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Growing from Seed

When Can These Go Outside?

17 years ago

When can I start putting the following outside to begin hardening them off. The 10 day forecast calls for lows in the low-mid 40s, and highs in the mid 50s.

My Snapdragons
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My Carnations:

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My Lavender Lady

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My Marigolds

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My Rosemary
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My Basil (Lime)
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My Red Rubin Basil

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My Peppermint
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Thanks!

Todd In Philly

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Comments (9)

limequilla
17 years ago
I can only help with part of them -- snaps and carnation can start the process now. I left a flat of snaps out this last 6 day cold snap last week and they frozen solid and thawed as if nothing had happened. When I saw them frozen, I was sad, but resigned (and I had another flat inside the house). Carnations and Pinks are the first tthings to come up from seed from an outdoor or wintersowing, and I know they are hardy, too.

Basil wants warm weather and I think it's just too early.

Peppermint is a weed, :) , you can throw it out anytime.

Marigolds can go either way, but you have to keep an eye on the weather with them. If it gets down to 35, they should come in.

Rosemary & Lavender I don't really know about, but I do think they are as susceptible to being too wet as they are to being too cold.

Lime
fairydancer
17 years ago
I've already started hardening off many of my seedlings. I put them out in the warmest part of the day (shade for the first couple of days) for only an hour or so, and gradually increase the amount of time outside by an hour each day. By the time the weather is consistenly warmer, they'll be ready to stay out all day.

Deb
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Don't worry. Normally they are perfectly hardy and would be fine outside all winter, as are all of mine. However, buying a plant at this time of year that has been greenhouse grown probably means that for the rest of this winter it is better sheltered from the coldest of the weather. So put it out during mild spells and only bring it in if you have 3 or more degrees of frost predicted. It should be fine. As regards stamens dropping off, that's part of the natural progression of the flower. Either it has been pollinated, in which case you should see the seed capsules swelling or, it hasn't and the flower is going over naturally. If there are more buds and you keep the plant inside then you will not have much chance of seed unless you do some pollination yourself. The stigma is receptive from the time the bloom opens 2 or 3 days before the pollen ripens on the stamens. (This is what encourages natural hybridisation as bees will visit as soon as the flowers open carrying pollen from other plants.) Use a small soft paintbrush and collect pollen from one flower and dust the end of the stigma, alternatively use a pair of tweezers to pluck a stamen from one flower and using this like a miniture make up brush, apply pollen to the stigma. This will give you good practice for hand pollination later when you want to make specific crosses. I usually tie a label loosely round the neck of the flower pollinated this way with the parentage(donor) details, discretely marking it with a piece of wool tied loosely round is less conspicuous. If you are being really thorough and want to be certain of the specific cross you would emasculate the bloom, ie pull all the rest of the stamens off and put a muslin hood over it, (toepiece of a stocking will do, let light and air through but not pollinators). However at this stage for your new plant, I should be happy just to pollinate one flower and leave the rest to nature. You should get an indication of how many seed you would get allowing nature to run it's course via visiting pollinators. Generally very few on the first blooms of the season, and more as time progresses and there are more blooms and pollinators. Artificially, you should get 10-20 per bloom. Details for harvesting and sowing the seed are elsewhere here, just plant fresh, you'll probably get near 100% germination. Have fun. Greenmanplants
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rdubow
17 years ago
Just wanted to say thanks for the photos! Your plants look like a book! Mine are not nearly as beautiful and hardy but I am doing my best with my flourescents...and I am a zone behind you still...we just got 4" of snow today and it is suppose to be 60 in three days...wish I was your zone!

Thanks for the photos...I was wondering what other peoples looked like and yours were a GREAT help! Thanks soooooo much!
Bec
ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
17 years ago
Beautiful photos. What kind of camera do you use?

I agree about peppermint- harden and put it out. I *think* basil required warmer weather.
I also have Lavendar and Rosemary small plants. I have had them out when the temp was up to 60's during the day. Then the temp dropped down to the 30's so I brought them inside.

Today (40's) the Rosemary are out. The lavendar are newer (I do cuttings, not seed) so I will not put them out until the temps rise to 50's and then harden them off as was suggested.

ellen
parad0x
Original Author
17 years ago
Canon Powershot A20 I think...

Todd In Philly
parad0x
Original Author
17 years ago
You notice those shorter marigolds (have 2 other cell packs with bigger/taller marigolds) already have buds on them. They're only less than 2" tall. Should I pinch those buds off? Or is it ok to let those stay?

Todd In Philly
limequilla
17 years ago
Todd,

I always pinch out the first flowers on every kind of annual I can think of. I learned it from The Victory Gardener who said it will make the plant stonger, flower better, and be better shaped the entire rest of the season. So, whether I buy from a garden ceter or start the seed myself I pinch them.

Have you ever heard of Messenger? It's a plant hormone you spray on your plants. They don't really say what it does except make your plants stronger, flower better, and be more resistant to disease.

When I sprayed it on my Impatiens seedlings, I noticed some really strong lateral branching, so this year was the first year I didn't pinch those back. There was simply no place to pinch and they didn't need it.

I'm not sure why I brought that up, it's just very weird. I was wondering if pinching makes the plant produce its own hormone. Ah, well, I am thinking aloud and mostly yammering, to boot!

You see those long tall Impatiens seedlings sitting in flats sometimes at the garden center and I just want to go though and pinch them all before people buy them :)

LIme
parad0x
Original Author
17 years ago
Correction...Powershot A40. :)

Todd In Philly
jdreidinger
17 years ago
Your seedlings look great! Good job with them and the photos.

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