6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
My seedlings grow find in coir mix with worm casting and mushroom compost. I only use synthetic fertilizer for hydroponics. I don't see the need to buy synthetic fertilizer just to grow some seedlings.
It also have to do with how finely grind up the coir is, some are too fine and have too much water retention and cause lack of oxygen, same issue with peat. The texture makes a difference. I can play with the drainage and water retention by mixing in my sandy soil.
I don't know about you, but it seem the coir is better at water retention for me because it wick up water better than peat and distribute the water more evenly, with peat you have to water very thoroughly not get dry spots, coir don't seem to have that issue. They each have their own advantages, I like the fact that coir is pH neutral, my tomatoes love the peat though. Coir is cheaper for me because I get it at wholesale price from a local distributor.
If you like it, please don't change, but for anyone listening in, I'm not sure how you would build a soil notably more water retentive (WR) than a mix of coir, worm castings, and mushroom compost. Because ALL the particles are very small, the laws of physics dictate an extreme amount of WR in that mix. ..... and you really can't "play with drainage and water retention" by adding sand (unless you're suggesting that adding sandy topsoil increases WR).
Peat and coir have an almost identical water retention curve, but coir does absorb water much better than peat when they dry down to less than 20% WR. That coir is pH neutral is a problem, not a plus. It's too high for plants in containers (ideal container pH is about a full number lower than the ideal mineral soil (garden) pH, and because of that it precludes the use of dolomitic lime as a Ca/Mg source.
Al
Hey Hello.
My light/heat box is a rubber maid tub lined with reflective windshield shade from the dollar store with a 24" fluorescent light on top. I put a cheap thermometer on the bottom and use a glass pie plate filled with water for moisture. I use the lid to regulate the temperature and humidity. I use the same thing as a chick incubator. It isn't pretty but it works!
Lid on.
Lid off with Goji Berry seedlings.
Gardenia seedlings I put under brooder lamp.
the seed pack actually had 75 seeds and as of 4-26-15 69 seeds have germinated! let's see how many survive me ;)
I tried putting a sandwich baggy over my styrofoam cup that I had planted a couple of Gardenia seeds in. After a few days I had ntoiced that it was holding the moisture fine but white looking mold was beginning to be seen. So I took the bag off and it seems to have taken care of the problem. All I do is keep my soil moist but I have yet to have ever been able to get a single seedling lol. This is about my 3rd or 4th attempt at trying to germinate Gardenia. Thanks for sharing your set up with us
I think another clue might be, which plants can form roots from cuttings?
So in other words, the parts of the stems that are now buried, would create new roots at those leaf joints if they were cuttings that were planted.
An example would be wandering jew or purple queen. They can root easily from just a small portion being stuck in the ground, but I tend to get 6-8" long cuttings and put about 1/2 of it in the ground. Part of the reason is to make the mother plant a little more compact but also because I wanted the cutting to form roots from many potential sections.
Agree that the issue is not the Gnatrol, it is the self-watering planting trays as they are well known for over-watering the seedlings and the subsequent root rot that causes. The degree of affect depends on the type of seedlings as some are far less tolerant of the excessive moisture than others.
Dave
Thanks for the link, ubro. For gardeners bringing seed into Canada, the appropriate clause indeed says:
"Where the imported seed lot is 5 kg or less for large seeded crop kinds (such as peas, wheat, soybeans and corn) or is 500 g or less for small seeded crop kinds (such as alfalfa, tomato or canola), neither the import declaration information nor the seed analysis certificate need be supplied"
For home gardeners those would be pretty generous limits. More than a pound of lettuce seed: Phew!!
Vanisle_BC - That information you understood is correct. it's doubtful that the US and Canadian governments would fine you. However, the American recipient could be fined. And who in their right mind would want to trade seed under those conditions? If I had sent seeds to Canada and in return, the seeds the Canadian trader sent me were confiscated with perhaps a threat of a fine from the USDA, I would be furious.
It is a very serious issue which my daughter experienced. She was living in the US and had purchased a home. At the time, I had a wholesale production nursery in Canada and she needed plants so she visited me and prior to her arrival, I had the Canadian government prepare a phytosanitary certificate as she was bringing back plants and seeds. My daughter added a few extra plants not listed on the phytosanitary certificate and put them in her vehicle. At the border, the customs agents went through every single pack of seed and every plant. They found the plants that weren't listed and confiscated them. Then they put her and her husband on a list of people know as 'Agricultural Threats'. Every single time she visited Canada for over 2 years and returned to the US, her vehicle was pulled over and she was detained for hours. She was lucky as she did not receive a fine.
Although this website is international, the vast majority of people posting here are Americans. I believe that this is the reason they stopped the trading altogether and I highly doubt that they will ever allow for international seed trading again given the current USDA requirements.
As I said, I've lived in both countries and although there is an 'imaginary' border between the two countries, the two governments are vastly different.
The hydrogen peroxide was usually used when you wanted to put the seeds in an enclosed bag. If your paper is sitting out somewhere, you can do just as well with water or moist paper.
I might wait until the seedlings are just a little bigger, not immediately when I see they have germinated. The reason for this is that sometimes when covering seedlings with dirt that they didn't have before, they would die. For example, if the seedling had to push through dirt to get to the surface, it's ok. But if putting dirt on that seedling that emerged, hoping to have it grow in a dirt area that gives it more protection or something, if dirt got on it in some way, it just dies.
I start my seeds in moist peatmoss in a baggie. I just put them in, shake it up and put them on a warm mat. I watch and then when they start to germinate I pick them out and plant them. this saves space and then only the viable seeds are used. I do almost all my cut flowers this way except the really tiny seeds, they are too hard to see.
Thanks sun forum! Seeds were new, but I question their quality.......... very poor germination........ With seed origin being China & Japan, ya can't hope for much...... There is an outside chance I fertilized a bit too much as well, since NG Imps are very light feeders.... Seedlings have slow to no growth..........
Definitely don't leave multiple plants per pot then. If you decide to thin them without saving the extras, don't pull out the seedlings -- just snip them off so that you don't damage the root system of the remaining plant.
I always divide and save extra tomato and pepper seedlings.... it never hurts to have extra plants in case of some catastrophe, and they're always easy to give away if you don't need them in the end.
No experience with T5HO lights, but white mold does sound like you're over-watering. I don't use "seed starting mix" because it tends to be mostly vermiculite. I use Pro-Mix potting mix and usually add extra perlite. I prefer to water from the top because I have better control.... I give it water until I see water coming from the bottom of the pot. To judge if it needs water, I go by the color of the potting mix and the weight of the pots (it's lighter in both color and weight when it's dry). HTH.
I've not had great luck with jiffy pots which tend to dry out quickly. Despite package claims they do not decompose in the ground but instead hamper root development. You might do better with red drink party cups with holes poked in the bottoms until you plant in ground.
This link will cover Shirley Poppies. Shirley Poppies
This will do California Poppies Eschscholzia californica
Iceland Poppies are recommended for Fall sowing.
I winter sow poppies. There is also a Winter Sowing Forum here that you should check out.
Rodney
Anywhere from 4 to 10. Can be even more as it all depends on the growing conditions, not the genetics.
Dave