6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Hi Sarah, welcome to the forum. Please see the FAQ's posted on the main page; I've linked them here at the bottom for your convenience. Most of your questions are answered there. I would recommend you do some research into the benefits of starting most of your veggies indoors versus outdoors. Some veggies do not like to be transplanted, particularly root crops like carrots- which I know you mentioned you planned not to start indoors due to number, but the real reason you wouldn't want to do it is that they'd be darn difficult to transplant; the root itself is the vegetable. You're lucky, you live in a nice warm zone that should have a long growing season, so your veggies should take of quickly outside. You can find pretty much all the info you need online, including which should be started indoors vs. outdoors, best time to sow, growing conditions, etc. I'd recommend either buying or checking out from a library, a good book on vegetable gardening. I have a battered old one that I've used over and over again, and it's well worth it to have at hand.
As far as your pots, I think you'll find most here recommend plastic containers; again, see the FAQ. Size wise, you don't want to start too big. Containers the size of the ones you linked to are a good size to start with, and then transplant up to a larger size; or, if you start with something slightly larger, say in the 4 inch range, put several seeds in the container to germinate. Anyway, hope some of that helps, best of luck!
Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ
I collected the very small seeds from a Pentas this past September. To check on viability, I sowed a few on a paper towel moistened with a dilute fertiliser solution, placed towel in a Baggie, and stored it on a furnace top. In 9 days small plants appeared. Today I sowed the tiny seeds on a sterile, powdered peat and covered with a glass pane. Literature indicates that light is necessary for gremination as well as 70 degree temp. Good Luck!
Here's what it says on the Thompson & Morgan germination database:
"Pentas: 25-40 days to germination, surface sow on peaty soil, 70-75ºF, see #5.
"5. These seeds should be sown on the surface of the compost and not covered. The compost should be quite moist and we would recommend that you cover the seed container with a piece of glass or clear plastic and leave in a temperature of approximately 65 degrees F in a position which receives diffused light. Once some of the seeds have germinated air should be admitted gradually otherwise the seedlings may damp off.
"Alternatively the seeds can be sown on to moist blotting paper or kitchen towel placed in a saucer. Cover with a transparent cover and place on a windowsill which receives plenty of light, but not direct sunlight. Keep the blotting paper wet at all times and when the tiny seedlings are large enough to handle prick out into small pots. Use only pure peat with no fertilizers, added to which sphagnum moss should be added if available."
Good luck!
Sue
Yep tomatoes are very leggy as the lights are way too far away and too much heat. Either switch your bulbs to CFL and lower the lamps to 1" above the plants (you'll have to deep transplant those really tall ones*) or switch to a shop light.
*16 oz. cups with the transplant set right on the bottom of the cup and all of it buried in soil except for the top set of leaves.
pepper seedlings look fine just as is for now but with the lights that high they will turn leggy too.
Dave
T12 bulbs are getting phased out, only to be replaced by T8 and T5. The is also a number on the bulb: example SP41 and that is a cool white and a SP35 is the warm white. The SP41 is the better light for plants. There is also a daylight bulb which is more of a SP50 (guessing on the number), but is more costly but better than the previous mentioned. I use T8, SP41 bulbs and my plants do well with them.
No. Winter Sowing is a genuine propagation method for starting seeds outside. In vented containers. During winter.
Here is a link that might be useful: USDA Thesaurus 'Winter Sowing Method'
This pertains to indoor seed starting:
If you are only starting seed to save money, I don't think it will be worth it for you.
Becaue you are only filling a window box with pretty common flowers I bet it would run you $10-$30 to fill it with plants from a garden center.
Lights, soil and seed will cost you about that.
I am sure you want nice large plants come time to plant because it is such a focal point, and seedlings will be smaller than nursery bought plants (but will quickly catch up).
So I would say you start saving money on starting your own seed when: 1. you start at least 30-40+ plants 2. you plant things that are hard to find 3. you plant things that are more expensive (such as tuberous begonias, wave petunias...3" pots ect.)
Plant seeds for the experience and the enjoyment...not just saving money, it is much more valuable in the long run.
You do not give enough information. Peppers like a warm soil, like 85 degrees. Source of heat should not be the light source. How high are the lights from the seedlings? A 400 watt HID light puts out a lot of heat as well as light. I keep mine at least two feet above the seedlings. I also provide bottom heat. Sixteen hours of light sounds OK. I start my peppers in recycled sixpacks. If I were to use four inch pots I would start 9 seeds per pot and repot when they were about 3 inch tall. Sixpacks makes potting up easier with less check in the growth. Al
Why are you using the HPS instead of MH? HPS is mainly for flower/fruit production, MH for vegetative, all around growth. I keep my HID lights 4 feet away from my plants. That's why I like to use HO flourescent tubes for starting seeds then I switch over to HID lights. I can have the fluorescent lights almost touching my seedlings. 16 hrs a day on seems fine. Are the curled leaves dry? They might be too close. As the previous person said HID lights generate quite a bit of heat.
Perhaps a good answer would be that the majority of the watering should come from the bottom, with just enough of a misting on the surface to ensure that a crust doesn't form on the surface as well as to make sure that small seedlings with undeveloped roots are not sitting in a dry top half of the soil, while moisture remains in the lower half of the container. Everyone would agree, I'm sure, that at no point do you want your seedlings sitting in soggy, soupy dirt, but neither do you want them in a bone-dry lockdown. It's a fine line; luckily, most seedlings are forgiving. Those that aren't...well, live and learn! Also helps so much to really research the specific needs of the individual variety you're growing. Different plants like different conditions, some dry, some damp, some are very susceptible to damping off, some you can bury up to the leaves when you transplant, some will wither and die if you do that. Research! :)
Agree it is just cool growing temps that cause it but it does no harm to them. The plants green up quickly when planted outside and the weather warms.
If you want to warm just the growing area a bit without heating the whole house just enclose the plant area a bit with a plastic drop cloth and let the lights provide a bit of heat to them. That means leaving the lights on a night and off some during the day. Get a timer. ;)
Dave
I'm no expert, but thought I'd share my experience. I think some plants can handle an early transplant, and some can't. Things that tend to be relatively fast-growing don't seem to mind a transplant before their first leaves. But I transplanted a few tuberous begonia (super slow growing) seedlings when they were very, VERY tiny because they had some how sprung up in a clump on the very edge of the container they were in, and were getting dislodged when the container moved. Those guys are still struggling and I don't know if they'll pull through; it appears to be transplant shock, their little leaves are brown, though the new leaves they've sprouted are green. In contrast, the other seedlings from that container grew their first true leaves and were at least twice the size of the little guys, and they've been transplanted without any trouble. It almost seems like, if they still have just that one baby root with no offshoots, they might not stand transplanting as well as seedlings with more developed roots. Just my little bit of experience, ymmv. :) I do struggle, like you, with seedlings germinating and sprouting at different rates, but I guess in your situation, unless you could possibly steal a light or two from outside, I'd sacrifice a little legginess to let them grow some roots before I pricked them out.
Leave them for now, they are too young to pinch. The habit of ivy geranium is more vine like, it's not unusual to find some of the stems longer. If you want bushier plants later, pinch back the growing tips when your seedlings have gained a bit more size and have more than one leaf per each stem. Pinch, or cut, just above a leaf - clearly you don't want to do this when a stem has only one leaf. :)
There is a latent growth bud located at the node (node = the point on the stem where each leaf is attached). Cutting of pinching off the growth just above that node will cause that stem to branch out. More branching will mean more flowers.
Some longer stems on ivy geranium aren't necessarily a bad thing though...leaving some of the longer growth to spill over the side of a large container or drop down from a hanging basket may be desireable too, depends on how you plan to use them.
I plant my seeds in recycled plastic mushroom boxes that I have punched holes in the bottom of. They are just a nice size to hold a package of seeds. I use recycled grocery store clear bakery containers as tray and humidity cover, or regular trays with a humidity cover, until they sprout.
When They get their second set of true leaves(the first leaves are seed leaves)I transplant them into pots or packs--plastic containers that have compartments. I use pro mix or a soilless mix for cuttings and seeds.
These containers I use over. Before I put these away for the summer and winter, I wash everything with soap and a little bleach--to kill anything that may be there. Beytter to be safe than sorry
I plant my morning glories in styrofoam cups with holes poked in the bottom. They are not invasive here and I spend a lot of time in my yard so if I do get something that is invasive i can trim it back or whatever to keep it
from taking over. I'm going to try some up next to my block wall this year as I'd love to cover it up.
Happy Gardening,
Pam
I see you are using those Jiffy peat pot trays.
How do you like them?
It looks like you have a lot of water in the bottom (but the stick keeps it from laying in it?).
Have you found it hard to regulate water? Are they sturdy?
Keriann~
Actually the stick was just laid in the tray by accident. I like the trays, but they are not real sturdy. When you double them they get much stronger. I even use the clear cover under them after I remove it and that makes them triple thick. I think I may have just watered that tray when I took the photo. As soon as they all sprout I move them from the lights to my mini-greenhouse.
If you are just looking for a 'tray' to hold your pots from things around the house..... After they germinate what about a cookie sheet with a 'cooling' cookie rack the paper pots sit on with about an inch between the paper pots for airflow? The cookie rack would have to sit just at water level but then you could just bottom water and the paper pots would wick it up as needed? Just a thought My only other suggestion would be a 1020 tray without holes (large black garden flat) that you could set all your pots into. I know Menards sells them and their ridged bottom helps to keep the pots from drowning.
No matter what you use... your friends should be very thankful. Best of luck. Happy gardening!
Keriann~
Ok, folks, I see we have a good group of experienced seed-sowers...
I have a bunch of small to medium plastic containers that I saved over the course of last summer. You know the kinds that you find in the blueberry/strawberry department? Well, they could not be recycled, and I wanted to reuse them. I have plenty of nursery containers in which I have purchased plants over the course of a period of 5 years or so. My thought is to start the seeds in these smaller transparent containers, which already have drainage holes in them, at first covering them with the throwaway plastic bags that a available from the grocery store, rather than spending money on Saran Wrap. After the seedlings have germinated, take off the plastic bags and let them grow until they are read for the "prick off" stage, and then put them into the appropriate size container for growing them on. Also I have read that chamomile tea is excellent for preventing damp-off and other soil-born fungus. I have made up a weak tea mixture into a spray bottle from the kitchen that was originally intended for spraying on olive oil. I have already ran that throught the dishwasher, and also disinfected it with a Clorox solution of which I am also now using to clean the containers, and then, of course, changing the waters frequently, as the most of the labels were able to be scrubbed off as well. I am almost finished washing all of my nursery containers.
Anyone see any problems with my plan? Thanks!
Last year I did an experiment and start sunflowers inside 3 weeks before my last frost.
I also direct sowed some in the middle of May. The ones I started inside were about 12" tall and were very sad, but I got them in the ground.
Come June, my direct sow sunflowers were much larger than my 'inside' sunflowers.
And come July, almost all of my seedlings I started inside fell over because they were not as strong as the ones I started directly outside.
Lesson learned... and now I don't plant any and I have 50-60 that self-sow. Fun to see what they will look like once opened. Mine reach over 15" tall. It is crazy!
Keriann~
We start our sunflowers inside a couple of weeks before they go out. We use paper cups(ecotainer 8 oz.), and at transplanting, rip out the bottom, and sink them in a bit.
We grow sunflowers for large seed heads, and height(county fair competition)....so these are not baby sunflowers. And if we don't start them inside, the critters eat the seed before it comes up...or take down the small sprouts. The buried cups also help with cutworms....and the system works wonderful for us:)
m