6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I'm curious to try these, especially to produce transplants of plants with sensitive roots such as melons, cukes, and squash (and even peas and beans). Are there any problems caused by the soil being wetter than with the usual seed-starting method? With capillary matting, do roots grow out the bottom? Is a moist capillary mat enough to keep the top of the block (where the seed is) moist during germination? Would you still use a humidity dome? Do blocks require any special attention?
Emily,
You have to "charge the blocker" a few times to get the blocks to compress together. By that time the blocker will feel very heavy and will want to stick to the bottom of your tub. This is when you have to tilt slightly while turning at the same time to release the suction off the bottom. And, Elliot Coleman's recipe is all about using good rich garden soil and well aged vegetable compost. Did you try those two ingredients?
Here is a link that might be useful: The world's resource for soil block gardening.
Not big shrubs, but tall annuals. Sow 75-80F days, drop temps by 10F at night helpful. Germination within approx 14 days, if no germination in that length of time give the seeds 2 weeks moist chill and bring back to warmth. Or, just begin with the 2 weeks moist chill and assume they will need it :)
"Start seeds indoors four weeks before the last frost or plant them directly outdoors in spring after danger of frost has passed. Space the plants about 1 foot apart. They will often reseed themselves. The seeds will lie dormant until spring. Hybrids will not breed true"
I had three of these beautiful plants in S. Texas but moved to Arkansas, (hard to believe it but same zone)!
I know they make a lot of seeds, but mine were too old by the time we found a permanent home. None of them came up.
Does anyone have some seeds from last year that they would part with? I would be glad to pay something for them, and the postage.
Thanks pottingblockguru. I knew they were a nightshade but had never heard those other names, just yesterday, today and tomorrow. Maybe I shouldn't give up on the others that I planted yet as it's only been a few weeks? About how long for germination?
Karyn
These haven't even really started to leaf out yet. They are just 3" long white hairs.
I have them in medium light, not direct sun as I don't want them all to shrivel and die.
I guess I'll just have to see what happens. If they leaf out, perhaps, when I transplant them I can plant them deeper so they won't be so leggy...
Schizanthus is what we call a dicot. It has two seed leaves or cotyledons. and no matter how leggy a seedling gets even right after germination, you should be able to see the cotyledons, no matte how small. your description doesn't sound like a dicot seedling.
I don't know if you mean true indigo - Indigofera (hot water soak 24 hours, sow cool 55-65F for germination in 30-90 days) OR, false indigo, Baptisia (Pour hot water over seeds, let soak 1-3 days until swelling noticeable. Sow at 68ºF for germination in more than two weeks).
All I have to say is WOW! Well said feldon. I have made lame attempts at growing from the seeds from produce from grocery stores or plant stands and have realized they may not be true to parent, but if they taste like garbage to begin with, and taste like garbage after I harvest them they are still garbage. If someone likes the tasteless produce at the store, they will like the tasteless veggies they produce. Case closed. I like to buy seeds, and have great plants or trade seeds and have great plants. I surely dont want what I pay the grocery store for.
OMG yes Feldon you were very kind to try to educated "squeeziemonkey" (what kind of name is that anyway?) and I'm sorry that there are people like her/him in the world that can be so ungrateful and rude to someone who is only trying to help them. I agree 100% with everything you said (as I have also tired squeezie's suggested method of saving some money and it was a massive failure) and i also agree with what "girlndocs" said. Squeezie if this is just a "stupid plantsite" then why are you even here? For God's sake, please try to control your temper and treat others with the kindness and respect that they have treated you.
I just germinated a LOT of heirloom seeds- three different kinds- and they all took longer than three days to germinate. But germinate they did! And even they germinated at different rates- the red heirlooms grew first, the gold was somewhere the middle and the black came up last and is a little more slow. Of course, the taste is worth it. Also, I didn't use the coffee filter, baggie at all- I just planted straight into the soil. I double planted some, thinking that they wouldn't all come up and it was better to be safe. Its been about a week and a half, and EVERY single seed came up. Some are an inch and a half tall and have large leaves. Be patient..
Now if only the same thing could happen with my wild strawberries. I am quite freaked.. the seeds were SO tiny and the germination is supposed to be ten-thirty days. I've always heard that perennials are more tricky! So technically it could be a month before I give up on them, and they might not come up at all. I have 250 seeds and I would LOVE to plant them all, but its such a gamble. And they're so small that I think presprouting them would be hellish, because, the sprouts would be so tiny that they could be seriously damaged transplanting.. oh the stresses of the natural world.. gah.. sorry- just needed to whinge a little..
(i planted them today, so its going to be a long haul)
Blanket flower-as in Gaillardia?
My American Hort Society book says 10 days. But when I sowed a packet of Burgandy gaillardia recently they popped up in about 5 days.
Sow at a minimum temperature of 60*. Four days after sowing, I placed mine on a heat mat of 70-75* and they germinated overnight.
Thanks so much, guys! I figured it might be something like that. Sla, how long did your strawberries take to germinate? The directions on my packet seem awfully long- ten days at the slowest! :) Also, these don't send out runners like local wildies.. are yours the same, or are they native North American?
This doesn't sound like damp-off, which is a fungal problem where you'd see the seedlings fall over or they would have blackish stems near the soil line, then die.
It may be a cultural problem in some way. Brown tips from your seedlings could be caused by overwatering or underwatering, too much fertilizer/salts, poor humidity, flouride in water, and poor humidity. If they are too near a strong light, the newly fragile leaves could be just getting burned.
Do you have a photo of your setup? The climate for your seedlings has changed because they are no longer in a biodome, and chances are the light has changed, too. What light source are you using? Have you used fertilizer? Side note with zinnia-use a small fan to circulate air near seedlings, not on top of them, to prevent that damp-off, but I think this is something else.
I agree that it doesn't sound like damp-off since it is the leaves not the stems, correct? Leaf tip-burn is almost always caused by over-fertilization or sun scorch. As tuscanseed said something has changed to cause this. What potting mix did you transplant them into? Direct sun exposure? Too close to lights if using them? Or too much fertilizer?
Dave
Hi ccaggiano - I don't honestly think you can make broad general conclusion on germination rates between heirlooms and hybrids. Too much depends on the variety and seed quality.
Assuming good, fresh quality of both and equal conditions, I find little difference between germination rates/speeds, hybrids to heirlooms. But I do find a BIG difference from variety to variety of seeds regardless of whether they are hybrid or heirloom.
EX: cherry/grape varieties often germinate faster than do beefsteak types, early varieties will germinate faster than late season varieties, and RL varieties will often germinate faster than PL varieties.
So, given the info you provided I wouldn't give up on any of them yet. Hope this helps. ;)
Dave
I have nothing but good things to say about Value Seeds. I was turned on to this company 2 months ago by GW members. I have had great germination rates. Their shipping was a little slow, bot tolerable. For the price, I can't go wrong.
Chris
You guys are lucky. I placed an order on 2/21/08 and still haven't received it. I did email today, so we'll see if I get a response.