6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I have some Datura Inoxia and Datura Alba seeds that I bought last year and didnt get to plant them early enough so I kept them. Well of course now it is April & I still haven't planted them. Is it too late? I thought about starting them inside under lights to help them grow faster. Anyone have any thoughts?
Rebecca....
Same question here: What kind of seeds are they. Different seeds require different conditions. If they are regular old popular annuals, you probably won't have any problems with them sprouting. Give us more info and we'll see what we can come up with. Good Luck, Joe.
I have done germination experiments on many, many agava. They germinate much better when quite fresh, usually mid to late summer. In late winter or spring I would expect significant seed not to germinate. It is stated above "AGAVE--SURFACE SOW AND DO NOT EXCLUDE LIGHT. KEEP AT 70-75. ON GERMINATION, APPLY A LIGHT SPRINKLING OF COARSE GRAVEL TO HELP SUPPORT THE YOUNG SEEDLINGS AND LESSEN DAMPING OFF." I am not sure you need to exclude light, otherwise I like the quote form above.
Were I to write instructions I would say (1) plant fresh seeds in late summer (2)KEEP AT 75-85°F. ON GERMINATION, APPLY A LIGHT SPRINKLING OF COARSE GRAVEL TO HELP SUPPORT THE YOUNG SEEDLINGS AND LESSEN DAMPING OFF (3) wait 20-30 years for results.
also wondering - do i need to move them up to bigger home before hardening. ie: they are in little burpee cells and have 1st set of true leaves coming out. do I need to transplant them up 1st. and if i do, it will be within hours of putting them outside. seems like that would be too much stress on little children....
Steve, there's no point in potting them up a few hours before putting the plants outside. The reason to move to larger pots is so they can fill it out with their roots while growing to a larger size. That takes a few weeks, not a few hours.
Why don't you harden them off for the next week after you get back from your trip by just leaving them outdoors during the day? That will help acclimate them and give the garden soil a chance to dry out a little bit while you wait. Use the weekend to gradually increase their daily outdoors time. If you do build the cold frame, leave the roof off.
We had LOTS of fun LOL!!
Marigold (Crackerjack mixed colors)
Zinnia (Lilliput mixed colors)
Cosmos (Sensation mixed colors)
Daisy (Shasta Alaska)
Daisy (Gloriosa)
Old Fashioned mixture
Wildflower Countryside Mixture
Calendula (Pacific Beauty mixed colors)
Phlox (Drummondi mixed colors)
Naturtium (Jewel mixed colors)
Shirley Poppy (Mixed colors)
Forget Me Not (Firmament)
Aster (Crego Mixed Colors)
Baby's Breath (Covent Garden)
Dianthus (Mixed Colors)
Some of the plants are starting to develop some little "true" leaves. This is so much fun! Why haven't I done this before? Oh, and I took out one of my bulbs in my shop lights to see what kind they are and they are 40W!!! Yay! I'm usually not this lucky.
Yes, all were started from seed. In that picture they were a few months old. The walls of my plant room started to look like a little jungle! And the plants did very well outside.
You could also try letting the plants grow horizontally (with no stake) under a fluorescent shop light, starting one or two plants at each end. While they're getting started, you could use the middle for flowers like pansies and violas that can go out sooner.
Here's an indoor-grown sweet pea, about five feet tall, with vines climbing up to the ceiling in the background ....
Along the lines of staking up baby vines how do you stake them in your garden? I have Purple Hyacinth beans that I grew last year & used fishing line & the got too heavy. Would you suggest a trellace? I have a garden that is about 10 feet long and about 2 feet wide and it is on the side of the house so I could attach it to the side of the house & let them grow up it. What do you think?
Rebecca...
I am a zone 4 and we are like.....3 weeks from getting ours outside but I have done the same thing.....I removed my tall tomatoes plants from the starter trays with a fork...gently....and planted them into 3" peat pots! I put one....maybe two is they had only one set of true leaves! Then I put them in a sunny window.....I had to do this for the past like 3 weeks! Theyare doing fabulous and seem to be keeping up with the ones under my lights! Especially the Cherry tomatoes..they are like 6" tall and when I repotted into the peats I buried the stems all the way down to the condoyle (Spelling...of the first "artificial leaves")!
So...I recommend getting some 3" peat pots (then when you put them outside you can bury them in the pots too!) Bury the tomatoes stems all the way down to the first set of leaves...they will root all the way up and get much stronger! Then put in a window! Watch to makesureyou keep them moist...I have little cheap sandwich baggies on the bottom of each peat pot so that when I water it doesn't run all over andit seems to keep the water moisture in a bit better...they need watering like every 3 days, rather than daily!
It has worked for me!
Bon chance!
Bec
Are these the bottom leaves? If so, it is the seed leaves (cotyledons) that are dying. That is natural. Those are the leaves (two, in the case of marigolds) that are in the seed itself. When true leaves start to form, the seed leaves die off. If all is well, you should have new leaves at the tops of the plants that actually look like marigold leaves.
Eleanor
I know others will disagree with me, but I never feed my seedlings. The potting soil I use (Metro 360) has some fertiziler in it. That is all the babies get. I figure they will be out in the sun and soil soon enough and can get what they need from their outside environment. When I plant them in baskets or planters, I do include a feeding of Osmocote time release fertilizer.
Eleanor
Could you take a look at this "cosmo" in my seed album.
Do you mean I can bury this plant up to the 2 thin long bottom leaves. Also what about the bean plant?
Sure would like to know what flowers you can bury deep...
Thanks,
Patsi
Here is a link that might be useful: Seed Album
I think Mom meant to snip the growing tips just above the last leaf node, which will encourage branching. If you cut more than this, or do it while the plant is too young, you can weaken the plant, since the plant relies on its leaves to make food. Wait until there are five pairs of leaves and the lowest ones are at least an inch long.
These guys are singing, "Sorry about your petunias!"
But this fellow is reminded of his own penchant for decapitation.
Good luck!
I have some emerging now that were started on 2/9. Generally 4 to 6 weeks to germinate. They don't need any pre-treatment if that's what you're asking. Just plant, cover lightly, give full light and keep misted. They germinate best when temps are on the cool side 40F or so. But mine are in a 50F basement and doing fine. Germination is erratic.
Hi Cynthia,
My daylilies are up and about 6 inches tall now, but do not seem to be growing. It seems as if they have been at this stage for a while now. Do I need to fertilize or do anything special to get them growing again? I put the actual seeds in a little water in a baggie when starting the seeds. When the roots formed I placed in pots.
Back on April 6th I inquired in an earlier thread here how about hollyhocks and calendula not producing true leaves. The calendula are just beginning to get true leaves at about 20 days. The hollyhocks are not. But I planted some sunflowers in a couple of pellets where the calendula did not germinate and they are up with true leaves in about five days.
All were outside in full sun all day. I have had to bring them in the last couple of nights because of a cold front. But it surely looks like the delay is some combination of the species of plant and the environment.
Even though I am looking at it, twenty days seems too long.
Cosmos Double Clicks are showing signs of true leaves today. Amaranthus Early Splendor still not showing but looking like they could anyday now.
Thanks For the Help and Responses!
just_to_learn