6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Sorry to not be able to help you directly but yours is a very complicated question best dealt with by an expert in fruit trees and grating them. So if you don't mind I'll refer you to another forum here, one that focuses on those issues. I hope one of the experts there can assist you.
The Citrus Growing forum has several FAQs on grafting fruit trees as well as one specifically dealing with varieties of oranges. If the FAQs don't cover what you need then be sure to post your question on their discussion forum.
Dave.
Here is a link that might be useful: Citrus forum FAQs
The temperature of any given seedling is between 75 - 80 degrees.
Broccoli seedlings prefer much lower temperatures once they sprout -- around 55-65 degrees. Young seedlings can handle temps down to 40, and once planted outside, they can handle temps down to 25. They get stressed by the higher temperatures, which can cause distorted leaves and weak stems. They also can be stressed by moving back in forth from cool sun outdoors to warm artificial light indoors. Too much stress, and they won't form proper heads when planted outdoors.
You are pretending to grow these? Could you explain that please before any of us spend a great deal of time trying to answer your very complex question?
All of the fruits you list and many of the vegetables are grown from transplants or cuttings, not seeds, and several of them are 1-5 years old before being planted out.
For example:
the minimum and maximum for apples from seed is 30 and 100 ft.
That is not true. That may be the spacing for planting apple trees, not apple seeds.
Dave
PS: we would also need to know your location or at least your garden zone
Spacing depends a lot more on HOW you grow rather then WHAT you grow. For example, a farmer planting 100 acres in rows he can harvest via tractor is going to use a much different spacing then a home gardener using raised beds and the square foot method.
The other big variable is cultivar/type. You have "tomato" on the list, but the spacing for a determinate tomato is going to far different then for an indeterminate one. Also "lettuce" is it a leaf lettuce or a romaine? The spacing requirements are much different here too.
Like Dave said, what do you mean by pretend? A little more detail would be exponentially helpful.
Thank you Dave!!
I will start my cabbage indoor today in 6 pack cell. What is the thumb rule for number of seed starting cell and number of seeds per cell? e.g. if I need to grow 6 cabbage in the garden, how many seeds should I germinate to be safe to reach that number finally?
Thank you!!
Sunil
Hi Katie,
Yes, if water is dripping down the inside of the bag, your growing medium is too wet. You should see just a very light mist on the bag. Remove the cover until the medium dries out a bit.
If your âÂÂheat sourceâ is an electric heat mat, you probably should use some kind of cover over the seeds (you donâÂÂt want the heat mat trying to heat the entire room). Otherwise, if youâÂÂre home enough to make sure the growing medium doesnâÂÂt dry out completely, you may find it easier to not even use a cover. Many folks donâÂÂt use covers. Some seeds germinate so quickly anyway, fooling with covers is almost a waste of time :-)
Art
Agree that it is optional but it is commonly recommended by US growers. It acts as a growth stimulant triggering new root and leaf development. Your choice.
Dave
Edited to aid - why not dry trimming some and leaving some alone and note the differences for future reference?
This post was edited by digdirt on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 11:53
For me, it is just another poppy. I don't have a problem germinating or transplanting them. I don't agree on warm germination as I typically find germination better when temps are kept under 20C. That being said the poppy is one of the few plants I prefer to direct sow as I don't find much advantage starting early, especially since the blooms shatter so fast. I like to direct sow every few weeks to get max bloom time.
Good luck.
SCG
Plug flats (what you have there) aren't normally used with trays. They are just dipped to water and then removed and left as is.
But there are some trays made for them - called watering trays or carrying trays - but they aren't inexpensive. Check Novosel Enterprises website and amaplas.com if interested.
Cheaper alternative is one of the Sterlite or Rubbermaid shallow closet storage bins sold at Walmart.
Dave
Thanks for your replies. Dave, just curious...What prevents the potting soil from coming out the bottom as the water drains from the plug flats? When the medium needs follow-up dipping's later it would seem that a little more of the medium would be drained out each time.
I'm new to this as well. Gave my first real go at starting from seeds last year, so I'm not much help, but I have read a TON. You didn't mention how long you had your lights on, but everything I read mentions to have your lights on between 12 and 18 hours a day. I haven't paid attention to the calendar when I move to bigger pots either, but if I had to guess, I'd say about 5 weeks. One tomato gardener recommend transplanting to bigger pots when they start to sprout their first real set of leaves (not the cotyledons - first two to appear). Good luck to us both!
Looking great so far! Better than what I set up the first time around! I've been adjusting myset up over the last few months based on everything I've learned on here.
My only issue is I planted more than I have room for now I have like 50 plants and only two shelves of 2x4 spaces. x.x
Hi.
After trying for three weeks with various methods (baggie, cold strat, soilless mix etc), I was able to germinate one seed.
I wonder if adding plant hormone will give it a healthy head start. MY seedling looks a bit weak and I wanna do everything i can to help it thrive since its the only seed that germinated.
Also in general, is it good to use plant hormones (hormex) to seedlings?
Thanks.
I have very little first-hand knowledge with citrus seeds, and the ones I have grown were not scarified, BUT lots of sources say that doing so improves germination rate. Drakemoore, if you find a good answer (and especially if you find a good explanation of why), please come back and tell us here.
You don't want to plant potatoes immediately after cutting. The rot too easily if you don't let the cut end dry. My husband cuts ours up and puts them in the garden shed for about a week. It is dark and dry in there. After that he plants them and we never have a problem with them sprouting after they are planted.
I don't see a problem leaving them for longer
I have started wheat, oats, barley, rye in trays and small pots and transplanted them to my home garden outdoors. I haven't tried to let them produce grain while growing in the container. I guess it would be easier with oats since they are a smaller plant. I guess the best is to grow the cereals in a box that is 1 foot deep and about 2 x 1 foot wide.
Beware that cereals like to experience a chilly period followed by a warmer and dry period, with plenty of sunshine.
I have sucessfully grown corn/maize and millets in rather small containers (1 foot deep). The corn were about 6 plants and then I had to hand-cross-pollinate them
Remember that the cereals like wheat also need cross-pollination by wind or your hand, if you expect grain forming. And it will take a few months from seed to ripen grain. Oats are faster, wheat takes longer.
Assuming proper water and nutrients, the size of the containers will determine if you get any grain and how much IF grown outside.
But trying to do it indoors is starting out with at least 3 strikes against you. It is just too much of an artificial environment for the plants to expect any success. You simply cannot compensate for the sun exposure required plus all the other benefits of growing out doors. Sorry.
Dave