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Growing from Seed

My marigold/Coffee Filter Seed Project - Question

18 years ago

New to this whole biz of growing from seeds, and the very first time trying the filter in a baggie method. I tosseed maybe a dozen seeds in a moist filter and tossed it in a baggie about a week ago. Just checked this morning, and I see 2 of them have germinated. The new growth is a dark pinkish part attached to the seed, followed by whitish growth. The new growth isn't much, just a few milimeters. Do I let them grow in the filter a bit longer, or do I carefully put them in one of those 1 inch x 2 inch cell/flats that my marigolds came in last year? If so, how deep do I put them?

Thanks

Todd In philly

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Comments (4)

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
18 years ago
Coffee filters are fairly tough paper. I would get them off before the roots get into that tough paper. I would hardly cover them with soil, make the covering so thin that the new growth can see the light but thin soil tends to dry out. Perhaps someone else has a better idea for moving from the filter to soil.
0
crrand
18 years ago
I've found that marigolds are one of those plants that seem to put out a long root at the same time as the stem. The root will grow along the top of the coffee filter and the stem will lift to the light if there is no filter covering the seeds. They lift off the filter easily and the little L-shaped seedlings can be buried almost to the top of the stems in the growing medium. Just leave the seed casing attached if it hasn't fallen off on its own. Tomatoes work the same way.

Chris
0
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The heat in a compost pile is produced by bacterial activity, the more active your bacteria are the more heat is generated and there are at least three different species of bacteria active depending on the temperature, those bacteria that work to get the temperature to 100 degrees stop about there and another species takes over and gets the temperature even higher. The heat is an indication of bacterial activity but it has little do do with the bacteria that function in your soil aiding in disease prevention. Many bacteria, if allowed, will develop immunities, or a means of attacking disease pathogens. You find this happening in your garden as well as in the compost pile, indicating that the heat generated during the digestion process is not required for those immunities to develop. Once again, by the time you get the bleached paper what was used to bleach that paper has been washed out and is no longer in the paper.
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shrubs_n_bulbs
18 years ago
Marigold are so easy and reliable I don't bother with this method. Save it for those tough seeds.
0
parad0x
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks...I've gotten a bunch of seedlings going now, with the first set of leaves. I just ended up using potting soil that I had lying around (too lazy to go grab some soilless mix), and carefully placed them in old plastic 1 x 2 flats/cells that I had from my marigolds last year. I've been giving them 16 hours/day of light, and been keeping them moist. When should I start fertilizing them? Do I wait until the 2nd/first true set of leaves develop? The FAQ says after 4-5 days if using soil-less medium....but I'm not ;) Would a half-strength/weak Miracle-Gro application be ok to use?

Thanks!
Todd In Philly
0

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