6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
My seedlings seem small compared to other photos I've looked at. We went for nearly two weeks straight with heavily overcast skies...and I have no lights! This is my first year working with seed and only my third year gardening, so I figure I'm allowed some screw ups ;o) But I definitely have enjoyed the process and have learned a lot, so I'll be doing it again next year!
Verbena...these got really leggy, but once I pinched them back and gave them some sun, they started to fill out. Verbena makes me so happy!
Scarlet Cardinal Climber...they were doing pretty good and then sort of went limp. I repotted them and they are doing a little better
Moonflower vine...started these way too early! One actually wrapped itself around one of my dahlia seedlings yesterday.
Dahlias...my favorite annual. I thought they looked pretty good until I went to the greenhouse. Then I realized they looked pretty leggy and wimpy in comparison. I hope they bloom!
Impatiens seedlings. These grew really fast at first, but now their progress is slllloooowwww....
Red "Fire Chief" Petunia...these are still pretty small, but wow, they are loving they hot sun and 80's & 90's...they are rapidly growing now...a little worried that they are a long time from blooming though.
I love flowers and plants but there so expensive,so I decided to buy seeds of all the kinds I like,I tried the jiffy peat pellets and started indoors,but nothing sprouted up,so I brought them out to more sunlight,then some sprouted and alot didn't.the ones that sprouted I transplanted to the flower beds,but then they disappeared,what am I doing wrong?
Earth worms are a benefit to the soil. They do not damage or eat your seeds. They eat bacteria and fungi that are consuming vegetative matter in the soil. In return they leave their castings which becomes some of the best plant nutrients. Their movement in the soil also helps provide spaces for air and water. Al
Bump...
Whew! 3 hours of work for the post I just finsihed. Check it out & let me know what you think. =)
Peace - Steve
Hi, prherbivore
I think this was a rather old thread, but to answer the question since you were wondering as well.
Sometimes if you have like 15 20 seedlings in one clump yes it would be best to thin and repot rather than plucking or cutting them out. I would recommend doing this when the seedling is approximately anywhere between 2 to 4 inches. Normally when I repot some of my seedlings I clump several together depending on the plant and the normal spread of that plant. In other words if I know my plant will grow vigurously the first year I may only plant 1 or 2. If its kinda skimpy looking I clump several together.
I hope that helps ya prherbivore!!
Hi. I'm not sure if this discussion has ended but I recently got some ginkgo seeds and instructions from an online store on ebay. 4 of the 12 sprouted and I have one full fledged seedling. I tried a variety of ways in a variety of places. One- in my office in dampened vermiculite. I think I overdampened the vermiculite and the majority rotted. Two of 10 managed to survive. Two- In a box outside, I planted it in some sort of moss tablet that you can get at any nursery, add water to it and stick in the seed.
I didn't cold stratify them. I just opened the seed, stuck it in the vermiculite or soil. It wasn't the most clever way as I got very low results form all the seeds but I have three growing right now. The funny thing is, I thought I actually planted them the wrong way. There is a white shoot that comes out and then roots downward. From this white shoot, it splits in the middle and that is where the seedling comes up.
I live in zone 10, near the coast and while one seedling is doing really well- the other two took another 2 weeks before I saw sprouts on them.
Hope this helps.
Here ya go I just did a search for the seed your wanting to plant I hope this helps ya. Sometimes searches work sometimes they dont. Its always nice to try it though.
From what I gather you got to have the temp anywhere 65 to 70 for germination, I dont know how hot it is there but I am in nw tn and its already up in the mid 80's. Also since the plant blooms from july to september and germination takes 14 to 21 days, you may not have a seedling till july or later.
With all that said if I was you, and this is just my opinion, I would save the seeed and maybe start to germinate it this winter. That way you will get better results and more use out of the seeds.
Anywho enjoy the link, all I did to find this page was put in a search for "summer savory"
Here is a link that might be useful: Summer Savory
Ok wow lol, First off in order to get true seeds you have to be careful with cross pollination. In other words if your 2 plants were to close to each other the seeds you may have collected may not be true like you want. This happens when you have 2 of the same kind but different varieties of the plants. I hope that made sense. Also if your kale is of a hybrid they for sure will not be true.
Secondly, if the seed pods that were on your plants were still green when you cut them down then chances that they matured fully is very unlikely. Not only do the seed pods need to dry, but they need to dry or mature on a living plant.
Thirdly if you have to hot of a greenhouse then germination may not be good at all. Germination takes place best at cooler weather like 60 to 75 degrees, if I am not mistaken.
Fourthly I am not familiar with your kale, I have always heard of cabbage and kale with your pansies and violas and thought of them to be winter plants, so the best time to plant I couldnt tell ya on that one.
Fithly I wouldnt know either on the plants surrounding your existing kale, but if there were seed pods that fell from the plant they may have reseeded. Just like I said previously though if your 2 different kale varietys were to closely planted though you probaly will not have true seeds. So its very likely that the seeds are from your plant that cross pollinated with the other one. You can always just watch and see what happens, alot of time seedlings look totally different than a mature plant.
I hope that helps ya and Goodluck!!
I have started many gailardia from seeds. First two leaves will shoot out, then the real leaves they are fuzzy kinda lighter green. They dont get the serated edges at first they are kinda oblong when first sprouted. Heres a picture of a gailardia seedling, I hope it helps.
Here is a link that might be useful: Seedling images
Last fall I got about 30 seeds in trade, cleaned and apparently dried, though I don't know how dry. Planted some immediately. Kept the rest in a cold dry room over winter.
May 1, learned they need damp stratification so put in baggie in fridge with damp sphagnum moss.
May 26, saw some light mold, took them out, washed them, put back in fridge dry. Put some in water and some in hydrogen peroxide, put in a warm place in the dark.
June 1, nothing happening, so peeled off a few seed coats, back into the warm place.
June 8, still no sign of germination, so washed them, kept one under wet paper towel and put other in vinegar to simulate digestion, and put back in fridge.
No sign of germination on any of them, not even the ones planted last fall.
Well the first leaves on the sprout are not the real leaves. Usually the second set of leaves to come out are the "real" leaves. They almost all the time look totally different. I usually transplant when the plant is about 2 inches high. Then I move them to a smaller pot with more of the soil that they will be growing in when I plan to set them in the ground. Then when I know I have a good root system and at maybe 4 to 5 inches high I transplant to final destination. If you were growing inside you will have to harden off your plants as well before you do the final transplant. I hope that helps ya!!
When trying to find out if I could put my seedlings outside in a cold frame instead of continuing to lug all the heavy trays up and down stairs from basement I found the originally referenced article on the Tomato Growing Forum.
I've been putting seedlings outside on shaded porch for over a week but am afraid they're still not "tough" enough to be moved outside even under cover of rigged up cold frame.
I left them out too long a few days and some foliage got a little dry or crinkled.
I got a fan when some Cow Pots I was trying got fungus. Plants haven't died and vendor says fungus on outside of pots is "normal".
Should have gotten fan and used it past 2 months.
First time starting seeds indoors and was so overwhelmed with watching them all the time and moving things on/off hat mat, rotating things under lights that were going 24/7 and checking moisture. It really was like having hundreds of infants to look after.
The article is facinating and when I start seeds indoors again I'll heed the information.
I'm growing all ornamentals and I don't think I've gotten seedlings farther along than if I'd winter/spring sowed them outside as temps permitted. I naively thought starting first year blooming perennials indoors would produce "a plant" but the reality is they're still seedlings and need different care than if started outdoors.
I did run my hand over seedlings but not nearly enough. I could smell a wonderful scent from things like Thyme, Sage and "hummingbird mint".
I think I'm going to have to continue lugging all those trays of 5" pots for another couple of weeks. Sigh.
If if could put them all outside in a cold frame now, keep it vented as temps rise and shaded with row cover cloth and have them make it with enough strength to resist diseases, etc. I'd do it in a nanosecond.
But then I reread that great article and know there's no sense in taking shortcuts.
My sciatica wishes I'd found this article in March...LOL.
Thanks for posting this on the Seed Starting forum.
I am here to testify from personal experience that improper implementation of practical aids to process of Thigmomorphogenesis produces weak plants.
I have some plants that I've planted out. Is this weakness irreversible?
Would I have a better chance of improving their "quality of life" if I took them out of the garden, pot them up in appropriate size container for remainder of season and then replant in Fall?
If seedlings grown indoors and probably not hardened off properly for long enough are doomed to a shortlived weak existence I can also start more from seed outdoors NOW and plant out in Fall.
Which option would those who understand the particular practices which promote Thigmomorphogenesis recommend for these weak plants?
Thanks in advance for any informed advice...it's greatly appreciated for a few of the more precious (to me) perennials I started indoors.
Chitting, nicking, or presprouting is useful for any seed that A) Has a hard seedcoat B) Tends to sit in the ground or C) Germinates at a higher termperature than is convenient.
I chit or presprout peas and spinach in February. I soak them for only 30 minutes and then place them in a damp paper towel until I see the white roots forming. In the afternoon, when the soil is warmest, I sow the now sprouted seeds just like I sow any other seeds.
I do this because the optimal germination temperatures are much higher than the acceptable growing temperatures. Peas and spinach grow in temps as low as 40 degrees, but they would take weeks to germinate at that temperature and would probably rot before then. Presprouted they take about 7 to 10 days.
I also use the same method to plant beans in the summer. It's not necessary but I get impatient and beans can take a while to sprout sometimes and can fall victim to rot. Never plant beans in cool soil though. It'll set it back for life.
I have practiced chitting of pea, bean and corn seeds for many years. Where I live, south of Seattle, the soil takes a long time to get warm enough so that corn and bean seeds sprout in the garden easily.
Peas and corn can be soaked in tepid water overnight in a glass jar with cheesecloth or similar material fastened over the top. After the initial soak, the seeds are rinsed a few times a day and the water is poured off. Seeds are planted when they have visible roots and hopefully before roots are so long that they break easily.
I am currently experimenting with bean seeds and find that they seem to tolerate a six hour soak fine. Then they are treated as above.
This allows me to plant beans and corn earlier. And seeds that do not sprout are discarded, making it more likely that I will get plants where I want them with less empty spaces. - Dick