Newbie has sprouts!!!! Wow!

14 years ago

Checked my containers this morning and what do you know? I have sprouts!!!!! I'm so excited!

The sprouts are New England aster, Virginia Bluebells, and Purple giant hyssop.

Thank you so much to everyone on the Winter Sowing forum who helped answer my many questions!!!! Everyone has been so encouraging and helpful...

Doing the Happy jig!!!!

Wow, so now I have another question: Right now my milk jugs are all taped closed with duct tape. When I cut the drainage holes in the milk jugs originally, I also made two little holes for a future pipe cleaner closure. Should I now remove the duct tape on the jugs that have sprouted, and keep the jugs just loosely closed with the pipe cleaner closure? Or should I keep them duct taped a little while longer?

In the jugs I have sprouts in, I only have a couple of sprouts in each so far. Right now the weather report for this week in our area is daytime highs around 70, with night-time lows around 40 degrees F.

Thanks in advance and you all again!

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Comments (7)

siichan
14 years ago
Congrats topie!! I'm a newbie and don't know much about this, but I think with high 70, it's gonna be really really hot inside the jug.

By the way, do you mind posting thew pic of your new england aster sprout? I have something sprouted in the place where I sow new england aster. However, I'm afraid those are weeds...
craftlady07
14 years ago
Hey - I'm a newbie to WS too and I just found my 1st sprouts today too!! I've got a few hollyhocks poking up :) So exciting! In my post below it was recommended that I just add some more vents and not remove tops, so I think taking the tape off and going with pipe cleaners would be okay for some more vents :) you may want to wait for someone with more sexperience to post though, like I said this is my first time so I have no idea what I'm talking about, haha!

~Andrea
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topie
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks siichan and Andrea!

OK, maybe it's OK to not to duct-tape the jugs with sprouts closed again, and just have the loose pipe cleaner closure holding the top closed, but not open up the top of the milk jug (at the hinge) yet...hopefully.

siichan, tomorrow I can post a photo of my New England aster sprout along with a photo of the leaves of one of the New England asters greening up in my perennial bed. The seed leaves of the N.E. aster look different than the mature leaves...so maybe that's why the seedlings you have look strange?

If they are New England asters and have their mature leaves, the leaves should look sort of pointy, kind of like a knife blade, whereas if they are just baby sprouts, the first seed leaves/cotyledons of New England asters usually are more rounded-looking...more like a spoon.

The link below has a good photo of the New England aster seedlings (see the "Seedling" photo) with the rounded leaves and then the plant once it gets its pointier, knife-shaped leaves (see the "Juvenile" photo.)

Hope that helps but will post my photos tomorrow anyway...

Here is a link that might be useful: Grow Native: New England aster
siichan
14 years ago
Oh wow, mine is definitely weed then. I got the seeds from trading. And now looking at seeds picture, I am positive that the guy gave me chaff only. Disappointing :(
ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
14 years ago
Topie,
Congrats on your sprouts!
with day highs in the 70's, you should definitely take those tops off.
Those babies will fry.
If it stays at 40 at night, they will also be ok without tops.
If night temp drops to below freezing you might need to protect them if they are tender.
Aster and hyssop I think will be ok without tops even if the temps dip.
I am not familiar with bluebells. If they need warm temps you can cover them if temp drops below freezing.
topie
Original Author
14 years ago
siichan, here's a photo of one of my New England aster sprouts:

{{gwi:369253}}

Sorry to hear your sprouts may not be what you thought they were...I think sometimes it's tough for people to keep seeds from intermingling if they are making up lots of packets for a seed trade? I agree, it is disappointing though.

Thanks ellenr for the congratulations! I had more Virginia bluebell sprouts today...so exciting...

I asked about taking the duct tape off on another thread & Trudi said to keep them taped for now...
siichan
14 years ago
Hi topie, thanks so much for the pic!! Yup, mine is definitely not aster. Yours is so adorable. Congrats again!

Newbie has sprouts!!!! Wow!

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