6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Your plants look great!
I would leave them in the cells until ready to move outside (harden off first of course...) but if you think about how large the plants are when you buy them at a greenhouse - yours have a long way to go (in size) before they need to be moved. ALSO - potting up, will slow the growth as the roots try to catch up again, another reason to leave them.
Just be sure to check them daily - as they will dry out more quickly as the roots fill up the cells.
Great job!!
Missti
We will be gone for 7 days. I have to keep them outside on the patio--my wife keeps the house really clean and does not want them indoors. I might buy a kid pool, add about an inch of water and place the trays in it. I've also thought about the wicker method, using old cotton socks and a bucket of water. I have 4 trays of different species of tomatoes (~72 plants). I'd like to keep atleast 75% of them. Any adivice on the wicker material or my pool idea will be very appreciated. No way they'll stay alive without water--we are averaging 90 degree temps over the last 4 days.
I do the same way but with seed you need to put it in the shade. It is more likely to grow that way. I try putting it out in the deck and water it everyday before and it seem that I have more dead. Come to think of it I only have 1 out of five seed that made it.
Try to put the pot in the shade and wait until the seed spout and become a little more mature before putting it in your deck. If you have no where to put it try sowwing it indoor before bring it out. I put mines in a water bottle fill with soil and let it sit next to my window.
Mimosa or Silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) seeds are fairly easy to find and grow. Try the seed exchange forum here at GW or collect some of the abundant pods they drop or check online for a source.
Soak the seeds in warm water for 2 days or so. Some suggest scarification, but the soaking should be enough. plant in normal potting mix. be aware this tree is considered invasive by some.
When I lived in Phoenix I would just go to the park and pick some up of germination experiments. Gardenweb has a Gardening in Arizona where you might locate someone to do the same for you. My experience was that you get better results from fresh seed, late summer or fall, and you get better results scratching them with a nail file. But the seeds do germinate rather well when a year or more old and just soaked or planted.
Logan, being F1 hybrids won't prevent your Rocket snapdragons from going to seed--in all likelihood they will set seed. What it will prevent is knowing exactly what the offspring of any seed you save will look like, in the same way that a child of parents who look different from each other may look like a little like one or both parents or neither. Unless there's a plant patent or other prohibition to saving seeds from a hybrid, there's no reason not to experiment. They should be snapdragons and they could conceivably be similar to their parents.
Sure, you can get seeds of open-pollinated snapdragons that you can grow and save seeds of and grow again. Thompson & Morgan has quite a good selection (check the genus name Antirrhinum and look for those that do not say F1) and Select Seeds has a few and so do other places.
Here is a link that might be useful: Thompson & Morgan Antirrhinum
An easy way to tell if you overfertilized is if the leaves are curling under or over. If they curled under, then overfertilization is a probable cause. Growth can be stunted but usually if you catch this in time, the plants can be salvaged.
If the fertilizer is a slow release kind, you probably want to repot with fresh sterile soil.
Overfertilization = dehydration, as the strong ionic solution the fertilizer creates sucks moisture out of the root hairs, rather than visa versa. Re-potting and thoroughly wetting the new soil as soon as it shows signs of a fertilizer "burn" can sometimes help.
A little reading on the internet, and I found for astible the suggested way to germinate is:
Fine seeds, surface sow, light needed for best germination, 1-4 weeks at F 70 days and F.50 nights.
It states germination may be slow without the fluctuating temperatures.
For the Kolkwitzia :
Cold stratify for 3 months. After stratification sow 1/4 inch deep in sterilized gardening soil and place container at about 70 degrees. Some seeds may germinate within a few days, but germination tends to be sporadic and may occur over an extended period of time. Keep soil moist at all time. After germination seedlings need bright light and cool enviroment. Alternatively seeds can be fall sown for germination in spring.
(The Kilkwitzia wouldn't be damaged by the freezing temps...they would be expected if sowing directly outdoors in the fall for spring germination.)
For the Dodecatheon, it says:
Place mixture in a labeled, sealed plastic bag and store in a refrigerator (33Â38°F). Stratify for the number of days indicated in parentheses. If two months (C(60)) of this cold storage before planting is normally required to break the dormancy of these seeds, one month may work for many species if time is a constraint. Some seeds may sprout in the storage bag if moist stratified too long. If sprouting occurs, plant immediately. Another method of breaking dormancy for species requiring moist stratification is to sow seeds outdoors in the fall so they may overwinter.
(Again, it being possible to "winter sow", it wouldn't hurt the seeds to be frozen etc. )
Overall I think you should be fine, but for the astible, you may want to try setting them in room temps for the day and the fridge at night...it may help speed up germination.
Best of luck!!
Thank you for the info! I think I will try what you suggest about the Astilbe and see what happens. . .