6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Okay, great info.
However,
1) Why are they in my kitchen bypassing the other rooms closest to my garage? Is it because it's warmer in the kitchen than right next to my garage?
2) Can you suggest a insecticidal soap mixture? Any common household ingredients?
3) What about the adult gnats flying around? How can I kill those off?
4) Are the gnats the reason why I observed that the surface soil of some of my seedling flats has been greenish (like a moss or something)?
If it is that old then yes, it is well past time for it to have been planted in soil. See the how-to FAQ linked below.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Avocado FAQ
These are different sized plants. Are they in the same sized containers? if so then bigger plants will dry out much faster than smaller ones. The size of the root mass in the container is as much different as the mass of the top growth is so their water needs will be very different.
If the larger plants perked back up once you watered them then you have your answer as to the cause. Sounds like it might be time to transplant the larger plants into larger containers.
Dave
How do you know when? Is there a rule of thumb?
Agree with mandolls. But no there is no "rule of thumb". Just as with watering it is when the plant needs it not by the size of the plant.
And you know when by the fact that you have to water them more and more often to keep them from drying out and drooping. That is the sign that the plant is getting rootbound in its current container.
Dave
what i did, and i have a large area for indoor growing, is cut off the top, and replant into 1 gallon grow bags, with the entire stem buried up to the top 2 leaves. now the entire stem will sprout roots, and you get a really husky "seedling" - you just really need adequate indoor lighting to do this - :) - paul m.
Sorry but it is almost impossible to ID seedlings at that stage. Even if you can narrow down the specific choices it is still guess work.
I can tell you that Chinese Pistachio do not have a tip leaflet on the leaf branch as that appears to have. They develop in sets of two evenly spaced all the way to the tip.
Dave
Hm... Interesting.
However, yes, I did come to that conclusion shortly AFTER I submitted my original post. The reason I assume it is some sort of tree or shrub is because of the dark, "wood-looking" stem. The next pair/set of leaves are coming along well, so hopefully I'll have a better photo fairly soon.
It depends on the plants - things that can stand a bit of cold can easily start going out now. I am in zone 4 and have started hardening off cole crop stuff and petunias. In my 10 day forecast there are only two nights when it will drop below 40 degrees - I assume it is warmer where you are. I often have planted out peas, broccoli, cabbage etc before now, but the snow just kept coming this year.
I'll be waiting on peppers eggplant and tomatoes for a few weeks.
Dowlinggram - I have seen you post the "it sets your plants back 2 weeks when you transplant" statement numerous times. - It simply isnt true.
Maybe if you are transplanting older plants and being really ham-handed with them. However if you are transplanting seedlings that are young, it maybe stalls their growth for 2 days. Yesterday I divided and potted up my tomatoes - they were 3-5 per 3oz cup, and are now all in individual 9oz cups. They were 2 weeks old with the second set of true leaves just emerging, and I know from past experience that they will be at least twice that size in another two weeks. I will move them into 16 or 20 oz cups in mid May, and plant them out June 1st. TIme and time again I have seen plants that I potted up grow faster and stronger than those I didnt get to for some reason. And starting them in bigger pots doesnt work for me either, as the soil stays to wet for the little guys and they drown.
Um, I also pot mine up several times, from tray, to modules, to 1litre pots - a gentle upturn of the damp pot or module - the little plantlets barely notice.
Otoh, tomatoes can and do get checked - mine go from a greenhouse in a sheltered home garden to a windy frost-pocket on my allotment - even with a long hardening time, a cold snap really can mess with them and not only set them back, it seems to lessen the overall vigour for the rest of the season........ so I don't transplant till really late (the 1litre pots).
I'm in a completely different zone than you, but my container zucchinis had the same issues. What I did was set them out in the sun in the morning, and by about noon, they would start drooping a little. I just totally soaked the soil they were in with water, moved them into a shady area to recover, then do it again the next day. It took about a week for then to get hardened off and stop getting shocked.
No for the first question.
Probably no for the second question.
Watts aren't really relevant in growing things. You need to find out how many lumens the bulb is putting out, and at what spectrum.
I use bulbs that are only 45W - but put out 2800 lumens at 5500K. They work great, but cover a small area (fit into a regular socket). If you are growing more than a few small plants at once it would be easier to use a long fluorescent type.
added: Also, my 2800 lumens is on the low end for a grow light. I've had some issues because of it, with certain plants getting leggy or pale in color because they want something stronger.
It works for me---but will depend on what you are trying to grow and how quickly you can adjust things if needed.
This post was edited by SaraElise on Fri, Apr 26, 13 at 19:47
Are you getting the green algae type mold? That, in and of itself, doesnt hurt the seedlings. But when it gets bad, it can form a coat over the top of the soil which can smother them, then if it dries out, it forms a hard crust, but that usually takes a while. 24 hours is really fast for it to form, so you must be introducing spores somewhere along the way. Is it growing in the container you water them with? Once the seeds are growing you can gently stir the top of the soil (I use a small screw driver) to break up the coating.
I'd switch from peat pots to plastic cups for starters. I use the little 3 oz cups for starting. Vermiculite and peat both hold water a long time. try mixing in 20-30% pearlite, so that your mix drains better.
You arent keeping them covered once they have germinated are you? that is never good. As soon as you see anything poking through - get rid over the covering. If there are still seeds that havent germinated, gently mist the top of the soil regularly to keep it from drying out, and the rest of the seed will germinate just fine.
You can pick up a great deal of knowledge about all the basic issues of growing from seed just by reading the great FAQs here.
In addition to all the good info so far, it sounds to me as if the mix you are using may be a problem if the mold is developing within 24 hours. What brand is it?
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQs
Yes, for items that are normally directed seeded (as are radishes, corn, lettuce, squash,etc.) it is # of days from planting the seeds. For those items that are normally grown from transplant (tomato, pepper, etc.) it is the # of day from transplanting.
However it is important to remember that DTM (days to maturity) are just a general guide, an "average", as many variables can affect it.
Dave
Dave, that makes sense. Just out of idle curiosity I will try to "time" my cuces, tomatoes and few others this season. I think my radishes are behind the schedule :) But we've had a cool spring so far so that might be their excuse.