6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
You will know the answer as soon as you knock the seedlings out of the tray. (Or dig them out). It's a bad thing to recommend, but I always knock my seedlings out of the community pot (in my case) and see what's what. THEN I decide what pots to move them to. -- The risky part is taking too long to decide with the baby seedlings exposed, but I have never had any trouble with it at all.
Sometimes I am totally surprised by the huge root development, and sometimes I put them right back where they were to contintue growing bigger rots before transplanting.
The roots will tell you the size and shape of the pot. Tomatoes can (should) also be planted deeper, so a nice deep pot or cell pack would probably be ideal.
None of this directly answers your question about soil blocks, but I think the answer lies in asking you a question: Are the soil blocks big enough and deep enough to allow unfettered growth for the next couple of weeks?
LIme
Good question, limequilla. The blocks I would transplant them into would be the 4 inch blocks. I think anything smaller would affect their growth. There is a 4 inch block maker that you can put a spacer in that gives a 2 inch hole in the top, with the reasoning being that you started with 2 inch soil blocks and are transplating them into the 4 inch size.
nygardener-If I got the block maker with 2 inch spacer like the one described above, it would fit my 1 3/4 inch cells. I'm not sure I want to experiment with transplanting them into 4 inch blocks at this point. I may wait until next year to start them from scratch with soil blocks.
WoW! I started seeds 6-8 weeks ago in an unheated greenhouse! Not much luck here.
I think I used the wrong soil.
I would use starts if I were you. It's kinda late to start things from seed (except for starts for the fall or things in the shade such as lettuce etc.)
Good luck! Nancy
The poppies I transplanted into the garden are nearly invisible, they are still so small. The poppies I wintersowed are nearly invisible they are so small. The poppies I direct sowed are nearly invisible they are so small. The good news is if I am wearing my glasses and get really close, I can see they are alive! LOL!
The California poppies look unhappy, but there is no reason for it. They look like they are getting too much sun, but they don't even get a full day since they are on the west side of the house. I'm sure California poppies like full sun, so I'm not sure what is going on.
Lime
I run lights 16-18 hours per day both before and after germination. I cover trays with clear plastic domes before germination and the "greenhouse effect" warming from the lights is enough to germinate the seeds quickly without any bottom heat. I take the domes off for an hour once or twice a day to air out the plantings so they won't grow mold, and remove them when most of the seeds have germinated (usually a day or two after the first ones germinate).
I am a little more cavalier than most people. I start them in community pots - one pot per variety - under lights and never turn the lights off. I use blocks of wood or overturned pots to get those puppies right up under the lights as soon as they are sown.
If I have plastic I might use it as a greenhouse-thing, or if I have space on the little heat mat I have, I might put them on that, too.
The worst thing that can happen in my experience is for those just germinating seedlings to have no light the first 12 hours they come up out of the soil or soilless mix. That is how the legginess happens. Most all of my seedlings are very, very stocky.
Lime
I've got some started on my windowsill here at work. Rigged up a fish-line trellis that is nearly invisible to the nekkid eye. The rest will be started via Winter Sowing method probably beginning or mid-May, and tossed down by the mailbox. I had good results starting them that way last year in near-mud.
I direct sowed mine about 4 weeks ago in an area where I had spread some top soil over an existing bed. The temp was unusually high for March. They germinated in two weeks. Please don't give up. I used to direct sow them and had no germination because the soil was not raked clean. Now I have no problem at all as long as the soil is freshly raked.
I don't want to WS them since I have a abundant collection of seeds and my garden is too stuffed to fit in small seedlings one spot at a time. I simply direct sow them so they'll grow at will. Good luck.
I always wait until Mother's Day to plant any seedlings or bedding plants. The last frost day where I live in central Iowa is around 10 May.
I harden off my seedlings in the shade or on my deck under the tables & chairs. But I only leave them outside for an hour or so. And when I finally plant them I have to cover them with netting to keep the rabbits from eating them like a buffet...
While the air temp is important to plants so is the soil temp if you plan to also plant seeds directly in the soil. Right now the soil temps in Iowa are in the low 50's. But if we get a cold snap it will go down.
You can check the soil temps at the Iowa State University Ag website.
Here is a link that might be useful: ISU Soil Temp Map
If you have a Walmart in your area or any garden center, purchase a water meter. I got one from Walmart for around $5.00 and it works great in telling me when to water my plants. It has a long metal sensor that you can stick way down deep in the soil and it measure from completely dry to wet. Good luck. Joe
it is mostly matter of experience, when I see top medium of the tray is getting dry- it is time to get watered again. Also great way to figure it out is to weight tray in your hand- how does it feel when it soaked and how does it feel when it is dry. Then you try to acheive happy medium...;)
You can start hardening off as soon as the temps during the day are around 60! I have already taken a few of mine outside for the afternoon and mine go in the ground around the sametime as you! I take them out for the afternoons and bring them in around five or six ...they are doing great!
I'm sorry about your cat too, Darlene. Our two are our babies and I can't think how awful it would be to lose them. Pets are part of the family.
Vela, as the human can-opener to four cats, I applaud your courage in even trying to keep an open flat of seedlings in the house!