6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I assume you mean to start hardening them off? What kind of seedlings are they? You still have what, 3 weeks till planting time in Zone 5? Once out you don't want to have to bring them back in and start all over so I wouldn't rush it. ;)
There are posts today on several forums from folks in zone 6 and 7 that got frosted last night and lost stuff and others south of you are expecting it tonight.
You'd hate to have put in all this work and then lose them due to rushing it.
Dave
agree a warmish zone 5 here and I had to go cover all the roses and shrub I have leafing out here and that took an hr i can't imagine the time it would have taken to cover/move all my starts.
I may take a chance and plant out the sun flowers this weekend. they are getting a little tall for the plant ghetto
some indirect light may be required to germinate this plant but not direct sun all day long......... & the seedling will require indirect light to grow & develope untill 3rd or 4th set of leaves form...... then gradually increase light exposure till full sun SO>>>>> dont leave in sun all day......
Thanks :) The only probelm is they're all outgrowing their containers and I still have at least 3 weeks til last frost. Grrr! With the way our crazy weater is going here, I'll be lucky if it's warm enough by then even!
I think yours will do great- mine grew way faster than I was expecting and I bet yours will love being able to be outside to grow!
Germination rate can only be determined by testing the seed & the % germination will vary from seed source to seed source & not company to company..... & yes they will do well in your area... germination aided by storing at 40F for 60 days then lightly cover the seed soil temp 65-70F & germination in 4 to 42+ days.
good luck
Hi Ian - the FAQ here covers the basics. I linked it below.
Your plants will do fine if handled carefully. Many wait until they have their first set of true leaves - makes it easier. Good Luck and enjoy your seedlings.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ: Now what do I do...
You might want to check out these previous discussions too for more tips and tricks. Just scroll down to the ones with the blue borders.
Here is a link that might be useful: Transplanting discussions...
Hi macheske,
Thanks for the followup. So how cold does it get in the room that the setup is in? I guess I don't have a good sense of how much above 32F the new plants need to be at to live and secondly thrive. It's good to know about not needing to heat post-germination and according to my thermometer, it's approx. 60-65F under the lights right now. I germinate my seeds in me Jasmine growbox which has high humidity (70-80%) and temps that fluctuate between 70-85F. I think my husband will throw a fit if I try to plug any more electronics in to support my plant habit :-)
I have to figure out a way to sneak some small fans in though. His whole philosophy is that plants are hardy and want to live and I should just scatter the seeds to the winds - which has some merit but how would I deal with winter?
Thanks,
Amna
Amna,
I think that 60-65F would be fine for tomatoes and a lot of other veggies, lower temperature will keep them stockier but slower growing. It seems like peppers like it a little warmer but they would probably do ok but would be slow. I really don't know very much about flowers.
Rick
I use moist perlite instead of sand for stratification, but yes, if the packet says it needs stratification, it is an attempt to mimic the natural conditions for that plant where the seed would have sat in the soil during winter and many seeds won't germinate without it. You can also broadcast sow in late Fall and let nature do the work for you.
Beach sand would have salts that would impede most plants' growth. Washed sand, perlite and vermiculite all work. Non-sterile mixes can cause damping off or other problems when the seeds are removed from the refrigerator and warm up.
A liquid application to the seed is ok IF>>> applied just befor planting. I prefer to apply a fungicide to the soil when I expect a problem. otherwise I depend on the steril soil to protect my seedlings from fungal and/or bacterial infections.
Thanks for the advice George5il, I still have several months to go before i plant these seeds. I soaked the seeds for 24 hours. Now there in a zip-lock with some moist per lite. I just added the captan today ( That's what one seller told me to do) Do you think they will be okay ? Ive got one set of holly seeds in a moist paper towel, they have been in there a couple of months now, and the other day i noticed some black spots on the towel witch i thought was some fungus starting to build up, so thats what prompted me to get a fungicide...???
I have found it easier to use the smaller 12 cell jiffy trays for my peat pellets. It gives me more flexibility to adjust smaller batches than the large 72 cell trays. As for lighting I use a timer with a powerstrip that feeds a whole bunch of "100 watt equivalent" CFL bulbs. Using clamp lamps and these bulbs I have a tone of leeway in adjusting the small trays to recieve the appropriate light. The small trays also allow you to keep the pellets bottom watered easier than the large trays.
I started these mid to late March in portable green house. Bottom fed in plastic trays, not overwatered or fertilized, followed hardening off steps, moved them in and out of cellar each evening. They were really thriving with good leaf growth almost 2" high. With little sun exposure from these past few days I noticed them to start to wilt so I transplanted them (root expansion) in a larger container and used a little MG Quick start (Transplant mixture) Today I noticed them even wilted more. It seems that I have a few tomatoe plants starting to wilt also. All help and advice greatly appreciated.
Thank You.