Anyone else have trouble starting 'specialty' seeds?

16 years ago

Hi everyone --

I'm in my second year of "semi-serious" tomato growing...whatever THAT means! lol Anyway, I didn't want to make the same mistakes I made last year, with too few varieties to experiment with, starting too late, etc., etc.

So, this year I'm trying to get four successful seedlings of each of the varieties I want to try, because I know "stuff happens" as you try to get them to the transplant stage. (Any extras I'll give away.) I ordered several varieties from Totally Tomatoes, plus had leftover seeds of the Big Beef Hybrid from last year. I'm not trying Brandywine again, because the yield was pitiful and the taste not as good as the Big Beef.

Well, all four Big Beefs I sowed germinated the first time, and they're growing as I expected. But I'm having hit-or-miss results with the following varieties: Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Solar Set Hybrid, Sweet Baby Girl, and Tami G Hybrid. I just re-sowed the "no-shows" for the third time this afternoon. I've got representative plants of each variety, but I can't seem to get four each. They either fail to germinate at all, or start, stall, and then fail. I presume the latter happens because they fail to set roots, use up all the energy in the seed, and croak.

Transplant season (first week of April here) looms on the horizon, and I'm not going to have robust plants by then. Does this lower germination rate happen to the rest of you? Also, do you have any tricks in selecting the seeds with the best chance of germinating? I've been inspecting them under a magnifying glass before sowing them, and trying to pick out the "plumper"-looking ones that are slightly darker in color.

Thanks!

Bruce C.

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Comments (5)

sprager
16 years ago
Hello Bruce
I don't believe the size of the seed matters. It is the right conditions. Warmth, and humidity.
I put my seeds in small plastic containers, and put them on top of the hot water heater.
I picture lawyers drooooling over this,and it's a crying shame. Just keep them away from the pipes. They don't need light to germinate.(This applies to lawyers also): On another note I had some new seeds I bought last year (just one type). I only got 2 or three sprouts out of several seeds of this packet last year. I figured they were not very fertile, so I threw the rest of the packet in this year. Well I now have 29 Marrina's Peace sprouts. I guess the humidity is the only difference. I used the same water heater, same growing mixture. I guess I did use different tap water a year ago :
mule
16 years ago
Try letting the soil dry slightly instead of being wet all the time. Make sure also that the soil is warm. Another minor point but could help with germination is to put the ones not germinating into dark until they do sprout. Some varieties can be light sensitive.

Could also be the age of the seed.

Has anyone else noticed that Tomato Growers Supply is one of the few companies that DONT put the dates on their packages?
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billtex
16 years ago
Read the faq page here at GW on starting seeds and order seeds from tomato growers supply in fl., sandhill preservation seeds .
bcfromfl
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everyone for your input. I don't have trouble with other seeds as a rule, and have a good system for tomatoes. The Big Beef (and Brandywine I did last year) all sprout for me 100% and reach transplant stage just fine. It's these seeds I'm trying this year that are proving a bit persnickety.

Perhaps it's the quality of the seeds and/or the preparation before they reached the packet. I'll check into the other sources billtex mentioned for next season.

Bruce
robertz6
16 years ago
I have had good luck with my tomato seeds. One thing I do is to use rain water for seeds. If no rainwater is available; I use tapwater, letting it sit for three days to reduce the residual chlorine.

Anyone else have trouble starting 'specialty' seeds?

Comments (5)

sprager

mule

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robertz6

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Anyone else have trouble starting 'specialty' seeds?

Comments (5)

sprager

mule

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billtex

bcfromflOriginal Author

robertz6

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bcfromfl
Original Author