There are no hard and fast rules and it's never just one thing. Seedlings grow just fine for me with natural light in a south facing room. There are plenty of windows. A small ficus calls this room home and is very happy. I've grown aquarium plants in this room with no artificial lighting as well. Along with lighting considerations, care must also be given to avoid over watering. Keep the sterile seed starting mix moist but not soggy. Also, apply dilute liquid fertilizer only after the second set of true leaves are formed. Some other things that are frequently overlooked -- seedlings tend to be less leggy if there's some natural breezes and good air circulation. My winters aren't too harsh so I set seedlings out on a bench in bright partial shade to keep them pre-hardened during daylight hours. Wind hardening is part of the overall picture. If I didn't have this well lit room, I would use cheap shop light fixtures with full spectrum (natural sunlight) bulbs (5500-6500 Kelvin). I'd run them on a timer for 12 hours on and 12 hours off to simulate a normal day at the equator. And I'd run an indoor fan periodically.

I thought I'd have a tough time with keeping the mint indoors but figured I'd give it a shot, as I love tea and like to steep some spearmint leaves with it. when I 1st got the mint (which was kept outdoors at the store), I tried replicating the environment it was used to. I'd put the plant outside during the day, only to find it severely wilted within an hour. it was a strange and unforseen side effect. either the temperature was too high or the sun was too strong, although it did the same when placed in a shaded area as well. so, it's remained indoors ever since. it's looking awful, I'm positive I killed it by the way I cleaned it the other night, I have to figure out how to do that correctly! I was fortunate to have found the cococoir- it was the only bag in the store and I've never seen another one since, even though I went to several different shops, so now I'm stingy about who gets it! what do you think of bottom watering? I have everything from African violets to Chinese evergreens to succulents to rosemary to fittonia, etc. when I water one of my basils from the bottom (via one of those "self watering" pots), it not only does very well but the top of the soil is barely even damp. from my limited experience, I could be wrong in thinking this is a good thing, but it seems like it is- as I said, the Basil seems to be doing great, and I'd assume there's less of a risk of infestation when the top of the soil isn't wet right after watering. I dont know what it is, but every single plant I have remains very wet for awhile after watering, even the ones with tons of perlite in the mixture. I watered my begonia over a week ago and the top of the soil is still extremely damp, I feel like it's very unnatural to have them remain in this condition for so long. I'm just not sure what to do about it, do you have any advice on that? (oh, and I also keep a small fan running on one window full of plants for the entire day, then switch it to the other window of plants at night. I thought that would help them dry a bit & also help with air circulation, but it doesn't seem to help with drying, at all) thank you!

Hi Angharand!! I know when you repotted and rootpruned in the spring they were in a heavy mix and i remember you were concerned.. It sounds like they are starting to become healthy since they have produced a new flush of healthy leaves. The stems were thin when you received them and i know you want them to fatten up, but it will take time for them to become healthy and it sounds like they are. You have done a great job in turning them around. Just think of how they were before. They need time to fatten up and enjoy the new home and mix you have provided. It sounds like they are heading in the right direction now. Remember when you repotted and they were in need of water? You gave them time to acclimate to the sun and temps.. Now they are starting to show their thanks.. I think they will continue to gain strenght and will eventually gain thickness in the trunks. Remember, they were struggling before. Now they are growing leaves and giving you some positive signs. It is up to you if you think they need a better mix. Also if you think they need a bigger container. I think they would do fine if you pot up in a larger container and not disturb the roots, but they went through alot this spring. I personally think they need time to adjust and grow. I give mine Foliage Pro every week when i water.. sometimes i will fertilize every two weeks. I always make sure the mix is moist before i give the tree fertilizer to prevent burn. The choice is up to you. I know you want to see them grow,, but remember they can grow on their time, not ours... They will thicken up in time .. Mature trees will.. These were weak trees before.. I think they just need time. Just my opinion. Sometimes we want to keep doing things to the trees and they really need time to get adjusted to what we have already done. I hope you understand what i am trying to say... I can hear Bill. (He taught me well...) his advise to us all would be to leave them alone and let them be. LOL.. I agree with him. My 2 cents.. Let them gain strength as they are.. pot up if you really want to. I woud have to see the trees to make that decision, but i would say to leave them. let the roots grow and then you will see more progress. We want to see our trees grow fast, but we cant make them grow faster when they dont want to. We can help and water and fertilize, but they will do as much as they can. I think you have done a great job with these babies.. I hope this helps... They are your trees, so you are the one to decide. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a safe one as well!!! I have a celadine cutting if you want to start another.. let me know. xoxo Take care, Laura

I've successfully separated doubled seedlings (from two seeds stuck together) even before the first true leaves developed. One year the mix was soaking wet/muddy and a slight tug pulled one plant-roots free (did this with several dozen plants). In cases when the plant did not slide out I just took the soil out, teased the plants apart and replanted. Transplant success is high as long as the mix is damp and the humidity is high so that the plants can regrow root hairs before they dry out. If you have space between plants in a you can slide a butter knife into the soil and pry up the plant with a bit of soil on the roots and just drop that into a new pot. Doof, With three plants per hole in the garden you have a couple of problems 1) Root competition for limited nutrients and water = stunted plants. 2) Leaf competition for limited light = less fruit. Sometimes one plant will out compete the others and will not be so stunted (but not as good as it could be, other times all of them will suffer equally. This problem is the same (but far worse) as planting too close (2 ft apart instead of 3-4ft for large varieties). The plants do fine until they reach a certain size. Some people plant close together anticipating animal or cutworm damage and then thin the large plants later, but it takes a hard heart to tear out a perfectly good plant mid season.