Need advice, going to try and start seeds indoors again
foodfiend_gardener
12 years ago
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Started_with_bean
12 years agofoodfiend_gardener
12 years agoRelated Discussions
First Time Starting From Seed - Need Advice!
Comments (2)Starting more will work too. They'll be a little later than you might have otherwise hoped for, but you'll be surprised how fast they'll catch up. You might even consider direct-sowing them right in the garden. Most people don't direct-sow tomatoes because they want to get an early jump on the season by starting them indoors, but there's no law that says they MUST be started indoors. Assuming the weather is warm enough for them to germinate (and I see that you are in zone 7, so I think the days are probably getting pretty comfortable there), you can direct-sow them and you'll have your heirloom 'maters in no time. -Diggity...See MoreTry Try Again ( hopefully the start of a lengthy debate)
Comments (11)Agree with 3 strikes and you are out ------ don't necessarily follow it. After 2 strikes I take pause and try to find out as much as possible about the natural environment of the failing plant. I also try to identify a grower who successfully grows them. I have tried over and over again with Dendrobium cuthbersonii and have always failed . So I finally talked to Tom Perlite from Golden Gate Orchids who grows these things like I grow Dandelion and got some hints from him. Now it takes me 2 years to kill them instead of one. I have finally given up on these little beauties. Dendrobium nobile is another example. No matter how closely I follow the instructions as to how to grow them, winter rest etc, I cannot get a decent bloom. Either they don't bloom or they make a few lackluster blooms. So I finally talked to the grower in Hawaii who is the source of most of the commercial nobiles you see on the market every spring. Success, last spring all 3 of mine bloomed ------------ with a few lackluster flowers! Enough, they went on the plant table of my society and I'm done with them. Miltoniopsis; Killed every one of them in the past. Finally talked to Theresa Hill form Hillcrest Orchids who grows beautiful Miltoniopsis. Her advice was simple, keep them cool in the summer, warm in the winter, they like to be within 5F of 60F. Doing this I am now growing them successfully, meaning the plant is increasing in size. Last year they even bloomed, one or two spikes on a large plant. That should have been 10 spikes or more. So I'm not there yet and unless they pick it up may also give up on them but not yet. Parvisepalum Paphiopedeliums: I just got started with these so have no failures to report. Go to the Gallery where you see an entry I placed yesterday of my first success with Paph armeniacum. They also have a reputation of being a little difficult and I had a discussion with Dr Holger Perner at the San Francisco show who thinks most people are growing them wrong. Most people treat them as cold growers. True in the winter but not true in the summer. In their natural habitat, the ones from China get treated to a bright, sunny, cold, dry winter and a shady, hot, humid and very wet summer. The result of the monsoon season there. So unlike Dracula who should be kept as cold as possible in the summer, these Paphs should go in the warm greenhouse and drenched every day. Since there are 35,000 species of orchids available, I generally don't mess with ones that don't like me. My greenhouse is full of robustly growing plants. Not because I'm a genius but because that is the price they have to pay in order to stay. If a plant lingers, grows poorly and fails to bloom, I will get rid of it. Visitors to my growing area think I do magic because most plants look very healthy when in fact it is a process of throwing them against the wall and if they don't stick, they don't stay. There are innumerable others to replace......See Moreneed help starting seeds indoors in greenhouses!!
Comments (6)So you are using the standard domed trays. Please note that the domes cause problems UNLESS you are planting all the same variety in the whole tray. No way different things will germinate at the same time if you leave the dome on waiting for the late-comers the early ones are killed by damp off. Either use separate containers and bags or tear the trays apart and plant only 1 variety in each tray. Then when some of that plant germinate it can be removed from the tray and dome and the rest can be left covered. Domes and plastic covers are for germination only. They can kill sprouted seedlings. Once sprouted the plants need air and lots of light, not covers. As for light, as the others have said, your light are way too far away. Fluorescent shop light kept no more than 2 inches above the top of the plants. Grow lights are not needed unless you want to spend the extra money on the. This, as well as fertilization needs, how to transplant, etc. is explained in great detail in the FAQ's here, linked for you previously. Dave...See MoreSeeking advice about current indoor seed starting setup
Comments (10)I have been starting flower seeds indoors for years and have a great deal of experience with success and failure. I wanted some information on heating mats and saw the discussion. Last year was the first year I used a heat mat but had to buy new ones this year due to losing my home and contents to a fire. I bought one mat from a trusted garden supply (too expensive) 2 off the internet, and recently a kit with mat from a big box store. On this last one I was appalled that the directions stated you should put the mat on a timer. I was told by my trusted garden shop that I needed the timer on the lights but that mats need to be on 24/7, which I already knew. So when I read the box, I hit the internet for answers. I have used a small enclosure off the finished part of the basement for my plant room, with grow lights timers, shelves, etc. and have had some wonderful results. When they did the rebuild I told them I wanted the same but refined. I have four outlets with a programmable timer and 4 outlets without timer for heat mats. I just started my first tray last night with heating mat, dome and light about 2" above dome, giving them 8 hours of darkness each day. I do not have a thermostat but a thermometer. My home thermostat drops to 64 while at work 5 days a week, to 67 during the night and is around 70-72 the rest of the time. So I will am hoping the mat will make up for the fluctuations. Even though I have been growing from seed indoors for years, I still need lots of help. Over the years I have heard that seeds do not need light to germinate, only heat. Others say they need both. I have always heard that once the seedlings emerge, both the dome and heat goes off. I have notes that say light should be no more than 6" above plants while others say no more than 1". I look forward to hearing more comments from newbies and veterans by joining this group. In the meantime, I just hope my snapdragons, impatiens and coleus I started last night will be off to a good start. I started later than I wanted and will be adding more tomorrow until all four mats and four hanging lights on the new plant are filled with trays. (and by the way, I freeze the seed packs before planting which shortens germination time too) Just thinking about my sad stories of losing plants from damping off, leggy plants, etc. but hope I can help others while learning more while waiting for Spring and a new garden in my newly built home. To think of the great results I have had with just egg cartons, covered with elastic bowl covers, near home heat source in front of sunny window, transplanted to Activia yogurt (perfect size) cups friends saved for me. So much fun learning on a small investment! Your thoughts are appreciated....See Morezen_man
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