search terms Italian Seeds + mushroom spawn, or spores) if in case it is the other Italian Seed source, here in the States, if you'd like to try those, with growing instructions...
Yes, they are from that seed brand co., through Italian seed and tool . They offer 5 varieties of edible mushroom spawn at $12.95,including the regular 'white button' kind, plus shipping, with the instructions located at the top of the online page, to place an order.
Once you get some seeds growing, you will never have to worry about starting any more seeds! My yard is almost 'weedy' with all the multi-colored 'rainbow' 4 o'clocks that seem to be perennials here as the large tap root regrows again each year. The pretty mixed colors on each flower as well as on the same plant are so fragrant & beautiful ... not as boring as the single colored varieties! The mixture of colors seems to get even more mixed with the years & I try & save as many seeds as possible to give to my neighbors & relatives. Good luck!
I have found the best way to start four o'clocks from seed are to plant in the fall. Just make sure you mark where they are. Sometimes they don't flower the first year. But, they are very aggressive once they get started and return year after year. They do readily reseed every year also.
The usual recommendation for hosta is, if no germination takes place in 3-4 weeks, move the sown seeds, moist, into the refrigerator or outside if appropriate climate/season where they will be exposed to temps of approx. 40F for 2-4 weeks. Then bring back to warmer for germination.
Hello Scarlet,
I bought other seeds online (picea, abies, laburnum,...) and each one had a full specification on how to grow. Very complete indeed.
I believe you should not put these seeds in the fridge.
I have the Eucaliptus in the photo in my garden (not the same kind of Eucaliptus) and this one is quite invasive. If you left the seeds in the soil they grow easily.
Let's see if with our seeds it works in the same way...
I am going to make an experience with 50% of the acorns I collected and put in the soil, as referred in this page:
http://anpsa.org.au/eucal2a.html
The others 50% I will just throw to the soil and wait.
Temperatures here in Portugal around 20 - 30 Celsius during this period of the year.
Fantastic site ampa62,
I'm going to try the bog method, fingers crossed! I will keep you posted on what happens ... or doesn't happen. The temps at the moment are so slowly receding at the moment we're at 70's range rather than 80's which is utterly wonderful in it's own right.
I really hope our seeds prove their worth here. Let me know how you get on with yours, it says general 2-3 weeks. That's hardly anything.
I'll start 2 tonight and see how we get on. :)
Scarlet
Hi Marly and welcome to GardenWeb!
Well, some seeds seem to germinate best in light and others germinate better in darkness. So, a lot would depend on what herbs youâÂÂre growing. You might find the link below helpful in that regard. Even when light is required for germination, very little is usually needed. I would think that if that opaque box is outside (but out of direct sunlight) enough light would be available to the seeds.
What you need to keep an eye on is the condensation within that box. If you see water droplets forming on the underside of the lid, itâÂÂs too wet (seeds might rot). A little moister is good, but not large water droplets.
If outside, make sure the box does not get too hot (75 degrees F. should be about right). Also, during the germination period, remove the lid once in awhile and let some fresh air into the box. Once the seeds start to sprout, the lid should be completely removed.
Hope this is helpful,
Art
Here is a link that might be useful: Light or darkness?
The typical suggestion for fertilizing seedlings is use product dissolved in water but dilute the strength by half of the package directions. I will begin even more cautiously than that with my own seedlings, and reduce the strength by as much as 75% or using only 1/4 strength as would be used for mature plants.
I don't know what products are available to you there as a home gardener, but you might find this study interesting:
Here is a link that might be useful: Comparison coir to sphagnum
Thanks for the link morz8. It is very helpful