Hi Jaci, Congrats on your new seedlings! One tip I feel comfortable giving you is ALWAYS make sure the soil is moist before you transplant. That goes for just about anything you transplant. It keeps the root ball intact and decreases the chance of shock. I keep my seedlings moist everyday until they reach about 6 months old or so. Approx every other day or so I will fully water them. Seedlings and adults alike do like to be misted. Makes them feel like they are in the homeland if you know what I mean :)! I treat them like an adult once they turn about a year old. You can transplant them in 6in pots, or even better a gal pot. IMO they grow to the size of their pot quite rapidly. I have also put them in 6 in pots to save space recently, and am finding that I need to transfer them soon, although it's not a good time (seasonally). I hope this info helps. I'm sure others will chime in with their experience. Good luck and welcome, as you've read, there are a great bunch of plumies addicts on this site! Karen R.

Susan, I will address your questions although in a somewhat progressive manner... 1st, you can edit your extra posts (into shorter posts saying something like extra post #1 or Hello, Everyone, tell jokes etc) , by utilizing the edit post feature which is located to the right under where it says "Clippings" please see my image for a clear view of the edit function....it will only appear after your own posts , since you can only edit your own posts... You mentioned : "You are clearly an expert!" No I never accept any postings referring to me as an expert as I am only only a 'constantly aspiring aficionado'... Be sure you have the species properly identified...post photos of the packet , the seeds , the seedlings and the young plants with true leaves for feedback from the community. You can use miracle grow but use the (phosphorus based) bloom booster formula...although there are better approaches that some time to learn because there are no instant magic answers... "When you say that the Japanese do provide optimum nutrition....can you please tell me what kind of nutrition and how much?? " A) Plants that are being grown in containers they use special clay , smoked rice hulls, manure - the exact amount will vary with the species and size of container. B) Plants that are being grown directly in the ground = the formulation is tailored to fit each circumstance by advice from a more experienced local grower and / or by self experimentation... "As for watering...how do you know what is an optimum amount? " C) Monitor plant response... "Do you wait until the ground is fairly dry before watering again?" D) Depending on the species and intentions Some do , some don't...I personally prefer to always keep the soil at least moist , as this helps to keep the beneficial microbes alive... Here is what I have discovered and that is that each location has it's own specialized factors which will respond to judicious adjustments of various components. Depending on where the plants are going to be grown n containers (which has it's own variables) or directly in the ground (which has a different set of variables)...every plant doesn't respond to the same ratio of components... Everyone wants a formula that will work optimally everywhere under all circumstances and *that* is a dream... Reality requires that you experiment to find out what works best for you , in your area , with different species and other growing conditions. There are no soil test kits that are reliable and the reason why is because they only measure how much of a select substance will dissolve in a given amount of acid over a short period of time...and although this may be better than no info at all...it DOES NOT tell you anything about how the elements or minerals are going to behave in a Living Soil rhizosphere type of environment. Feed the Soil and allow the LIving Soil to feed the plants... Use only pro-biotic substances and preferably OMRI rated. https://www.omri.org/ Learn about how glauconite, zeolites and humic acids can keep the nutrients in the root environment and stop poisoning the ocean with overly soluble phosphorus and other nutrients which cause algal overgrowth... Make your own compost...this is very important, because the ancient humic acids that are mined are already pre-loaded with aluminum and heavy metals...if you make your own compost and humic related acids , the humic acid will only be loaded with what you put in it... Zeolites and other ion exchange type of clays and clay-like substances are better for ornamentals , because they are almost always pre-loaded with toxic elements that may be OKay for ornamentals but aren't something you want to eat. Growing Food (?!) - then try to use only your own homemade compost which will contain fresh (low molecular weight) humic related acids. Try and go over the basics I have mentioned (scout around on the web to see what you can find) and when you feel like you are ready for more information I will do what I can... I think it is a good idea for people to actively participate in learning rather than simply just try and digest info meted out to them... To Be Continued... Here is a link that might be useful: Rhizosphere This post was edited by ron_convolvulaceae on Mon, Aug 12, 13 at 16:39

i have several mango from seed. i normally sprout them in a 1.5 qt container, and move them to a 1 gallon within a couple of weeks, or, until they are about 8 inches tall. My rule of thumb is to have the container as tall as the height of the plant. (at least while they are small) Normally, with larger trees, you can go much higher with the plant, double, or even triple... But, i dont want the tap root touching the bottom of the container, especially with a mango, if i am going to plant it in the ground one day. --- as far as germination... i did a test, with 1) paper towel - 2) paper towel and fulvic acid - 3) paper towel and worm castings... the worm castings produced much stronger and larger seedlings. --- soil... personally, i dont like coir (or peat) but, i am not like most growers. i like live soil, more organics, less chemicals. i also like sand and lava rock (just a few)... the lava rock has small holes that retain water... coarse sand has great drainage and slowly breaks down releasing minerals. nothing beats quality sifted compost... bark fines are good also. i use about %15 local soil for the live biology. my soil is a fine sand with some organic matter. and i use about %10 or %15 worm castings. Like i said, a lot of people will disagree with me on this, especially on the local soil.... and FINE sand 'can' get you in trouble, but it works for me. (dont use much and mix well), %25 bark fines // %25 sifted compost // %25 coarse sand // %25 mix of - lava rock, worm castings, local soil and/or perlite - to taste :)

I'll back up just a bit. I sowed seven trays of 5 different kinds of rhododendron seeds in soilless seedling mix under glass (lexan, actually) under fluorescent lights that are hung about 4 feet above the location in an area that varies in temperature (from 52 at night to 80 degF during the day). Of those I sowed, seeds in five trays are growing radicles or have their first leaves. The only ones that aren't showing any signs of life are the R. aureum. Upon very close inspection some of these R. aureum seeds seem to have powdery mildew and/or green globular stuff growing on them. Since I used the same seedling mix, the same bleached trays, and the same water with very dilute H2O2, and I grew in the same conditions, I believe that the seeds themselves are contaminated with the powdery mildew and green stuff. While I have read that exposure to 140degF 3% H2O2 can kill what's on the seed coats (and I am trying that now) I am wondering what other people have done with contaminated seeds. At the same time, I am wondering if they need shade--is any direct light too much?--because my first failure has made me extra concerned about my method.