6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

After germination, how important is having heat? Is there any danger of putting the seedlings outside above freezing temps?

After germination heat should be reduced and water monitored carefully. Unneeded heat and excess water create the condition favoring damping off disease. Good air circulation is also a must at this time. Al

Hi,

I just joined today and I'm so glad I found this forum! I've used many different methods to start seeds in- the best so far, and one that I've been using for a couple years is soil blocks. You can purchase them at Johnny's or Territorial Seed. They are really great for plants that benefit from being 'potted on' a few times before going to their permanent home- like tomatoes. They are great for seeds that hate their roots disturbed- you know the ones some stay away from because the packet says direct sow and then you forget about them. They are great for seeds that take forever to germinate!

There are 3 that you can buy. You start your really small seeds or ones that take forever to germinate in the micro soil block maker. After they germinate and have grown for about 5-7 days, you 'up-block' them to the next size soil block- the 2" sized. The 2" soil block maker comes with inserts that you put in and when you make them it leaves a square hole in the top that is the same size as the micro soil block! Then there is the 4". You move your plants to it from the 2" the same way.

These are nice for a few different reasons- but the most important is that the roots get naturally air pruned when they grow to the edge of the soil block, they stop. They don't have anything to wrap around like a pot. Because of this, when you plant them in the ground they take off! Little to no transplant shock.

I have built simple wooden trays to hold them- one side open. These make it easier to water. If you go to my blog (in my profile) read the posts about these- directions are in there including a small video and how to build the wooden flats.

If you have any questions about these you can email me.

Happy Gardening!

Tessa (aka dirtdigr)

Here is a link that might be useful: Blunders with shoots, blossoms 'n roots

I know lots of people use Miracle Gro PS but there are also many who swear it is the most evil thing since Satan. One of the most common complaints is that it has too much Nitrogen in it - which causes vertical growth.

I've seen a huge difference in germination rates based on nothing but the PS.

Mike

Yup! you can do this. And it shouldn't matter to the plants one way or the other. As the previous poster said, just make sure the plants that need it..get the darkness they need. But not all plants need total darkness. After all, there are some parts of the world where they have periods of near 24 hour sunlight and they garden just fine.

OK, so I plan on having the lights on 18 hours/day.
My off time will be from 1pm to 7pm.
I will keep the shade drawn on my little window so it will be quite dim/dark in there when the lights are off during daylight.
I may gradually change the lighting time to be more in sync with nature as the seedlings mature, and the nights are not soooo cold in mid March.
Hopefully by April they will be on a regular natural light regimine to star hardening off

Thanks guys
Brian

My current project at the moment is sowing tamarind seeds.

I don't think the lily/tulip/iris bulbs count :D

I'm in MA and haven't even started yet! I'll be starting leeks soon. The nightshades won't get started until mid march..maybe earlier as I've purchased a few wall o waters and can get the tomatoes out earlier with them.

I'm envious of you warm weather gardeners. Our last frost date is around memorial day.

gardenmom2 - one nice thing by keeping them in the shoebox until early May, I was able to fortify them regularly with fish emulsion. They became quite sturdy and since they hadn't been mailed to me, there was no transplant shock when they hit the ground. I think that alone let them catch up to the mailed ones that had been planted 2-3 weeks earlier.
Kris

Here's a handy little tool you'll love - Grow Guide. That should let you know when to start things indoors, outdoors and transplant dates according to the first and last frost dates for your region. Google "frost dates" for your area and you should get a number of hits for your specific dates.

Alana, good luck with this one. I don't think it will bloom the first year. I tried growing africana-lutea a couple of years ago, on a heat mat with lights. I only got a couple of sprouts and the plants did not grow very quickly. I put mine outside during the summer and sadly, it died from neglect. It never got very big, though.

Becky

I have wanted to add this one for a few years, but it's natural bloom time is probably a good indicator that I am tilting at windmills.
At least it won't be that one species of Salvia I will regret not trying. I am using a heat mat too, and have it in the greenhouse now. If I should have even limited success I will be as happy as a worm in compost.
Thanks, folks.
Alana

I used the Jiffy Peat Pellets with the 72-tray. If you google 'Jiffy Greenhouse', it should take you right to it. The tray, lid and pellets cost me $6.00 at Walmart. I've seen a similar 'knock-off' product at Home Depot made by Burpee for roughly the same price, although the pellets seemed smaller.

Once my tomatoes get their first 'true' set of leaves and/or I see roots coming out the side netting, I transfer to peat pots ($1.39 for ten of them) with actual soil to fill in the spaces. I only use the 3' pots since I don't plan on them living there long enough before the whole thing, pot and all will get transplanted to the garden.

Also note that you should be able to skip the whole peat pot thing and move the pellets with seedlings directly to your garden. I'm just doing it to free up the tray so I can start my 'round two' of plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: You can find these cheaper locally

I use the small 2 oz. or so bathroom mouthwash plastic cups that you find in the supermarket, placed in an aluminum food tray that is sold with a clear plastic dome which can also be bought at supermarkets, Walmart, etc.
Punch a couple of holes in the bottom of the cups and fill with a moistened seed mix. You can write on the cups so that you can mix them in the tray. The trays come in several sizes and are very inexpensive.
If you don't have a heat mat, place the tray on top of your VCR or cable box. The heat is just about right for quick germination.

Ah, now I understand! Thanks!

use caution when putting this plant in your garden, it can be VERY aggressive! I planted appleblossum and it tried to take over, whereas coranation gold behaved very well.

My lights run 16/8 every day. I put baggies with seeds I want to pre-sprout on top of the lights for heat. There's a 5-10 degree difference with them on versus off. I have five 4' lights on one powerstrip that is attached to a timer so they all turn on and off at the same time. Just keep water away from the outlets and plugs and you should have no problems.

I'm using mine now to start seeds. Over the winter, they were used to keep my tender perennials and cuttings alive.

Great set up. Thanks for the water advice. I will keep that in mind.

I am in MA near Taunton ..and I started Toms,peppers to plant out in May or so...I know I'll have to hardern them off very carefully to avoid shock.I will replant them deeper and pinch top growth ruthlessly if it means I can eat Mater sooner. I hate waiting till the end of Aug to get a few for al my hard work.

Thanks for your help. Looks like following the package advise makes sense.