6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

The first picture looks as if the leaves have been bitten off rather than dropped. Any bugs lurking under those trays?

I haven't seen any bugs, but I will keep and eye out.

I will cut back on the watering.

These peppers were started in root-riot cubes which hold quite a bit of water. Soak it up like a sponge.

Thank you.
Zach

Sintro:

I have grown a lot of plants from seed in the past. I recall
parsley being very slow to germinate. I remember soaking the seeds in a container of water overnite before planting them. Be patient, they should come up.

I am not sure why one would nick the seedcoat on summer squash? Typically seeds with a very hard seedcoat need to be soaked in water, seed coat nicked
by file or sandpaper or treated in a weak acid bath before sowing to hasten the ability of water to penetrate the hard seed coat. I do not put summer squash seeds
in this catagory.

I find just the opposite when planting squash/pumpkin seeds. They are very prone to rotting when too wet so
I try to keep them a bit on the dryer side when trying to
germinate them. I would not soak them in water before
planting.

You ask about fertilizer. It might be the lighting in your photo, but the plants on the right side of the photo seem
very light green. I would think this to be a nitrogen issue.
Once they root in a bit, fertilize with a liquid fertilizer to green them up.

Thanks for the helpful info and link Art33. I'll have to go read that...

Also, the plants on the right(lettuce) are pretty pale green, good to know that it's a nitrogen issue! They are just starting to develop mini true leaves(.5 cm wide). I'll make sure to fertilize diluted once those unfurl.

Thanks Susan! I will do that! How wet should the paper towels be? I just bookmarked all the seed germination databases in that thread so I know how long to wait.

This will be an adventure for sure!

Suzi

I was just reading about "double dormancy" that some seeds can fall into. To wake them up they might need a soaking. Try 4-5 of each overnight. Regularly I just soak 3 hours for new seeds I buy in fold packages.
I like the paper towel method Suzi mentioned to wake up seeds in a deep sleep.
My method might be different than most people, but I put them in a damp paper towel folded over and place in a plastic sandwich container on top of the frig for 2-3 days. They may not have germinated but it helps break the dormancy.
Some folks use coffee filters also. Guess there are many ways to do most things in the garden.

You have several things working against you and the first one is the BioDome cells, the sponges. The primary reason why many recommend replacing them with a good potting mix instead.

Then there was apparently far too long on the heat pad. They come off the heat at the first signs of germination.

Then, because those cells stay so wet you are over-watering. Thus the yellow leaves.

Plus they are difficult to transplant. You can probably save some of these by transplanting them into a good quality soil-less potting mix. Unfortunately that means you have to plant them sponge plug and all so watering will still need to be monitored carefully. Once placed in potting mix those sponge plugs seem to go from sopping wet to bone dry and back to sopping wet. There seems to be no way to keep the soil moisture consistent.

Dave

I am very grateful for your timely replies and your experienced insights. I will transplant immediately. I have only fertilized once with a dilute PHC Plant Health Care for Seedlings and Houseplants from Gardeners Supply.

Luckily I have another batch of petunias and salvias that were started two weeks before these and are doing well.

Beth

I found my bottom flat tray at a local nursery. They also sold the individual six or four packs. I save them from year to year. When ever I buy a six pack of flowers (which I always wind up buying a few), I am very careful when removing the plants so I can re-use them. I just soak them all in bleach water in the beginning of the growing season to kill any germs. The other place you may want to try is fish markets. The one my mother used to work at years ago received their fish in these clear shallow plastic containers that had lids. They would also be great for winter sowing.

Other than the hundreds (yup) of pots I recycle, and be basic Burbee trays I've saved, I ordered 200 4" round pots and 10x 144 cell plug trays from Harrisseeds.com. I also ordered 1 pt of organic fertilizer to experiment with, and a 4way meter just for haha's.

I use Pro-Mix BX.

Two stages to growing seedlings - germination and then growing on. Under some conditions different mixes are used for the 2 stages. So when you title your post with "starting seedlings" it isn't clear which stage you are talking about.

You mention "a seed starting soil". Which brand? Seed starting soil is what many use with no problems so your problems may not be the stuff you used at all. The peat pots or any of several other issues may be the cause.

Orchid mix is a good growing mix but the bark fines it contains can be problematic for germination and it can be expensive.

ProMix is the most frequently recommended germination and growing mix. I use it too. But it can be difficult to find in some locations. The next best IMO is Metro Mix 360. Not that I am recommending it but many use nothing more than green bag Miracle Grow for both germination and growing on.

Dave

Ok, that all makes sense, thanks! I will redo them tonight and bury the stem down further in the cup. This is my first time doing seedlings indoors and the books I read didn't really elaborate too much on the seed-starting process....I will have to pick up a book on this for future reference.

I forgot to mention that the compost I used is the G&B mix that we already mixed with our outside topsoil.....we did the raised beds in the fall, sheet mulching with grass clippings and leaves, then compost/top soil mix on top then covered with plastic to break down over the winter. I went outside and scooped up a bunch to mix in with the seed starter when I transplanted to give the seedlings a little "taste" I guess of the soil from the raised beds. We have really rocky soil here in NV and the garden center folks recommended the G&B soil amendment. Hopefully we did everything right!!

Thanks so much for your help! I will definitely take your advice and fix our seedlings up a little better :)

-Sarah

If you are looking for info on how to grow from seed then check out all the FAQs here. They cover all the basics. Just click on the blue FAQ button right by the forum instructions near the top on the forum front page.

Dave

Just wondering,could they be getting too much light. ? Remember impatiens are shade plants & wouldn't be grown in same light as tomatoes.
Rose

Is it possible they are infected with the downy mildew that was devastating impatiens last year? It is apparently not passed on through seeds, but it can be passed on by soil and containers. It stunted my impatiens in hanging baskets last summer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Impatiens disease becomes hot topic

The cells are 1 3/8 inches square and 2 inches deep. Its a Burpee seed starting, self watering kit with a plastic "roof." My seeds just started to sprout yesterday, they have only been in for 6 days.

I am growing them in my office under my flourescent desk lamp. I am not sure how long they can stay in the seed starter before I have to transplant them.

Silly question, but are these 4 inch pots the kind you plant into the ground?

You'll have to transplant them. 4" pots are any plastic pot/cup with drainage holes in them. Next year you can start them in bigger cell paks. At this point in the growing season, you can transplant them into 3" pots because you'll be planting them out soon. They sell these pots in packages at nurseries. Over the years you can collect a lot of pots and cell paks and reuse them.

Hi, Grace. Just wanted to point out that 1/2 teaspoon Foliage Pro per 40 ounces is not weak. The package suggests 1 teaspoon per gallon (128 ounces) once a week for adult plants. Half strength would be more like 1/8 teaspoon per 40 ounces. Also, the package suggests 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon for foliar feeding. I don't like to foliar feed seedlings because of the risk of burning them, especially if they are exposed to sun with dried fertilizer on the leaves.

Ohio, sorry - typo! I actually do around 1/8 tsp -- but I am not measuring, really -- I use like two little droplets into the spray bottle. It's ABOUT 1/8 tsp, give or take. I hadn't made this to foliar feed, really, though that was a side effect; I use the spray bottle to actually water the soil. I'd guess it takes around 5-6 squirts per cell on the days I water.

I dunno -- this whole "planting in Turface" is new to me! It just seems to me that compared to other mediums, it contains nothing so I feel like I should supplement.

I did notice, especially today, that the growth is very strong and erect compared to the first batch which was in a peat + perlite mix. Those turned out nice but I can't say they were particularly lovely seedlings, I pulled one out of one cell which had two pop up and there's one really thick, white and straight root I stuck that one into a pot of shiso already going.... So far, impressed with Turface fines!