6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I used to start my cukes early but I've stopped doing that. One year my husband planted the early start ones in their own trench. in another trench beside them he planted seeds. In 3 weeks the seed started ones had caught up to the early started ones. They both flowered and set fruit at the same time.
When I thought about it it made sense to me. When you transplant it takes a plant a week or 2 for the plant to settle in get used to the light and soil and start growing. The seeds germinate and just keep on growing. Now we just plant the seeds and it gives me more room under the lights and in the greenhouse not to mention the cost of seed starting mix. So don't despair if you don't have success with your plants. You can always plant seeds
As for your cukes I would say the temperature is too cool. Tomatoes while liking a warmer temperature will tolerate a cooler temperature. Cucumbers however like warm soil. If you have a heating mat put it under them or try to raise the temperature somehow.
Cukes (as well as other members of the family) are normally direct seeded and as mentioned don't always tolerate transplanting well. Plus they are very soil temp sensitive, fast growing, require frequent transplanting to larger containers because of their fast growth, and are easily stressed and stunted, yet more reasons for direct seeding.
Not everything responds well to indoor germination and some vegetable varieties won't tolerate it at all so it pays to know what varieties should be direct seeded for best results.
Dave
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
Hi Harley - I see you already got an answer to this question over on the Vegetable gardening forum and unfortunately the answer is no.
Unless the various varieties are color coded by the vendor they can't be identified unless you happen to have separate seed packs of each of those varieties to compare to. Even then there is no way to be sure as the seeds are so similar.
This is one reason why buying the mixed seed packets isn't always a good idea. :)
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I guess I'm just a gambler and I don't mind trying some new varieties ; )
I was just hoping that I could find a way to give the Ronde de Nice a little extra space, since that plant might be a bit bigger. Oh well, wish me luck!
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.
I keep hoping someone with better eyes than mine will answer this question for you.
Honestly I can't see what if anything is wrong in your picture. Sorry.
Bu now they should have grown quite a bit so perhaps a new picture with a close up of the problem could be posted?
Dave
Sounds like damping off. Seedlings are exceptionally susceptable. Several common fungia are capable of causing damping off, including Rhizoctonia, Alternaria, Sclevotinia, and water molds Pythium and Phytopthora. Symptoms can include rotting or wilting of seedlongs, leaf mottling, stem leisons that cause the stem to turn black, and appear waterlogged. Plants often die off in a circular pattern as the fungi radially from the point of contamination.
my advice is to purge the already infected seedling, and the adjcent plants to stop the spread.
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!
I should start by saying this is my first year trying peppers from seed.
I am growing: mini bells, mini red bells (two diff traded seed sources), king of the north, peppadew, and Doe..which are all sweets. For hots I'm growing: jalapeno, orange habs, thai orange, and chinese 5 color.
I soaked all my seeds overnight in camomile and then started them in a Park biodome. within a week (with no bottom heating) most of the varieties had visible roots coming out of the seeds (you can peek down into the hole in the park sponge). Within 10 days the jalapenos and mini bells had green sprouts.
So for what thats worth, maybe the camomile is good for getting things going.
The other experiment I did was with using a crock pot to generate bottom heat. I put 3 C of water into the crock pot, covered it with a towel, then put a thick metal tray on top and the biodome on top of that. I put the crock on "warm" (not high or low) and using an air thermometer timed how long it took to get to 90 degrees and how long it took for the time to coast off. On warm it took about an hour to an hour and 20 to get up to 90, then I would shut the crock off, and it would stay warm in the biodome (above 70) for up to 4.5-5 hours afterwards.
Because it all depends a bit on your crock pot and your ambient household temps, its probably worth doing it while keeping an eye on a thermometer if you want to try, and it probably only works if you are doing small scale seed starting, like one tray that needs bottom heat, rather than an industrial set up. But it is cheaper than buying into the heat mats, and after your've timed out your temp cycle you can regulate the crock pot using a $5-10 regular outlet timer (like the type people use to turn lamps off and on when they are away from home) to cycle the crock through on and off to keep temps within the 70-90 range.
Hydrostone, hydroton, other names too - clay pellet growing medium
Here is a link that might be useful: Example here
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.