6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned winter sowing to you. I sowed many seeds in pots outside, this winter. I am still sowing seeds in pots outside. Check out the Winter Sowing forum for lots of information on sowing in pots outside.
midwesternerr,
I'm not too familiar with tropical milkweed, but I can tell you this much about any seedling started inside under lights: they're gonna need to be hardened off before they go outside permanently, which can take as much as two weeks with DAILY incremental increases up from an hour or so in the shade gradually increasing the time and SOME sun exposure (increasing the sun gradually too; do a search on hardening off and you'll find some great tips on what to do and what not to do). If you're only able to go out to the site once a week, it's going to be very hard to properly harden them off, unless the seedlings are at your house and you can do this on a daily basis from home. And for the record, it's going to be too early to plant out anything with "tropical" in the name until probably at least 2 weeks AFTER the last frost date, which hasn't quite hit for zone 5 yet; again, that's AFTER hardening them off. One of the things that you can do to avoid legginess is to make the light brighter--move them as close to the bulb as you can (as close as 1-2 inches even--but also to put a light breeze on them, as from a fan on low. Yes, peat pots will dry out very quickly, so there are a couple things that you can do if there isn't an automatic daily watering system. If you leave the peat pots intact, be sure to BURY THEM COMPLETELY, as any portion of it sticking up above the surface will wick out moisture and you'll come back to dessicated remains of your seedlings! Whenever I plant anything that has been started in peat pots, though, I at least tear off the bottom of the pot. I will frequently tear away the entire peat pot, letting the soil-to-soil contact be at maximum; it just depends on the fussiness of the roots and that particular plant's temperament for transplanting.
Whatever you do, don't just stick those babies outside (unless you're not overly concerned for their survival) or they'll surely fry. You could direct-sow some, but again, being tropicals, you'll want to wait until after the last frost--but could probably direct sow ON the last frost date--just be sure to protect the area from critters that might dig up the seeds or mow down the seedlings as they emerge.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Hi Aniya,
I didn't do anything special - just kept them moist and warm (75-80F) until they poked out. I have to say that my germination rate wasn't spectacular. Only got 5 or 6 plants out of more than 20 seeds. I wanted to try some more this year but forgot. Also since the plants didn't do anything last year, I figured it might be a better idea to buy plants rather than seeds. Now I'm very encouraged and may sow some to plant out in the fall.
Goodluck with your seeds. I will keep my fingers crossed for your sprouting success.
Amna
What about this one from Lowes? I might buy one or two, myself!
Here is a link that might be useful: Shop light
The "bad" soil idea sounds good. Here, in Maryland, it is mainly clay, although I usually do add compost to amend it: however, I plan on planting them in a pot, so I will just use a general potting soil with no fertilizer. I will let everyone know about my hopeful success!
Thanks y'all!
Funny you mention that about training the vines back down the trellis... I have read several posts of people whose moonflowers didn't bloom until they were headed back down the trellis, and mine did that exact thing too, when I grew them for the first time last year. Maybe it's just that they are big enough at that point to start putting out blooms...? Sounds like a myth, but it can't hurt to try, right?
Amna,
One of my favorite garden moments last year was going out at dusk to watch them open (yes, they open that fast) and they smell absolutely wonderful as they unfurl.
Lori
Plant viruses usually (although not always) produce mottled, striped, mosaic, or speckled patterns. Purple leaves and yellow leaves can be a general sign of stress or of a nutrient deficiency (or, in some cases, leaf burn from too much nutrients).
* Are your plants on heat mats?
* What are your air temperatures?
* Are your plants covered?
* Are these plants indoors that you started from seeds? If so, why are you worried about thrips - have you seen thrips?
* What's your soil look like, and how have you been fertilizing?
Don't trash the plants until we figure this out. Do you have any photos?
IMHO, viruses are often "pretty diseases". They can make your plant look neat or unusual as they kill or maim it. Random examples:
The tomato spotted wilt virus:
Cucumber mosaic virus (closeup; from a distance, it looks like speckles):
Plum pox virus:
Squash leaf curl virus:
Barley yellow dwarf virus:
Etc. As a gross oversimplification, if the disease looks pretty, suspect a virus. ;)
what i wanted to know is if i put these seeds in a damp paper towel inside a ziplock bag and put them in the refrigerate would this accomplish what is needed for the seed's cold needs
Yep, that's the standard method. Check the recommended stratification temperature first, of course.
Actually I'm happy to hear that Zinnias are easy to grow. Maybe I'll just throw some seeds on the dirt in the one section of the garden when it warms up.
About pinching back... If I pinch back the stem, will it still grow from that stem OR will it just grow other stems that I should _not_ pinch back?
First year for Zinnias...
I'm also growing:
Salvia Sea Breeze
Blue Eyed Daisy
Torenia Lemon Drop (Did great last year)
Columbine Lime Sorbet
Columbine Songbird Mix
Petunia Supercascade (Red, White, Blue)
Lavendar Lacy Frills
Stock Purple Harmony
Nierembergia Mont Blanc
I realize that perhaps some of these should not be started indoors, but... I couldn't resist.
So far none of these have shown up to the party. :)
I'll go check on them soon. They are getting 16 hours of light and 8 hours of rest.
Heather
Ah Ha! you are using an aero garden. I planted mine yesterday around noon and was totally shocked to see seed roots this morning. Hope I can keep them going indoors til June 1 as that is the traditional safe first day to plant outside up here in Alaska
Thanks both. I'll try to be patient.
Gardenmaven: With keeping pots for a year or more, what is the ideal location / situation for them over the winter?
Susan: Re keeping plants in a nursery bed, when you intend to transplant away in a year or so, do the root systems spread out so that you then lose a lot of roots in digging them out? I would think that in pots, at least you know you have "the whole plant" when you move them.
I rarely wait more than the next growing season to move them, so they haven't gotten too big. And if you're generous about spacing, it shouldn't be much of an issue, or at least it hasn't been for me.
But my biggest reason for planting them all in one bed is that I tend to pay more attention to them and head off any small problems before they become big. It also gives me some time to decide *where* to plant them, since my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak, when it comes to starting plants.
But, as I said, I really don't have a good situation for overwintering plants in pots, so this has worked well for me.
Good luck and enjoy!
I wouldn't recommend potting up to peat pots. They suck the water out of the soil. Seedlings want a bit more water when they're in that stage. I would get some 16 oz plastic cups (semi-clear so you can see the roots). Poke a few good sized holes in the bottom of the cups, fill with your preferred tomato potting mixture. Transplant into the cups, covering the pellet with about an inch or so of soil, making sure to break up the peat pellets as much as possible without disturbing the roots (I start from the ouside & work my way in towards the stem, using a micro-screwdriver). Then, probably spray with some diluted fertilizer to help with the transplant shock, water & wait a week or so for them to re-root and they should start taking off again. =) That's my personal method & has resulted in some very nice tomato plants for me this year.
- Steve
naturegirl - I feel your excitement. Doesn't matter what you plant, the point is you have scored these trays and can start another 900 plants! The rest is irrelevant. Marigolds grow very quickly. Of course zinnias and cosmos would do well also - Don't know how well they would do outdoors. I'd be tempted to start some petunias, as I have a lot of extra seed saved from last year and I've heard they can tolerate the cold. Have fun!
LOL OMGoodness!! i'd be thinking, well, realistically, maybe 100 might die with the heat, because when i go to the next town for shopping if i don't water them good, they might die, ya know, sometimes things can happen, so the amount of plants would not be a problem, but OMGoodness!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! i'd be putting in all kinds of things, some from food we bought at the store to see if we could grow them, and others, that ya wanted a whole bunch of!! that were perennials, then ya have the whole vegie thing!! LOL ahhhhh endlesss thoughts!! for $3?? you scored big!! we'd have to do lots of fairy plant type of things, for me, it'd be flowers to bring in hummingbirds and butterfly's and such. WOW now my mind is twirling for the little cell packs i have. LOL i'm mostly a seed scatterer in the boxes anymore. i like the look of the "mess" as some say. LOL ~Medo
Here is a link that might be useful: barehanded totally nutso gardener :'}}