Author Topic: Seed Starting and Seedlings  (Read 5996 times)

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Offline Patty S

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Seed Starting and Seedlings
« on: Apr 03, 2007, 12:13:44 AM »
I've learned not to start my seeds so early, cuz they just get leggy & a lot of them don't make it. I haven't started any veggies yet, but BG & I started some flowers last week. I was totally shocked when some of them broke ground on the second day!!

Here they are on day four....

     Pink Moonvine     Yellow Hibiscus    White Hibiscus

      Malva Zebrina        Moss Rose            Sun flower

I'm sure everyone else is waaayy ahead of me with their seedlings this year.
Got pics?
« Last Edit: Apr 15, 2007, 12:20:35 PM by Patty S »

Offline Bonnie

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #1 on: Apr 03, 2007, 12:38:24 PM »
Yours are looking good, Patty. I tried to start some wonder eggs, but so far I've had no luck. I think Dianna has a bunch started.

I never have any luck when I try to start seeds in the little potty thing a bobs. I have better luck just sowing them in the dirt.

I do have volunteer moss rose, zinnia and a few other things coming up.

Bonnie
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Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #2 on: Apr 03, 2007, 01:04:16 PM »
Quote
I do have volunteer moss rose, zinnia and a few other things coming up.
       OK, I know that you got new batteries for your camera... so where are your pics?

BTW, I broke down & got some NIMH batteries (with the charger) for my cam, cuz I got tired of throwing money away on alkaline batteries that were only good for about a dozen pics. (It hurt at first, but was actually worth the money!)  ;)
« Last Edit: Apr 15, 2007, 12:18:13 PM by Patty S »

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #3 on: Apr 05, 2007, 08:22:50 PM »
Quote
I broke down & got some NIMH batteries (with the charger) for my cam, cuz I got tired of throwing money away on alkaline batteries that were only good for about a dozen pics.

Jim and I did the same, Patty, for our camera, and this past week-end bought another one to charge batteries for the rest of our needs (karaoke mics, smoke detectors, etc.). I think it will save us a lot of money in the long run, though the batteries are rather to buy first off...

I started my seeds a while back and they are not looking so hot. Don't ask me what they are, because I can't remember.? ::) I think they are canteloupes, watermelon, and tomatoes. And yes, I know they aren't posies, but I haven't taken any recent pictures of them, lately. They aren't very photogenic because they are damping off!? :D? These don't look too awful "hot" theirselves!? ;)





These I set outside for the past week under the porch. They got some morning sun, but not afternoon. I was trying to harden them off.? ??? I had to bring them back in tonight, though, because our weekend is supposed to hit in the upper 20's or lower 30's...

« Last Edit: Apr 05, 2007, 08:25:50 PM by Dianna »
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

Offline Bonnie

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #4 on: Apr 05, 2007, 09:32:14 PM »
I'm glad you posted those pictures. Mine look the same way, only not quite as good.

Bonnie
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Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #5 on: Apr 06, 2007, 01:49:00 AM »
Looking at your pics, I don't see any indication of damping off happening, Dianna. I think it looks more like everything got leggy real quick, reaching for the light. (When they do that, they use up energy real fast, then finally expire from sheer exhaustion.) Are you using any full spectrum lights on them when you start them?

After fighting with the same problem, I decided to get up off a couple bucks last year & bought one of the 2 foot florescent grow lights (Walmart - $10) & it seemed to make all the difference in the world... (although I learned the hard way that those plants have to be really close to the light). When things started sprouting under the lights, I didn't have the leggy problem any longer, but some plants grew at a faster rate than others, so I ended up buying a second light so I could keep the taller plants under lights too. Since it's "all-or-nothing" with me when I get on a roll, I went hog wild & bought high spectrum tubes for my 4 foot fixtures & had quite a production going in my garage shelves!

Because it was chilly in the garage, I had to put lamps with incandescent bulbs on the shelves & put plastic sheeting up to close the shelves in so the seed trays could stay warm. (Then I wound up with a mold problem, & realized that I also needed to add little fans to those closed-in spaces!)  This year though, because LaRelle's stuff is taking up the entire garage, I rescued the entertainment center she had intended to leave behind at the house she was renting & got rid of the piano in order to make room for it... & turned it into a seedling nursery, using all those lights I bought last year. :clap: (I also have part of a sheet of Styrofoam insulation tacked up across the back, shiny side facing the plants, to reflect the light.)

 
It's working out pretty slick for now, but a couple of the things I had started earlier are too tall for that top inside shelf, so I boosted them up with birthday cake covers so they wouldn't be too far away from the long light above the unit. I can adjust the shelf on the inside as those newer seedlings get taller, unless our weather stay as nice as it has been... in which case, I'll just put them out in the gardens.

I see that it's too late to make my long story short, so I'll wind this up by saying simply that you might want to try using grow lights... or, if you already have been doing that, putting your seedlings closer to the lights looks like a solution to your problem.

I notice that you're using peat pots. I gave up trying to get anything started with those, cuz I couldn't regulate the moisture well enough. (Maybe I wasn't using them right.) If I'm not mistaken, Lynne uses the seed starter peat pellets & has good luck with those. I still have a whole box of brand new peat pots that I've never even opened... I need to free up some space in the garden shed, so I'm thinking that BG & I might try using them to start some Coreopsis in, so we can sink them into the ground in the empty flower beds around the church parking lot.

« Last Edit: Mar 11, 2008, 12:23:30 AM by Patty S »

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #6 on: Apr 06, 2007, 01:57:01 PM »
Patty, Jim made me a grow shelf, too...



He put lights on the top three shelves and Aunt Bonnie gave me another, so he will be adding that to the next one down.

I did elevate my plants to get them closer to the light by putting them on boxes. Didn't look too good, but served the purpose. These other plants are the ones that I think have "damped" off. BTW, these are posies that are seedlings... ;D





Some were in the little peat pellets and the others were in potting soil in cells...

I don't know exactly what I am doing wrong, but I don't think it is the lighting requirements. We got the lights shortly after I read on the GH that that was what everyone else was doing for their seedlings...

I am beginning to think I just started them way to early or my watering wasn't consistent enough...

Good save on the ET center for another plant shelf!? ;)

« Last Edit: Apr 06, 2007, 01:58:32 PM by Dianna »
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

MassMama

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #7 on: Apr 07, 2007, 07:33:12 AM »
Picture removed...

This is the only pic I have but there is pumpkin Cuk's Hot peppers  Bell Peppers Tomatoes Zinnias Parsley Celantro Chives Basil and some others I can't remember LOL
« Last Edit: Mar 24, 2008, 08:17:12 AM by Dianna »

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2007, 04:47:59 PM »
Well, my seed-starting turned into a seed-flopping. Not to worry, though. I will be trying again next year after I do some more research...
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

Offline patches

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2007, 12:25:11 PM »
Does anyone know anything about Sunflower seeds?  One of my friends gave me some Sunflower seeds and I was wondering if it was too late to start the seeds.  ???  Should they be started in the pots or in the ground?   :-\
"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2007, 01:41:41 PM »
I've had Sunflower seeds start in the middle of the summer when they fell out of my bird feeder, & they did just fine!  I wouldn't bother starting them in pots at this point.  Planted in the ground, they should poke through within 4-5 days.

Offline patches

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2007, 08:24:02 PM »
Okay, thanks, Patty!  ;) I've never done Sunflowers before, and I thought my birds would enjoy them.   :)
"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2007, 01:14:48 AM »
  Now that my company is gone & I have nothing on my calendar for a while, I can focus on gardening!

Having finally managing to amend the soil in the new bed after pulling the unnecessary rose bushes out 2 years ago, BG & I knuckled down today & got seeds in! 

I have soooo many seeds piled up here, including some that I didn't get planted last year, so we decided to plant (& mark) some of everything we have in the new bed.  This way, we can find out which seeds are still viable, & with any luck, have new seeds for next year.  We put everything closer together than we normally would, cuz we plan on thinning & moving them to other locations as they grow.

Our problem here, is that it's hard to keep the soil moist while things germinate, cuz the bed is in full sun & so many of the seeds are so tiny that they can't be planted deep enough to be able to soak the ground down without washing them away.  So, we started planting things & placed milk jugs over them (with the bottoms cut out)... until BG noticed the big bag of clear plastic cake & donut boxes that I keep forgetting to take to the dump!  She said it made more sense to use those instead of milk jugs, cuz not only can we see through them, but we can also put a rock on top of each one so the wind can't blow them over, as always happens with the jugs! 
(Clever kid!)



We finished up this phase of our project after dinner (it was starting to get dark out), & didn't get everything planted that we want/need to, but we can finish up & get to the veggie garden & deer barrier tomorrow.

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2007, 03:06:55 PM »
I was glad to see that it was raining when I woke up this morning (even though the wash I hung on the line yesterday didn't get taken down & is getting a free rinse now), cuz that meant I could take the day off! Yesterday BG & I rebuilt part of the (crudely) raised bed where the timbers had rotted away & got the deer barrier planted along the outside of our veggie garden (again), before we planted our seeds. 

I'm sure that her idea of using those cake & donut boxes to cover the seeds while they're germinating is going to work a lot better than the sheet of plastic that we used when we planted there a few weeks ago.
     

The plastic blew off in spots & the ground got too dry, so only about a dozen basil/dill plants were able to sprout. I moved the Rhubarb last fall, cuz it wasn't happy on the upper level of the yard with the Nigella, & it's going great guns this year!

Besides doing all that digging & raking & planting, I snagged Grandson Mike when he stopped over to say hi, & he muscled the huge pot of Timber Bamboo down to the Iris row & replanted it there for me.  We all but destroyed my little stairs going down there in the processs of digging the hole for it, so we decided to rebuild those & I'm paying for all that today, cuz I have a hitch in my get-along & need a day off!
« Last Edit: May 27, 2007, 12:47:40 PM by Patty S »

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #14 on: May 25, 2007, 09:47:07 PM »
That is a great idea, Patty, and a thrifty one, too! What do you use to hold them down to the ground so that the wind doesn't blow them away?

BG is one smart girl. ;D I think it is great that your granddaughter shares your love of gardening. I can't wait until Reyla gets a little bit bigger...
« Last Edit: May 25, 2007, 09:49:06 PM by Dianna »
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #15 on: May 27, 2007, 12:57:17 PM »
 
Quote
What do you use to hold them down to the ground so that the wind doesn't blow them away?
                     
Am I typing too fast for you, Dianna?
You musta missed it when I said "put a rock on top of each one so the wind can't blow them over"!

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #16 on: May 27, 2007, 12:58:57 PM »
Jim asked me if I couldn't see!  ;D I don't see how those little rocks will hold those covers down, though, if a big wind comes through. Looks like they might get airborne, too!
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #17 on: May 27, 2007, 01:37:00 PM »
Dianna, let me try to splain this to you...

rocks are heavier than air. That's why they stay on the ground while air goes all the way up till it gets so thin that another layer of atmosphere takes over. (Good thing, huh?) That's as technical as I'll get here... you'll just hafta trust me on this one!

We aren't in hurricane country like you are, so our winds (even the "high" ones) don't normally move rocks. If you try BG's method of greenhousing seeds, maybe you could park cars on your cake & donut boxes, so you don't lose them! (Don't know what else to suggest!)

« Last Edit: May 27, 2007, 01:39:38 PM by Patty S »

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #18 on: May 28, 2007, 12:08:41 PM »
Well, actually, I was wondering if you might do better by staking the tops down. And wind CAN get up under those lids if there is just the slightest space. Guess the air up there must be stagnant, though, since you don't seem to have any breezes that can do that!

I think it is still a great idea to create a greenhouse effect!
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #19 on: May 29, 2007, 11:28:24 PM »
I posted this pic in Spring Has Sprung last week, & mentioned that the California Poppies would be coming out of that bed soon, to make way for our annuals.
         

Well, BG & I got down to business on Saturday & pulled them all up. (It took us 2 hours & we filled 5 of the empty 40# chicken feed bags that she brought with her for the project.)  Then we worked the soil a bit & got rid of the few weeds that were there, & stripped the blossoms off the climbing rose, cuz they were starting to fall apart.  (In less than 2 weeks, it'll be all flowered up again!)   The bed looked so darned good all cleaned up, that I actually thought about just leaving it that way! 

...But not for long!  I got out there today & got seeds in, some plants moved from other locations & a few new bedding plants planted.  I used BG's idea of the clear plastic cake & donut boxes for greenhousing the seeds until they sprout, cuz that worked like a charm for the seeds we planted in the new back yard bed & the deer barrier.
         

Now I think we're done for a while (except for watering & weeding, of course, cuz that never ends), until it's time to move some of the plants from our recent planting to this bed.  Our objective is to have total color here again... but not just yellow!

Dianna, when the breeze gets more active here, we call it "wind"... & it does blow the covers off if they don't have rocks on them!  That's what made milk jugs ineffective, cuz there wasn't a good way to anchor them. 
I suppose you could stake them, but the only way I can think of to do that would be to devise something on the order of a croquet wicket, that you could drive into the ground.  Is that what you were thinking?  It seems to me that to punch a hole in the containers to accomodate a stake (such as a tent stake), would allow too much air circulation inside them, & defeat the greenhouse effect. (I'm also thinking about all the bending over work it would take to pull up the stakes to check on the progress of the sprouts, & to add water if they're getting too dry.)
« Last Edit: May 29, 2007, 11:46:54 PM by Patty S »

Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #20 on: Jun 10, 2007, 05:05:58 PM »
The seedlings that BG & I planted in the new backyard bed 3 weeks ago are up & doing fine.  Some, I've never planted before this year, so I'm not real sure of their ID's, even though we were pretty careful to put our markers in the right places as we planted.

I think these are the Four O'clocks that Dianna & Bonnie sent
     

and these should be the Malva Zebrina that Jimmy sent me last year, but I fooled around & didn't get any planted then. (I'm happy that they were still viable!)
     

Water got spilled on many of the seed packets that Lynne sent us, so the ink puddled together & I could only guess at which ones were which.  I think they're Cleome.
     

Correct me if I'm wrong, please, so I can mark the tags right.

« Last Edit: Jun 15, 2007, 12:08:28 AM by Patty S »

Offline Dianna

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #21 on: Jun 10, 2007, 05:30:37 PM »
Don't know if any of those are four o'clocks, Patty.

Here is a picture of one that "somehow" got planted where I didn't want any flowers at all... :grinnnn:



Hope this helps!
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success." - Lao Tzu

Offline Bonnie

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #22 on: Jun 10, 2007, 09:00:38 PM »
The first one looks like a four o'clock to me.

Bonnie
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Offline duh

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #23 on: Jun 11, 2007, 09:49:29 AM »
Starting seeds inside.  I'm so lucky to be in Virginia and have mostly east facing windows and deep window ledges.  All I have to do is put the seedlings on the ledges and keep them watered and I get plants.  No damp off and no stretching for the light.

Um from what I understand if you use a solution of 10% hydrogen Peroxide and 90% water that will take care of the damp off disease. 

For me the answer to what to plant in is those 6 oz yogurt cups although for smaller plants the 4 oz cups are fine too.  For me because I water a little everyday I don't put drain holes in the bottom of the cups.  I know this is considered so wrong but it works for me. 

I use regular Miracle Gro Potting soil to start my plants with.  I found the "starter soil" dried out way to quickly to be of use for me.

And this year I've started a policy of bleaching all of my seeds before I plant them.  That means I have a jar of 10% bleach and 90% water sitting around the house and when I want to plant something I dump the seeds onto a cloth and submerge it in the bleach solution for 30 seconds and then take it out and air dry the seeds.  Then I plant what I want and put the rest back in the packet with a tick mark that they have been bleached.  That's to stop any diseases that may be carried on the seeds.


Offline Patty S

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Re: Seed Starting and Seedlings
« Reply #24 on: Jun 15, 2007, 12:27:51 AM »

Quote
I found the "starter soil" dried out way to quickly to be of use for me.

I don't like starter soil either, for the same reason.  And, if you don't wet it all down first (mud pie consistency), the seeds will float to the top & just stay there in the puddle that takes forever 2 soak in!   I like that its fine "soil", but I mix it with regular old dirt or a potting soil that doesn't have chunks of stuff in it.

Duh, I've never heard of pre-treating seeds that way... Interesting! Don't you think though, that the plants can easily contract diseases from the garden soil itself?  I supppose that if the bleach solution works, it is a way to give them a good start though. Thanx for the tips.


 

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