6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Can you expand on the "active soil food web" ? And what the primary defficiencies are that would not be provided by a mix this seemingly well balanced? I have watered them once with a dilution of a product (Tomato Maker) which includes various nutrients and I thought that could be the issue because the whiteness appeared the next week. What liquid product do you use to supplement for plants in this stage of indoor growth?
If I have a soil medium with so much "good stuff" (I forgot to mention it also has Mycorrhizal Fungi), what is the missing component that makes it more "active" as you said? This would seem to be far better than topsoil or an average potting soil, or seed start mix and yet the plants look like they do.
I planted tomatoes year prior in a mix I made using box store composted manure/topsoil/peat mix with added Blood & Bone meal, small amount of lime etc and didn't have any issue similar to this.
To expand on the soil food web (aka soil micro-herd) here would take pages and pages. But it is a well known and well published concept with all kinds of info available online. It is discussed in expansive detail over on the organic gardening and the Soil and Compost forum for starters.
Over-simplified version - any dry-form organic supplement requires a well established active bunch of soil microorganisms, bacteria, fungi and 'bugs' to eat, digest and poop the organic matter converting it to a form of useable nutrients the plant roots can then absorb.
In the ground they usually exist but require several years of time and proper conditions to proliferate to an ideal level. In containers filled with any peat-based mix - which is what should be used in containers for many reasons especially drainage - they do NOT exist unless added (the small dose of Myco in this case). Even when added as in this case they cannot survive for long due to containment, the frequent watering, heat, etc. etc. The smaller the container the less likely they can function even after they colonize the root system and the shorter their lifespan. Your's have probably died off.
So one can generate an active soil food web in a 20 gallon container and keep it going but not in a 16 oz cup.
For that reason, the absence of the micro-herd, it makes no difference what the "good stuff" in your mix is if the plants can't access it. And for that reason IF organics is your choice then you have to use liquid suspensions and feed regularly. There are numerous recommended liquid nutrient organics available ranging from fish oils to seaweed and kelp blends, to worm teas, to compost teas, etc. - your choice. But they need to be liquid suspensions or capable of being dissolved in water so that the plant root can absorb them with the water. The standard recommendation is mix per label directions, dilute to 1/4 to 1/2 strength, and feed weekly.
The alternative which many organic gardeners use is to use synthetic liquids on the transplants while they remain in containers since those synthetics are more balanced and faster acting and then garden organically once planted in the ground.
Hope this helps clarify it all.
Dave
got a bunch of peat pots at a yard sale. Crumbled them up and spread the course dry ground stuff on the soil surface when potting up annuals and vegetables. I imagine that it helps to reduce damping off because that is what my grandmother said.
In the past I used cowpots, but they have issues.
This year I use plastic Grow Pots (GRO PRO).
As far as I can tell, it doesn't matter. I have gotten zero luck and I have been trying for years.
I put some outside last fall (again) and nothing so far has come up. I tried the wet paper towel thing and not one germinated and I did dozens of them. I will keep trying though!
You'll find many discussions about this question over on the Vegetable Gardening forum here, assuming you are talking about vegetables. If you mean flowers then each has its own forum with advice on what to feed and how to prepare the soil before transplanting.
Both of the fertilizers you list are liquids. Liquids are normally used after planting to feed the plants throughout the season once they are established.
Vegetable garden beds may be fertilized with any number of things, both organic and synthetic, prior to planting - compost, composted manures, dry granular fertilizers, etc.- things that are dry and mixed in with the soil.
Whether your garden soil actually needs fertilizers or not usually depends on the results of a soil test. You can add fertilizers without a soil test of course but it would just be a guessing game as to what and how much to add and it is easy to add too much.
Check out the gardening forum for your type of plants for more detailed information.
Dave
I don't know of home gardeners who grow other "bulb" plants from seed. But there are lots of tubers/bulbs that you can buy, and then lift in the fall for storage, though if you can grow a coconut palm, most of them - including dahlias, you probably don't have to lift, unless you are going to divide them. Many people in zone 8 in the US only dig their Dahlias every couple of years to divide the tubers.
There is a Bulb forum on GW - I would ask this question there if you really want to start from seed.
helhhello.
thank you for the reply. I have grown eucomis hipestrum and many other aftrican bulbs including the rapid that smell foul. the seeds are so much cheaper than bulbs to buy.
and dahlias as fantastic flowers.
I'll ask the bulb forum.
leo
In small containers liquid ferts work much better than any granular. Faster absorbing and easier to control dilution and uptake and avoid root damage. Seedlings of any plant are normally fed at 1/4-1/2 regular strength of something in the rated range of 5-1-1. They can't cope with any thing stronger.
If you only want to use the granules you have then I would first dissolve a label-stated amount in water and then double the water dilution before using it. But without knowing the nutrient ratings on it I can't say for sure that it would be safe even at that dilution.
Dave
I doubt they will have any effect on the cherry. However they might be 'farming' aphids. Blast off the aphids with the hose and the ants will go way. BTW you do know that a cherry tree from seed will not be the same as its parent, don't you? So I hope you weren't expecting fruit or pretty pink flowers. Buying cherry tree seeds was really not a good bargain unless it was a species. You'd get the same results sowing the pits of cherries from the fruit bowl.
I did a water bottle greenhouse, more or less like the video attached.
I used one cut across a Trader Joe's sparkling water bottle (18 oz, nice shape), and then had to make some slits to make things fit back, slightly frustrating but effective.
My bottom halves were about 4 inches deep. I didn't use drain holes, just misted with weak chamomile tea. You can see through the clear plastic and avoid over-watering.
My window sill was warm enough, but some of my peppers were slow, like a few popping up in 2-3 weeks and a lot more a week later.
(I have heard that soaking pepper seeds (2-8 hours) is effective, and may try that in the future.)
Here is a link that might be useful: Mini Greenhouse
Don't ever give up. I'm in a cooler climate and do not plant till June 1st.
Last year i dumped two trays of starts...fell back off the shelf, behind the shelf. Strong hearty fellas and saved many but lost all identification. I started more, but did buy just a couple cheap six packs at my local nursery. (to mend my broken heart, lol)
The infants quickly caught up with the larger purchased.
I always spend a twenty bill at the nursery. Just to get a bit of 'green' in the garden while i tend and till for some cheerleader support when all my direct seeded lettuces and others are just tiny babies.
I don't need tomatoes this year, but my peppers did not do well.
So, my tiny list to purchase is a six pack of good strong salad heads, peppers, celery, and leeks...all the things my nursery does so much better than i can do. Maybe cosmos for some easy early color.
Everything else i do myself.
Should be warm and sunny in Del today and all weekend? Maybe give them a bit of real sun or better, some bright shade outside.
Sleevendog,
Thanx for the encouragement! I'm going out today to buy a better light and start seeds today but I'm going to keep the ones I've got going and see how they do. I'm sure I need to re-pot some of them, they sure are leggy - for today they'll get some afternoon sun and hopefully turn into strong plants :)
Cazy weather btw, it rained buckets for two days, my bed's a mud pit! Now it's sunny :)
And I hear you on the cheerleader support! It's definitely nice to have things already flourishing early. I still might pick up some transplants and who knows I might have too many plants afterwards. I'll keep my fingers crossed, the seed starting has proven to be a bit tricky for me - both the lighting and the timing of it all.
It's funny a lot of people say mid or late April for my area so I was surprised to read May 10th on the Del gov website. A lady I found who ships tomato transplants (heirloomtomatoplants dot com) says she has a lot of customers in Del and doesn't ship until Mid May so, yeah, I'm making my way up the learning curve.
I hope your plants do well this year!
This post was edited by Crystena on Sun, May 4, 14 at 13:46
Did you cold stratify it first? That is required. Plus germination time is variable and can take up to 3 months.
Surface sow only as light is required for germination. Germination can be very slow. After sowing, seal container in a plastic and leave at 60-65F for 2 weeks, then place in a refrigerator (not freezer) for 3-6 weeks. After this return to the recommended germination temperature. If germination does not occur in 6-10 weeks return to the fridge for a further 3-6 weeks. per Thompson-Morgan Germination database
Dave
Astrantia minor is apparently slow and difficult to cultivate. It comes from the Alps so I assume it needs a period of stratification and not particularly high temps for germination. Weren't there any instructions with the seed? Here's another thread on it:
Here is a link that might be useful: Astrantia minor
Can I assume this rule applies just to veggies, not flowers?
Can I assume this rule applies just to veggies, not flowers?
The general rule of thumb you mean? Applies to both.
Most flowers have always had the guideline of pinching back or removing any blooms before transplanting far as I know unless you are trying to force blooms indoors for some reason. But if you are growing seedlings of any plant with the purpose of transplanting them outside there is nothing to be gained by letting them develop blooms indoors.
Of course commercial growers force blooms for the eye appeal for sales but usually a reputable grower will recommend removing those blooms before transplanting.
Try it both ways side by side and note the differences.
Dave