6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I hate peat containers of any sort. Either too wet or too dry. Your plants just need to be transplanted out of those containers and they should take off. Get them into smaller containers. Here are what mine looked like when we transplanted them into individual containers (20 oz. cups). . The plants were 4 weeks old at transplant. We leave them in the community container until they are big enough to go into the 20 oz. cups.
Good luck!
Here is a link that might be useful: transplanting peppers
This post was edited by naturemitch on Sat, Apr 12, 14 at 0:38
It can be risky since you will be so dependent on the weather. Possible, but more risky.
You can cut the problems by not doing it with squash or cucumbers as both do so much better when direct seeded at the proper planting times. Few grow them as transplants.
Tomatoes and peppers (especially) require very warm soil temps to germinate so will you be using heat mats? If not then your germination rate may be reduced and will definitely be slower. Peppers need 75-80 degree soil temps until they germinate. Tomatoes 65-70 degrees.
I never recommend peat pots or pellets for germinating seeds. Both are very problematic. Plastic with a good seed starting mix is 10x more successful.
You might want to explore over on the Wintersowing forum here for their tips on outside seed germination. Watering should always be done from the bottom. Be sure to check out all the FAQs on this forum - the blue button - as they cover all the basics.
Dave
Thank-you (and I'll take that one peat pot tray back to Walmart!). I did mean for seeds that would be ready to go in the ground in springtime, I thought it might be a more cost effective way, since one packet of organic seeds costs less than $3 -- the price of probably one seedling that I would buy at the nursery or store. I have always planted that way, and it gets too expensive!
If you are talking about bringing them in - they must be in pots? Which makes it easy unless you have hundreds. Dipping down to 45 isn't a problem, two full days at 45 may make them unhappy. The peppers and the beans are the only ones I would worry about, they definitely like warm weather.
When I get to the point that my seedlings are out on the porch hardening off, if it is going to get below 45, I bring them in.
I have searched from Google and here are the information I found out. A brief description about zinnia and the seed germination.
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of family Asteraceae, originally from scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the American Southwest to South America, but primarily Mexico, and notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors.
70 Germination
Temperature
(Fahrenheit)
D Lighting
5-7 Days to
Germination
5 Weeks Sowing
to Planting
eek...Zinnias are usually so easy. but mine just died big time. One site says indoor seedlings only want an inch a week.
Q: Now I hear they like lots of water? Or 1 inch a week?
Can I start new seedlings? ( I can't sow outside due to community garden rules)
Do those no-transplant bioDeg. pots get soggy?
They clump and grow well together. I normally transplant them in clumps of 3-4 (mostly 4) into 4" pots and then group pots of 3-4 together in the garden.
Singles will grow ok but just don't look right to me - too lonesome and spindly looking alone. I want to see more blooms than green growth. So it is just an appearance issue.
Dave
'over-water the seedlings just to deliver poison to the gnats'
Most of what you see with the dunks, bits, or even granulated form of BTi is 'inert ingredient' used as a carrying agent that then releases the BTi into water. It's not a poison, its a naturally occurring bacterium that is harmless to us, birds, fish, our pets, but stops the development of only mosquito and gnat larvae when they ingest it.
If you had some of the water/liquid prepared and your soil is already moist, pour in just enough to introduce some of the released bacteria to the potting medium, you don't have to drench. Then next time you water, go ahead and give the pots your usual amount of water and do that with the treated water each time until they are really gone. The adults aren't causing any damage and only live a matter of days so you don't really have to exhaust yourself chasing those. You don't want the larvae to mature to more adults so are treating the soil. Also, you seem to have a full blown case of gnats now, one overwatering if you were to do that isn't going to make it worse ;)
Dave, with as much as you grow, I thought you knew the difference in the BT and just had a case of fingers on keyboard getting ahead of you ;)
Dave, with as much as you grow, I thought you knew the difference in the BT and just had a case of fingers on keyboard getting ahead of you ;)
Its all the dirt under my fingernails this time of year!! Falls into the cracks in between the keys. *grins*
Dave
See the other current discussion here. Id that doesn't answer all your questions the search will pull up many more discussions about them.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Fungus gnats
You can try it but you will have to monitor them closely for the first several hours. It is still a drastic change in environment of temps, wind, and sun exposure so it should be a gradual process. Cold-turkey very seldom works and most every time someone tries to get around the restrictions of proper hardening off they live to regret it.
Dave
They look really healthy and happy! When can you usually plant out in your area? I don't think you started to early.
Yes they need to be hardened off - any plant needs time to adjust to real sun and wind slowly - even things the were wintered over.
Dahlias, peppers and eggplant like heat, but everything else can start going out as soon as you have warmish (above 50) days. Petunias, agastache, viola and verbena can easily handle nights in the mid 30's. To much cold will slow them down, but won't really harm them.
It is the 5 days without water that I would be worrying about.
Good to know that all of my flowering plants (except the dahlias I guess) can go out soon. I'm thinking of transplanting the petunias (some have already started to bloom) in row containers in front of my house and bringing them in when temps are not favorable at night.
Spinach is one of the few vegetables that likes it cold - even for germination. And grows fast enough that starting inside and early is pointless. It winter sows well (check the WInter sowing forum). I don't know the weather in OK right now, but you could probably already sow it outside. I have about 30" of snow covering my garden beds, so it will be a while before I can start it. Use that kit to start tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, they need the head start.
Give them some cover protection. If in pots move to some shade, if temps are that cool, cover - even a gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and the lid left off works like a mini-greenhouse. There are many things you can do to help insure their survival.
Dave
Thanks Dave. They looked awful this morning...it was windy and sunny...not too hot but I think the wind is hard on them. Anyway, I double bagged some paper grocery bags, cut out the bottoms, turned the bottom edges out (secured w/stones) and placed them over the milkweeds. They looked considerably more perky this evening! Phew! Daughter has calmed down (a bit) :)
Could you give me a specific plant example of what you are talking about and what you consider a "tiny pot". Different plants have different tricks. :)
95% of the plants one buys in a nursery were not grown in the container you buy them in. That have been transplanted at least once and usually multiple times.
Dave
I would suggest adding some coarser materials to the mix when you pot them up. If that mix is actually just vermiculite, spagnum moss and peat moss, it is really going to hold water. I have had even larger coleus rot at the soil line if kept to wet. Mix in some pearlite, or pine bark fines for better drainage.
Thanks for the comment mandolls. I just bought a bag of pine bark mulch per tapla's suggested 5-1-1 mixture. I am afraid my soil is too damp and I am hoping I can make it through to the transplant into cells without rotted roots or damp off!