6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
75-85 is needed for germination but once germinated the heat pad, along with the cover, is normally removed. As mentioned in several other discussions here continued heat makes the soil too hot for young tender roots and can cook them.
Once germinated plants prefer much cooler temps for growing on - avg. of 55-65 degrees is ideal as it produces stocky, sturdy plants with root systems that can support the top growth rather than long lanky plants with small root balls.
Dave
Hi,
For my cold moist stratified seeds I don't use any different soil than my warm seeds(exm. tomatoes). I use a soilless mix(I like fafards or sungro)...just check at your local greenhouse...I am sure they will sell you what they use if they don't carry some of the name brands. Now, I do usually add chicken grit to my outside treatment containers...making a crumbly mix for good drainage. The chicken grit you can get at a feed store.
And don't worry about the mold...never had a problem with it. And I get my sharp sand at the concrete plant...more coarse with lots of rock sizes in it...many times I use this mixed into the soilless mix as well.
m
Here are a whole bunch of previous discussions on "leggy seedlings" if you want to read through them.
Primary case is insufficient light. It would be very difficult for just window light to be sufficient as most have discovered.
Second cause is too warm air and soil temperatures after germination. Since you waited for all to germinate, the ones that already had germinated got way too much heat and not enough light because the top was still in place. That is the problem with trying to start several different things in the same tray. Usual advice when that is done is to remove the cover and the heat source and move to intense light source just as soon as the first ones germinate. The rest will still come along if they were going to anyway.
Third cause is over-crowding of seedlings.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Leggy seedling discussions
Proof? No. It doesn't exist because there are far too many variables in your hypothesis - "larger seeds = better plant and better harvest" - to be able to prove it.
Opinions? Sure. Millions of them. ;) Post it on the Seed Saving forum or the Growing Tomatoes forum as it comes up for discussion both places now and then if you want to get opinions.
IMPO based on many years of growing tomatoes from seed - with the exceptions of very old seeds or very dessicated seeds or seeds that were improperly stored - it makes little or no difference. Instead it is the growing conditions provided, once germinated, that have the greatest impact on plant health and production.
Dave
I can not speak for garden stuff, but as an old wheat farmer. Tests made my selecting larger wheat seed by screening gave a slight improvement in yield. Stronger seedling. I think it was some thing like 5 percent. I am not saying that this would carry over to future generations. I will leave that opinion to the experts.
KennyP
This is actually a flourescent light (24" 17w). The color is pinkish but the color temp. is supposed to be 8000K. Of course, there's no real industry standard for color temps. but it sure isn't the relatively stark white of a daylight 6500K or 10000K. My guess is that, like the 9325 GE bulb so extravagantly praised by planted tank enthusiasts, it doesn't have much in the yellow/green spectrum, but instead relies on blue and red.
Well I'm very excited about the new store in Petaluma! Calistoga, isn't it great?????
Army- If the catalogue makes you drool (exactly my words! LOL) the store is even better! Not just seeds, but tools, herbal concoctions, gopher cages, bath salts etc etc etc!
court- I'm planning on using the envelopes to frame!
LOVE LOVE LOVE BC!
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote Randel about my fair project where I plan to grow more than 30 types of veggies in a raised bed or containers. I was hoping to get a discount on the seeds since this is a non-profit group and the display is not to garner ribbons but show a variety of plants.
Not only did he give me a discount, he sent me them all totally free! Even included some packages that I had bought from him a year or two ago, giving me fresh seeds.
FWIW, I get every seed I need from him, unless he doesn't carry them.
Now I have to figure out all the Days to Maturity so I know when to sow them in order for them to be mature by the middle of August.
Mike
GOOD FOR YOU! Welcome to the club! I have been growing vegetables and herbs now for over 30 years, kiddo, and you will learn and learn. REMEMBER,
"Nature, to be commanded, must be obyed"... once you learn to provide what they need, you'll be rewarded many many times over.
Best, Homegrown.
P.S. Gardenweb is the best place I've ever found for growing information, and knowledgeable posters.
This is a big guess but I would plant 5 in a 10-18" pot.
One in the center and the rest spaced around the edges evenly. But this is just a guess. It will not pay off to crowd small seedlings because thay are small and you want it to look full. They will get full as soon as the sun hits their faces.
Does that help?
Keriann~
I've been experimenting the last several years to get full window boxes, but my porch gets shadier every year due to a large maple next door that just grows too fast!
Last year, my lobelias did great BUT I stuffed the 24" boxes with 12 plants which I started from seed, and they only got afternoon sun. I think your snapdragons and petunias would do great, but the lobelia would not like the strong sun so much. Snapdragons and petunia like full sun, so try to pair them with something else that likes full sun, or since they are both trailers, plant something in the middle that's more upright and also likes full sun.
I wish I had more sun to plant, but I'm limited by part sun to mostly shade flowers for me :-(
No personal experience with it and likely wouldn't buy it but since you have it why not do a bit of an experiment with it and then let us know how it works. Do you have another plain mix you can use for comparison?
For future reference plain old Jiffy Mix at Wal-Mart or Home Depot is just $4 a bag and works fine.
Better get those onions going as it is getting late for starting onions from seed. In your zone I hope they are a long-day variety?
Dave
Oh, Ohioveggies, I love your place! If you had a barn and some horses, I would be asking if you needed an adopted daughter! I lived in Cincinnati for a couple of years, and used to go to Columbus every year to show at the Quarter Horse Congress. Anyway, your gardens are awesome!
The solution to both problems may be a simple as cutting back on your watering. Wet soil that isn't allowed to dry at all deprives the root of the oxygen they need even more than water. Wet soil not only slows and retards growth but causes fibrous root rot - the first sign of which is leaves looking shriveled and then dying while new growth develops.
Over-watering seedlings is by far the #1 problem for most growers - no one ever thinks they are doing it but they are ;) - and it is the #1 cause of seedling stress and death. It is also the reason many plants will improve once planted to the garden - they aren't getting over-watered any longer and the roots can finally breathe.
The only way to prove to yourself that you may have been over-watering is to cut it back - by half - and note how the plant growth improves.
but I didn't think it would hurt these early starts, because they are all supposed to thrive with heat
They thrive with AIR heat, not soil heat. Heat mats, once roots begin to develop, cook the roots. Leave the heat mats off the seedlings please.
TOO much light isn't possible so don't worry about that part and cooler air temps while they are seedlings is best as sleepy said above. It results in stockier, healthier seedlings IF you can eliminate the excessive watering problem.
Dave
Agree with Al about the vibration but I doubt your dryer top would get hot enough to get the soil "too warm". More likely it isn't warm enough. ;)
Dave
Plus, the dryer doesn't run 24 hours a day. Soil temperature should remain consistently warm until germination occurs. Soil should be warm while the air temperatures can be downright chilly.