6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
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.
Here's an explanation from Park seed on squash sprouting upside down :
(I did have a couple of seeds from a tray full of noble fir sprout that way one year but never any others)
Here is a link that might be useful: Upside down squash sprouts
Would you like to try Winter Sowing this winter?
You wonÂt have any problem with damping off at all and itÂs a lot of fun.
All my seeds are sown this way now. People over there are crazy about it. It sounds nuts, but it works perfectly. We have more seedlings than we can ever use.
No, I use all different batches of seeds. All different ages, kinds, methods, and from different sources. Some times they get damping off before they even barely emerge. I've tried all different amounts of light.
Thanks Pitimpinai. I did it this year.
thank you all for your suggestions. i did find the suggestion at the pfaf.org site to soak the seeds for 24 hours before sowing in a high pulp fruit juice such as passion fruit juice or orange juice. they say that the acid in the juices will soften the shell and speed up germination. another site forum suggested soaking in a 5% alcohol/water solution (also 24 hours) which is supposed to remove the chemical from the seed coat that inhibits germination and will speed the process. so gardenweb people, i'd say you are a bunch of winners for sure. first i'll find an orange, juice it up, soak the seeds and plant them. shall i let you know how many days before i discover a seedling or 2?
I am more than happy to share the recipe that finally worked! You can omit, change what I did I am only listing steps I took. Soak the seeds in water for 48 hours and place container with seeds on something that stays warm- I put mine on top of the DVR box. I figured the constant warmth would encourage growth. Find a clear plastic container with clear plastic lid- no holes and clean well. Once clean swish a bleach/H2O (1/4 tsp/gal) soln through it and let it dry. Put layer of activated charcoal in bottom of container, add miracle grow seedling mix (never used to use miracle grow- but now I do), add seeds once theyÂve soaked, top with little bit more seedling mix, water, put plastic top on- then wait and wait. Good luck! What variety are you trying to start?
For lemon balm soak overnight in water and cover lightly with soil. I don't know about crepe myrtle. I soak lantana seeds in water overnight, rub off the black "fruit" and plant the seed about 1/2 under the soil, keep warm. Transplant lantana and lemon balm to the garden when big enough to handle or they can be direct sown (lemon balm can be invasive). For bottlebrush just sprinkle on moist soil, put the pot in a baggie to retain moisture and put somewhere warm, out of direct sun. Once the seeds sprout open the baggie and slowly adjust the seedlings to less humidity. The seedlings are quite tiny. Once they are big enough to handle transplant to individual containers. Lantana and lemon balm seedlings are much bigger then bottlebrush seedlings.
It comes with instructions, and the booklet even has a list of different seeds, and which tip to use with which kind of seed (the tips are each a different color). I used it with my lobelia seeds, which are dust-like. It was great to be able to place each individual seed exactly where I wanted it so I wouldn't have clumps of seedlings all bunched together. I'm so glad I got it! I'll get years of use out of it.
Deanna
I use one similar to yours. On mine all i do is water them once, a good watering but not a drowning, and cover it with the clear plastic cover and leave in a non sunny area. perhaps your garage.. I have not grown what you are, but the seed package should say how long, maybe a week? You will see a lot of condensation on the inside of the lid, this is normal and helps germinate the seeds. I have never had to add anymore water after the first time on mine in the past. The lid keeps the moisture in and does not let it evaporate out. Becuase of the condensation on the inside of the lid, you will not be able to see well and might be tempted to pull the lid off to see if the seeds germinated. What you can do instead is leave the lid in place and just give it a tap, this will make the condensation fall and you will see. Once a decent percentage start to come up, tip the lid back a bit to vent. After they grow a little more take lid of completly. At this point I put mine in a sunny window sill and water as needed until hardening time. That is another story for later. I would not expect all of them to germinate and grow, so if you haven't actually planted them in the tray yet. I would put 2 to 3 seeds max in each pot in loosely packed soil and add just a bit more loosely packed soil. Loosely packed soil.. And put in a couple more pots of each then you need. This is a good idea and we can talk about that later too..
That is the way I do it at least with good success.
Anybody else? Am I mssing anything? After all I am typing this at midnight... :)
After a bit of research I found out that his seed is the Balsam Pear aka Balsam Apple aka Momordica balsamina. Three people on the Dave's Garden website have it for trade.
http://davesgarden.com/community/trading/search.php?search_text=PFPID:811
Here is a link that might be useful: Balsam Apple at Daves Garden
"Huh. That's a completely different experience than I had. Mine are a very deep burgundy -- the color of the Burgundy Giant coleus or darker."
Hmmm....maybe I should try again with some seeds from a different source. Mine were grown indoors in a sunny window for their whole "lifespan". Maybe that had something to do with it. One of my plants even stayed completely green.
Ania
