6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
There are only 3 important differences I've been able to ascertain. The t5 is more efficient, costs more, and has a longer bulb/ballast life. Other than that there are no differences as far as growing plants. The t5 gets about 10-12 more lumens per watt than the t12, but you can get 3 4' t12 lamps and good bulbs for about the cost as 1 t5 with good bulbs.
Hey all, thanks for the replies. I think I am going to go with two 2ft T8's. I would like to go 2 wide, but alas the budget won't allow for that this yr. So I am hoping two should suffice.
I am growing under an abandoned 55 gal aquarium stand, and will have the area inclosed with foil covered cardboard. Hopefully that will keep it bright enough, that the seedlings not directly under the lights won't get leggy. Guess I'll find out! LoL.. Thanks again.
Rob
Check out the Seed Saving forum here (linked on this forum's front page). There are a number of FAQ's there on several of the most common veggies, when and how to save their seed. You might check through them.
Otherwise, most veggies are best harvested for seed several days AFTER reaching their peak - over-ripe in other words. That way you know the seeds are mature. Others like leafy greens need to be allowed to bloom, seed and dry before harvesting.
Dave
I would place the seeds on top of your refrigerator at the very least rather than the floor. Warm air rises and you want the soil temp to be warm enough to trigger germination. The reason people put a lid on the seeds is to create a warm, moist environment which is ideal for germination. To avoid mold/fungus you have to air out the seeds for a few hours, ie remove the covering.
I start a lot of seeds and all are put on a heat mat which is like 70. You need a good book that will tell you to cover or not, light or not. Most seed go by cover the seed twice the size of the seed. Some germ. with no light needed. Do not start seeds to early if they can not be set out as the will get leggy. The book will tell you growing from seed to finish plant. Ball has a book.
Sow completely covered for the flax and lilies. I'm not sure about the African Foxglove at all... You'll want to allow one full year for germination for the toad lilies. But it may not take that long for all of them. Lilies and flax self-sow very easily so I really recommend an outdoor sowing method. If you don't have a cold frame, please go to the wintersowing forum and read the FAQ on how to make a mini coldframe.
Ceratotheca triloba - African Foxglove - 6-8 weeks before the last frost date. Barely cover the seeds, germination in approx 7 - 10 days. Annual
Toad lily, tricyrtis, fresh seed - sow barely covered 65-70F for germination in 30-90 days. Dry stored seed: Tricyrtis hirta, latifolia, and maculata, Sow 64-70F for 2-4 weeks, move to 40F for 4-6 weeks, move to warmer but still cool, 50F, for germination. Tricyrtis macropoda, dry stored seed , sow 40F, germination irregular, often several months
When the stem containing the spend flowers/seed heads drys, I cut it off the plant and insert it upside down into a large brown paper grocery bag. I mark the plant name on the bag and put the bag in the house in a well ventilated closet or any dry area where they will be out of the way. In the evenings during the winter I collect the seed which has fallen into the bottom of the bag and separate the seeds from the chafe. I package and lable the seed and store it for next planting season in a cool dry place. Al
I bought a case of 4 inch plastic pots 15 years ago and am still using them. I just rinse them out at the end of the season and reuse them the next year. I will probably still be using pots from this purchase ten years from now. Just don't leave them sitting out in the sun all year. Spread over 15 years the cost per a use is probably now almost negligible.
True, true. I've had good luck covering them (maybe an upside down clear storage bin, or glass cake pan, or something). (But if it starts to get warm, take it off!! I formed a nice tarp-table seedling oven last spring) I'll be watching your blog to see how you get along :-)
If you can make it to home depot you can buy a good fluorescent light set up for under $20.
Lithonia Lighting 2 Bulb, 40 Watt Fluorescent Shop Light Model 1233 $9.98 - this comes with a little bit of chain but you you might want to buy extra chain and extra S hooks in case you want to install the light some where at eye level.
The bulbs are sold separately but Home Depot has them for a reasonable price. We bought a 2 pack of Philips 40 watt T12 bulbs for $7 but they also have the T8 32 watt which I'm considering (lower wattage for same light output) for $6 for the 2 pack.
The strangest things? Well, I've wintersown in sawed-off vodka and V-8 bottles! ;-0
Funny, I used to think the bottoms of 2-liter soda bottles, milk jugs and water bottles were strange, but they're just so "normal" now they don't even make the list.
Prof
Yes you will need some sort of tray to set the paper pots in, they get quite soft and easy to tear so need to be well supported. You can recycle something like the plastic trays that meat comes in or buy a tray - whichever you prefer. The paper pots drain very well all on their own. Water the plants from the bottom and don't let them sit in water too long - just until they absorb enough to wet the top of the soil.
I make my paper pots a bit thicker than usual (4 thicknesses) so they last longer but if they break down too soon just plop them into foam coffee cups with holes punched in the bottoms.
Light - 1 fixture may not be enough for all those plants unless you are only doing a couple pots of each. Normally 16 hours a day but you can go 24 if you wish, some do and claim it speeds growth. The important factor is keeping the light VERY close to the top of the plants.
You'll need some sort of bottom heat source to get the seeds to germinate and once the plants sprout do NOT leave any dome or plastic cover on them.
Good luck! and enjoy.
Dave
Second one is pawpaw, they take a while to send anything up, first one just came up in the last few ones. The other is some kind of vine, but the seeds of several similar vine species were mixed up, so I am yet to besure what it is. It's growing like mad though
For most seeds to germinate, the amount of light makes no difference. The amount of heat/moisture is the key to germination. When leaves appear and produce carbohydrates by photosyntheses THEN the amount of light is critical. With light meters sold at nursery suppliers everywhere for $25 reading directly in foot candles, I am surprised so many gardeners guess at the amount of light at their seedlings. Al
Even though everything I have read told me that the seeds don't need light, I put them under them anyway, as they had not sprouted in a week and it's cold in my house (I was getting impatient!). I don't have a warming mat yet, and perhaps the warmth from the light helped them(?)...it could have just been their time to sprout anyway, but I figured that it couldn't hurt much to do it.
The seedlings are now happy under the lights, so I suppose if one has no other light alternatives, the under cabinet setup could work, with the right accommodations.
With the success that has been made with the setups that many gardeners here have talked about(I'm referencing shop lights, but I am sure there are others), I probably wouldn't buy a light meter. The cost isn't prohibitive, but as a newbie, I don't know if I'd feel the need for it just yet...of course, I am a gadget gal, and as I learn more over time that may change.
How do you keep the seeds from falling through the perlite?
Mike