6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

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).

Mine are always leggy when I transplant them, so when I plant them outside I bury them to about 1" below the lowest leaves. I'm not even sure that's the right thing to do, but it seems to work ok =)

do you ever leave avacodo pits for the squirrels?

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.

When I bring my plants outdoors, I always put them in a cold frame I made out of old storm windows. I cover it with lightweight cloth to shade the plants for a day or two, then add more light as they adapt.

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

I to collected the seeds last year. I put in the fridge over the winter. About half of the seeds germinated this yr and I found they grow slower than if Id done it by cuttings. So far no blooms but its early, oooo I luv surprizes.
Doing cuttings is relatively easy. I do about 25+ cuttings at once, so i mix 75% perlite and 25% transplanting soil. I don't want to use straight soil because those new roots that are forming for the very first time don't have to work so hard growing in straight potting mix, perlite makes it easier to grow in, and the little bit you do use is just enough to grow nice heathy roots until your ready to transplant it. Find a new stem and cut straight across. I snip mine about 2-3 inches in length if possible.
Remove only the bottom leaves on stem that will be going in the soil. A root will come where the leaves you removed. You can use gel or rooting powder for soft cuttings. I use oowder. After dipping it in the powder put, into the prepared hole. water thoughly. I cover them in a plastic dome. Cuttings need bottom heat and not direct sun, in order to grow roots. Sun will get the cuttings to grow upwards and flower, but you don't want that. Energy needs to go to making roots not flowers. So I cover the dome with a newspaper. check daily, you don't want a lot of moisture collecting in the dome because that will just rot the cuttings. Open the lid sightly until condensation is gone. Keep the soil moist but not drenched. When you water make sure to let the water drain out before you put it back on heating pad. In about 2 weeks tug gently of the cutting, when it becomes more resistant, that means roots have grown. Its then you start giving he cuttings more fresh air. You need them to get used to not growing in such a comfy inviroment . The real world isn't comfy. they need to get climatized to the real world. Depending on what cuttings I do it takes about 3-4 weeks before I transplant them with healthy roots. that's it!! I know it seems like lots to do but once you do it a times its a no brainer, easy peasy.

Thanks so much Michelle, I have been an absolute failure at rooting calibrachoa. Now I know of mistakes I've been making.

Hands down my favorite "porch flower". I overwintered 6 this year...only two survived but they are super beautiful.

If you are using egg cartons, be sure to poke drainage holes prior to adding the dirt. If you save the top of the cartons, that can be used underneath to catch the water. (walmart actually sells eggs that come in these great 3-piece plastic cartons--so you get starter pots, drip catcher, and cover dome all at once!) I actually like egg cartons for seeds that I am not sure about, since they don't take up much space -- but they do require more attention and care.

I don't see a problem with starting certain surface sown seeds in the cartons, but be ready to move them quickly. I usually use egg cartons for starting small types of flowers. Anything that grows with a taproot is going to do badly in the cartons, since they are too shallow.

You should have larger pots ready with egg carton sized potholes on the top - then you can carefully scoop out your new plants and their dirt from the egg carton with a soup spoon, and place them into the waiting space of the bigger pot.

I wouldn't do that bag start, myself. I've had bad luck with planting those sprouts since the root and plant can't grow in the proper directions very well in the bag. Then when I plant it, there seems to be a growth delay as the plant sorts itself out.

What I do for questionable seeds is just plant several per pot. Then, you can always thin them later. I expect your basil and lavender will be fine. Parsley tends to get fussy after a few years. I'm not sure about the marigolds.

Walmart actually has a seed starting mix for only $2 a bag that I've had good luck with. If you want/need to use your own dirt, at least try to sterilize it first. There are some easy instructions on line (I have linked to one).

Here is a link that might be useful: How to sterilize dirt

Purple - I like your idea of pre-starting them and then just planting them outside. I would dig the area so that it super nice and fluffy and smooth, you can even mix in a little shredded newspaper to attract worms. Once the roots poke out of the seed hull, make a shallow trench and put the seeds in. Cover and pat down. Water well. If it's going to be cold, you could even use more shredded newspaper as a mulch. Keep moist and soon you'll see things popping up. In my experience, parsley takes it's sweet time germinating. And of course, Lavender likes it more dryish than the other's you mentioned. Many say marigolds like to dry out between waterings, but mine have always did well with daily watering. Do you have an old tarp, or sheet of plastic, or even an old sheet or blanket for that matter. You could lay this over the bed if frost threatens, and then pick it back up in the morning.

I think it's an excellent plan!

"I was thinking about putting the flats on cinderblocks underneath my deck (east side of my house) in my backyard before I leave for work and then bringing them back in at lunch time.

This will give them a small amount of morning sun, then very little sun (if any) after that but the heat from the deck should radiate in the space under the deck keeping them warm.
"

I like all of the suggestions above. When I first start I'll separate them into groups just in case one batch gets obliterated and I need to start over.

What part of AK are you in? I grew up in Wasilla, I might be able to shed some light on what did this lol

Where is this container located?

I live in Russian Mission. It was outside in the sun light and the temperature was 50 out of the sun light according to the thermometer. Will not be putting them outside till they are bigger. Have them on windows sills now. The true leaves are growing on some of them and are getting bigger.

I'm having the same problem with my tomato seedlings. I've grown tomatoes from seed for years and never had this happen before. I'm growning 2 varieties. One is
Cupid grape tomato which I've grown before. The other is Margherita, a saladette variety that I'm trying for the first time. I have never seen seedlings look like this before. Both varieties have the purple stem and underleaf and they are growing slowly and seem to be deformed. I've grown these tomatoes as I always have. The ONE common denominator we have is Jiffy mix seed starter. I just transplanted the seedlings into Metromix potting soil in the hope that they will do better. I'm thinking it's the Jiffy mix that is the problem.

Eaine, I have not had this problem at all this year. Several things are different:

- I have used two different seed starting mixes neither one of which is from Jiiffy. One is from Foxfarm and I can't recall the other but it has some organic fertiizer added to it.
- I have a couple carniverous plants and these have kept away the fungus gnats.
- I started adding Foliage Pro liquid fertilizer to the water very soon after emergence.

My seed starts are the best they have ever looked. By the way last year my plants did slowly snap out of it. I'm not sure if it was the mosquito dunks or the transitioning to the outdoors or the addition of fertilizer. I used a solid fertilizer (formulated for tomatoes) last year.

Steve

runswithscissors - it sounds as if winter sowing would be helpful to you. You wouldn't need to worry about stratification at all. You let the winter weather take all the guess work out of it. All the plants in your second paragraph are hardy and could be winter sown.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing forum

wow thanks flora, i didn't realize that forum was there.

Give those jiffy pucks a pass after this. I personally hate them. The peat in them must be pretty solid and it will be hard to separate them. Get some 16oz colored disposable drinking glasses-- $3 or $4 for 50 at walmart. They are the best and cheapest pots I have found.

Fill the pots with a good soil less mix--I like pro mix BX and buy it by the bale. It will keep for years if kept completely dry. Now take those pucks with your plants and stick them in warm water and soak the peat until it loosens from the root and you can divide them with very little damage to the root. Make sure your mix is wet through with warm water and full your pots or glasses 2/4 full. Dibble a hole in the center and sink your plants up to the leaves in the soil. Give them better light. On warm days set them outside for a while--an hour or 2 at first and gradually increase the time over a couple of weeks. The stems will get stronger in resistance to the wind

Thank you both! That is great advice. Had not thought of using water to make the process of dividing easier. Makes a lot of sense, I will do that.

I've been using a fan indoor to expose the seedling to wind a couple hours a day and it seem to help they get a bit sturdier. Will start putting them outside as soon as it gets a little warmer.

Also, yes, definitely not going back to the jiffy pucks. Beside they drying quickly and, I don't like the idea of being dependent on a "branded system" where I need to buy silly pucks at 20 cents a pop.

I'm reading Eliot Coleman's "The New Organic Grower" and saw he uses Soil Block makers (link below). They look fantastic for seedlings: not pots (no wasted plastic!), no cost after the initial purchase of the maker, and unlimited use. Have been reading about them a lot and think I'll grab a kit at Lee Valley.

Here is a link that might be useful: Block makers

Have researched mycorrhizae fungus that can be added to the soil to help with root development. I bought a bag and it's a very dust like powder that you can sprinkle or dissolve in water. I mostly forgot about it, but the few plants I did add it to, did not show any difference what-so-ever from their neighbors. Perhaps it's more useful out in the garden where this beneficial fungus is supposidly becoming scarce. Am curious tho, if anyone else has tried it and if they noticed anything.

no. waste of money.