6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
They look burnt. IMO, I would transplant to some cups or something slightly larger, make sure they're watered good, but not too much, feed with a little water-based 1/4 strength or so fertilizer and also place in sunlight (outdoors if weather permits).
thank you for your quick reply,
they all germinated in basement, no any artificial light, the only light is from the small window of my basement.
what's best temperature for them to go outside? I'll try to do it right now if the temperature is not too low or too high.
peter
You'll need to consider the approximate temperature of your basement, you don't want to expose them to a greatly different temperature too quickly. Not knowing what kind of weather you are having and how warm your basement has been it's difficult for me to answer your question.
Small basement window won't be enough light. I would put them outside in a somewhat protected spot like in dappled shade or under an evergreen of some kind for an hour or two - if your outdoor daytime temps are in the 50ish range and your basement has not been fully heated - you don't want them going from 70F to 40F abruptly. Increase that amount of time each day but do not be in too big a hurry to leave them outside 24/7 if you still have a possibility of hard frost.
In their native conditions and not started indoors, they are quite tolerant of cool to chilly, moist temperatures - its summer dryness and heat that causes them to fail. Here where our summers have very little heat, they grow in almost full sun with moist soil. I have my first bloom of the year opening just this week; conditions have been a lot of rainy days, on only two of those days have temperatures climbed out of the 50s.
Also in a day or so, "pot up" (re-pot in larger container) to some form of cup (typical medium) with a non-sand containing good potting mix and water thoroughly (fertilize with water-based solution if the potting mix isn't like MG or whatever). Light will help your plants, but sunlight & warmth will heal them.
Some very common problems with seed starting are:
Not enough light/Light too far away (this causes 'leggy', tall and skinny seedlings): Use florescent lighting (4ft shop lights with T12 tubes are good) no more then 2 inches away from the plants.
Over watering: When seedlings first emerge keep the soil moist but after the seedlings start the first set of leaves let the soil get almost completely dry before watering.
Besides the common problems above temperature after germination should be around 65-75 degrees.
I use plastic cells and pot up to 4 inch plastic pots. I plant in Pro-Mix which comes highly recommended. I feed with Neptune's Harvest Fish Fertilizer.
As far as starting too late, I'd say you started the tomatoes at the right time but the cukes and squash you started too early. Start cukes and squash 3 weeks before your last frost date or seed directly in the garden.
Lastly, read through this forum and the vegetable gardening forum as far back as you can manage. Many people have gone through the same trials as you and there experience is wicked helpful!
Jon
I always had trouble starting seeds too, but this year I did something different. I didn't have a greenhouse so I used a plastic tarp over the growing racks. I fastened the corners of it with clothespins and set a humidifier next to it to keep everything moist all day. I work and can't be around all day to check soil moisture and the humidifier did the trick. Not only did I have almost 100% germination, but lost very few seedlings after they were up. The greatest thing about it was that I really didn't have to water the seedlings hardly at all since they stayed moist 24/7. The only bad thing was when I crawled inside the tarp to look at all the little seedlings, my dogs would go bonkers and tear around the house like their tails were on fire. Cheryl
Germination I think was just slow. I've got extra's of everything I want now. Just what am I going to do with 12 mini bell peppers... And I have to figure out whether to plant before or after I go on vacation in mid May.
I'm still going to buy plants next year Other than lettuce and other seeds I've already got or think might be difficult to find.
Even the year old eggplant seeds were a little slow, but are doing nicely now that they've germinated.
Alice
jessicavanderhoff "do you think the lights help the seed germinate?" Not really. I had other seedlings already growing under the 4 ft. shop lights so I just placed the seed trays under there right off. I do think it's best to have the seedlings exposed to light immediately after breaking the surface.
aliceinvirginia: It's good to here everything is going well. Try giving some seedlings away so someone else can start a garden. Every year I have too many too!
Jon
I'm not familiar with the agrilight. What type of light is it?
The standard rule of thumb is if your hand feels hot where your plants are, the lights are too close. It should feel comfortably warm. Also, with a fan, you can get the lights a little closer.
24/0 will generally get you the best vegetative growth. If you're going for flowering/fruiting, that depends on whether it's a short day/long night plant or not.
Searching for these on Google I came up with two different possibilities.
I think these are incandescent bulbs. Are they sort of bell shaped like a floodlight bulb? Do they screw into a regular fixture?
If the above is true then these are absolutely no good for growing anything despite the claims to the contrary.
The other possibility I found was the Phillips Agro light which is a HID (high intensity discharge) HPS (High Pressure Sodium) lamp. This lamp would need a special ballast and socket and would be a long skinny tube. HPS lamps are great for growing things but you should follow the rule of thumb that karenrei pointed out.
If the lamps are incandescent you should just return them. If you read around these forums, most people use tube florescent lights in $10 shop light fixtures from Home Depot or similar.
Jon
Ah, maybe, it's the transplanting shock that is affecting the growth. I don't see any signs of wilting though. I'll just wait then. I will also apply liquid fertilizer today and it's going to be their first time to have a drink of fertilizer. Hopefully, it help them.
Thanks.
