Wow! What fun! Keep us posted as they grow.

Teresa

super!!!!!!!

do you want some tips on growing them???

ken

Jill those look great! Did you start them in those flats, or did you start in something else and transplant there? This is encouraging for me, I didn't know they took 5 weeks to sprout. I just planted mine last Friday, and keep looking at the trays in hopes that there will be some signs of life. Sigh, I just need to be patient I guess.

Huge thanks to the Christmas elf Teresa!! This is going to be fun watching everyone's babies grow.

Ken, I'd love to hear your growing tips. True neophite here as it relates to growing hosta from seed. I did follow one of the things you said, put them in a warm spot to germinate, they don't need sun at this point.

Donna

thanks teresa....

you bet, ken, fire away....

jill

hi donna...
sorry..i missed your post...

i did plant them "right in" those flats...1 seed per cell...
covered them and put them on top of the fridge...

took the cover off when i read the discussion about the difficulty of hardening them off the moisture...

then i put them in the window for a couple weeks...

NOW they are under the flourescent lites in the basement...

hubby keeps turning the lights OFF....i keep turning them ON...lol

will post more pics as they grow...

jill

did you sterilize the soil? and then did you sterilize the popsicle sticks... i use mini blind pieces which i wipe with 10% bleach .. i have seen others use plastic knives .. it looks like the sticks are mildewing .... which could harm a seedling ... but if they make it past that stage .. the hosta shouldnt care ...

what do you think the white stuff is .. is it salts from your water .... or is it mildew? or mold??? it is much easier to avoid the problem rather than fix the problem ...

they should have sprouted in 10 to 21 days... i dont know why they took 5 weeks .... but i think the elf's source may have sent her year old seeds .... but hey .. they sprouted.. what more do we need ...

keep up the good work .. ken

I did get some seeds from a source but those are not the ones I sent to Jill. The ones I sent to her were plucked from my garden last fall, so I guess that means they were fresh!

ken..

ummmm...ok...i better back up a bit...

i bought fresh seed starting mix and put it in the trays...then poured boiling water through....

OOOPSSS...didn't sterilize the popsicle sticks...
the white stuff is mold/mildew which i am scraping off with a toothpick...

teresa....some of the seeds of mine are from 2 summers ago...sooo...maybe those won't sprout...

donna....i water from the bottom....

jill

i was skeptical of the boiling water trick .. and i think you are seeing the result ....

i dont think the problem is all about the sticks ....

did you remove the papery wings from the seed... they are another introducer of stuff to your medium ....

and no matter what we cover.. dont forget .. they are hosta .... might not make any difference ....

the older the seed.. the tougher germination will be ....

anyway .. keep us posted on their progress .. ken

nope...didn't take off the wings...unless i squeezed too hard with the tweezers....lol

jill

Jill,
I know it has been awhile since you started these trays...
How did your trays turn out? My trays are just starting to show some signs of life, but are also starting to show some signs of white cotton like mold. (sighs) My first tray also took over a month to germinate, was beginning to almost give up.

I am wondering what would help at this point? Thought I had done everything right but chalk it up for being a noobie. :)

Air circulation is very important when trying to avoid fungal problems indoors. A tiny fan like those used in refrigerators will work as will a ceiling fan.

Those sterlized trays are perfect fungal spore starters.

hi smorz...

well...when it warmed up the flat went outside for the summer...and it's still out there...

they didn't grow very much...not sure how long it takes...

will see how they come through in spring...

jill

no use sterilizing the plastic pots.. and the medium ... if you are going to stick wooden labels in there ...

the trick is to sterilize everything .... think hospital operating room ...

10% bleach for plastic .... oven or microwave for the medium ... and plastic bleached labels ... i have seen plastic knives... but my favorite is mini blinds ... garbage picked at the curb... cut into 2 or 3 inch length ... and then sliced thinner... heck.. these days.. you can probably get some at wallyworld for a couple bucks.. and make a million of them ....

if they didn't grow much ... it might be.. since i lack facts.. medium exhaustion ... from jan thru march .. i repotted mine 3 times ... using fresh medium each time.. and i used 1/4 teaspoon of water soluble fert in a gallon milk jug every time i watered ... and always use tempered water .. meaning i have about 3 jugs ready to go .. and don't shock tiny plants with straight from the tap water ... if you leave the water next to the plants.. the water should be the same temp as the medium ...

ken

thanks for the advice ken...

lol...i "suppose" i should have transplanted them...

but i was a little busy planting the 100+ i purchased or received in trades...

i will try to do better next time...

jill

the biggest problem is that it is a winter hobby ... and by the time spring rolls around... who wants to mess with them in the house when you can be outside... but its still too cool to take them out.. forget to water them for a few weeks.. and then you finally drag them outside... and forget about them out there.. lol ...

no seeds for me this year

ken

"medium exhaustion"
ken

Can you define medium exhaustion?

I don't grow them in the basement since my first batch,years ago. Too much trouble and worry. My best results were planting seeds outdoors in pots. Out there,the fungus gnats have enemies and are not a problem. I have some very nice Cinnamon Sticks seedlings,and they are going to be even better next year,if we don't have another late spring freeze! I'll post some pics of them next year. Phil

All turned out well, mostly. As soon as I got them out from under the plastic and under lights, they are much happier and the mold fuzz is gone.
The Christmas Tree Gala seedlings germinated at least 50%, much better than I expected. The others more like 25%, but the mold didn't prevent germination, as I had read a few times that it may.
Looks like I may have a few fatal whites (unless they green up some as they grow?), but I cannot wait to see the first leaf open up any day now.
Thanks for all the help, I will be more careful on my next trays.

I am reading this and wondering if 50% of CTG and 75% of the others did not germinate, do you really think the mold didn't have something to do with it? Maybe I need to reread it again.

I have no doubt the mold is a bad thing to have, but when I saw it, I expected an absolute total loss. The CTG did have the worst case of mold, and the seedlings popped up right through it.