6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
If your setup is too hot try just putting a block of wood under each end to raise the container a bit. My grow mat is barely warm when I touch it, but after the containers are on it a while they are warm on the bottom when I pick them up.
By the way your paper pots are fine. I might have been thinking plastic when I wrote that
hank,
As mentioned before, the temps for germination will vary with plant types. Your temp range is basically ideal for peppers, eggplant and okra. If these are your target plants, then bravo! If not, you will want to decrease this temp a bit. Probably the easiest solution would be to just remove some of the length of the rope light. The more rope light that is submerged in the sand medium, the hotter it would be. The less submerged, the cooler it is.
According to tomclothier.hort.net, most plants optimum germination temp (highest % and shortest # of days) is 77 degrees.
NOTABLE EXCEPTION: Spinach - optimum temp 50 degrees. The germination rate drops to about 25% at 77 degrees.
digdirt...im in zone 7a, and am trying to grow eggplant from seed, indoors, and they dont seem to sprout. i have them on top of the refrigerator but its a new samsung and it doesnt seem to give alot of heat off.
can i simply start the seeds outdoors here? will they make it to fruiting, with the short season?
any advice from anyone is appreciated. thanks.
Tomatoes and peppers are the only things that I start early. Other than the annuals and perennials, that is. All the other veggies are sown in situ or planted as plants purchased from a local garden center. We have some good options around here for selection.
Oh, yes you are right... Thank you again for the intro to Geo.. what a great place.
My Corkscrew vines are pretty big and starting to curl around my lights. They sure are doing well. I hope they get about 12-14" before I get them outside so they can peak over the Iris' and get to the sun!
Keriann~
No problem! Glad to share the Geo love. :) We've finally had a spell of nice weather here, so that is just making my seed obsession worse. It's been 60 and sunny, I got all the beds and yard cleaned up, sprinkled some poppy and lupine seeds around, and I've been taking the seedlings out to lounge in the sun on the deck every day. Come on, spring!! :)
As mentioned above....your prices are high. You might actually want to consider some online shopping and see if you can get free shipping. Your prices are basically twice as high as I've seen in stores.
I have two 4 foot 2 bulb set ups (I just bought a new fixture and bulbs at HD for a TOTAL of less than $15.
zippity,
I'm not sure where you are right now, or what the temps are there right now, but I'm sure that some of the plants you started are more cold hardy than others. If you could put together a cold frame (about as low-tech as you can get), try putting some of the "extras" out there, to see how they fair. If your evening temps are too low, you can always bring them in at night.
Cold frame: If you have any old windows, just lean one up against the south side of your house, and put some kind of a wind barrier on the sides. It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective. If it is not air tight, that's ok for the day time. The sun will heat the frame QUICKLY if it is all closed up. So, air leaks aren't a big problem during the day. They ARE a problem at night, as they wouldn't hold the heat at night, and so the temp inside will be the same as the outside.
Hope this helps a little. Cold hardy crops are greens, cole crops, onions, etc. Tomatoes and peppers are heat LOVING plants, so these guys would not be the first choice for the cold frame.
digdirt...I have been transplanting at the cotyledon stage too, but I only started doing that last week so I don't know yet if I have been successful. Nothing has died yet. I put them in a 1020 flat with 36 cells. Do you think that's ok? anything else I should be careful about? I really love not potting up the plants until I know they've germinated.
The 36 cell are awfully big for cotyledons. Got anything smaller? 72 cell size is perfect at that size.
If not just take care with watering as a cell that size will hold a lot more moisture than they can handle right now. Use the "stick in your finger" test before watering. And transplant them deep - to just below the cotyledons.
If nothing smaller an alternative would be to use the 36 cells but only 1/2 full and then fill up as they grow.
Dave
I'm using promix seed starter and the cells are 2.5" deep, though the mix doesn't come all the way to the top. I don't think they're developed enough for the taproot to be an issue, but if they like consistently moist soil, that would definitely be an issue.
Lupines like cool weather. Is there any way you could get them ~50 degrees? I bet they would take off for you. Mine do well in any soil, but I would get them into a larger pot to keep their roots cooler while they are waiting to be transplanted in the Spring, but don't plant them deeper then what you started them at, they can not handle it.
I hope that hepls
Keriann
I am glad you enjoy the process as well! It is half the fun : )
Texas tends to have alkaline soil and alkaline water. Collecting rainwater would a good source for acid-loving plants (rainwater is slightly acidic, you won't have to treat it).
Below is some info on growing them in Texas.
Sue
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing blueberries in Texas
The info that came with my heating mat said not to put it on metal surfaces because of heat loss below, It said the best surface is styrofoam, cardboard or wood. I use a cardboard box lid flap to put mine on and it has worked well for 4 years now.
I suggest you take a cardboard box and cut it up to fit your shelves where you are going to put the mat. Put your plants that are in pots in a plastic tray and onto the mat and you are in business
i put mine on foil backed insulation. it comes in several size sheets and different thickness. you could cut a 4'x8' sheet into whatever size you needed.