6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed


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...???



Amna, it sounds like you are off to a great start, I'm glad you're enjoying the learning process!
As you can see from your own sowing, perennials started indoors can take a bit more research into their preferred conditions for germinating - there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. As suggested, you may enjoy winter sowing next winter, but since it's now Spring and you have seeds:
Bookmarking a good germination database is a great help...as well as posting here and asking of course. You'll need the botanical name of each seed, ie sea holly (eryngium), columbine (aquilegia), balloonflower (platydcodon)....you can find those simply by typing the common name into any search engine like Google, MSN.
The seeds you mention that you are having trouble with may benefit from stratifying (conditioning the seed by exposing it to a moist chill) or lower temperatures all around.
Don't be put off by the challenge, it just makes the results all the more rewarding.
Here is a link that might be useful: Clothiers germination database

Thanks dicot & morz8. I can't believe this but the flat of fungus ridden lobelia seeds has actually sprouted! Cannot believe it. I had taken it out of my grow box and left it on top of the counter in the basement until I could either figure out how to salvage it or bring myself to chuck it and yesterday I lifted the cover off to find a ton of newly sprouted seedlings. Of course that prompted me to spend the next 2 hrs manually picking off the fuzz and I have to say I got it looking a lot less nasty. Now they are back under the lights and I'm going to try to save them by transplanting as soon as they get a little bigger. Sounds nerdy, but it is totally amazing to me.
Thanks again for your encouragement,
Amna


Yes, they will. The pollinator seeds are usually larger and, as I said, most seed companies pack them in a separate little pack inside. But then that is Burpee for you. Just another poor quality reason why many of us quit dealing with them some time ago.
Dave

It's better that the floor where they also have to contend with the cold coming up through the floor. But the majority of the heat is going to collect up near the roof so the higher the better. In my GH I find as much as a 10 degree difference between the waist high shelves and the ones at 5'. But all you can do is work with what you have. ;)
Dave


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!
Great job! next year you'll be a pro. :) Be sure to make yourself some good notes on all the what, when, and how's you learned this year so you'll have them to refer to next year.
Happy gardening!!
Dave