Seedlings from starting kit tray/dome/heat pad

8 years ago

Hello everybody.

First I would like to say how glad I am to have found this forum. Long story short, I'm a webdesigner working from now and I was looking for something to entertain myself when taking breaks from the computer and so I decided to get myself into gardening.

As this was all new to me, I decided to buy a starting kit tray with a 7" dome and a heating pad. Then watched a few videos on how to sow seeds.

All I needed then was to figure out what to sow and thats how I found the adenium. So I bought some seeds on Ebay and started sowing them about 5 days ago. Now that they finally sprouted, I want to be sure I keep doing what is good for them.

I still have the heating pad on constantly, and the temperature is kept at around 84 degrees. The tray gets full sun during the day.

I used groban cubes as my medium and they are keeping moisture. I water the bottom of the tray to keep the moisture going every 2 days. Just a little bit of water. I am not watering the seedlings themselves anymore because the cubes are pretty humid.

It is gonna be a week soon and not sure what to do at this point. Should I take the dome off? What about the heating pad? Should I turn it off?

Any pointers for a newbie would be greatly appreciated. ;)

Here is a picture. It is nothing like you guys but its my first try so I am proud of myself hehe

Thank you

Stephane

Featured Answer

Elena

8 years ago

Hello everyone! I'm also new to adenium and started mine from seeds. I kept them on a dry side during winter months because I was too worried about the rot. Mine are in a cactus and coco coir mix, seems like so far they are alive, lol. Stephane, I think you can start feeding your babies with diluted foliage fertilizer once a week or so... Here's my victims

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Comments (75)

halocline
8 years ago
Hi everyone,

Sorry about going OT but,I went to the Bonsai nursery today to drop off some Haydite for the owner. When I went in the greenhouse he had three small (3") A. obesum, only the second time I've ever seen him selling them. I bought my 2nd one from him about 7 months ago.

I asked him if he knew much about them; he said "No, but my supplier is right here". (There was a guy I had never met before sitting at their repotting table.) He introduced himself as "Scott". We talked for a while, turns out he's a science/computer science teacher, and grows Adeniums on the side (Crispum, Obesum, and Socotranum). Anyway, the short of it (lol), he said he had some real nice ones and would bring some in next Monday.

I told him all about the plants from Thailand you (Tracy) and Laura recently got. :-)

Rob
addicted2plants Southern IL USA
8 years ago
Nice addition Rob! It's already blooming at such a young age, it must be a quick study. Awesome that you are in touch with a local grower. I must warn you! They are addictive. You probably already knew that.

Stephane, welcome to the world of growing Adenium seedlings. It is quite a real treat and you will find some excellent advice here. There are tons of historical conversations here that are loaded with bits of Adenium knowledge from the people that have been growing them for many years. I look forward to seeing the progress on your seedlings.

Tracy
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halocline
8 years ago
Addictive?? A year and a half ago; I had never even heard of Adeniums. In the past 71/2 months; I have thus far amassed a diverse collection of six, ranging from a few inch's tall to over a foot. So far I've had 3 in a row bloom in the middle of Winter, all very different from one another.

Rob
rcharles_gw (Canada)
8 years ago
Stephane, keep us posted on how you progress with your seedlings. I am sure you will succeed.

Rick
halocline
8 years ago
Yes, after all these posts, I would like to see how you decide to proceed. And if anyone has any advice on how to remove the rockwool (if & when you choose to do so).

Rob
Bob Davis
8 years ago
I just got some seeds into Rock wool yesterday. I meant to do it three days ago. I did start seeds three days ago only they ended up in soil. I soaked my rock wool for about 4 hours. I ph balanced a cal mag solution to 5.1 and then the last 5 minutes I dropped the cubes into a nutrient solution that was also Ph balanced. I soaked my seeds for around 3 hours like I usually do. Then I put the rock wool in an incubator and on a heating mat in my tent. They haven't popped yet. I started some golden coral and S1s I only have my golden coral hydro seeds labeled. I accidentally gave away my golden bell seeds thinking they were some extra golden coral I bought. I read the package wrong. I wasn't mad though I gave them to someone local who is starting a nursery. Tracy I am going to send you out some golden coral seeds on Tuesday. I'll send you a pm at some point to let you know they are on the way. Sorry it's taken me so long i found out my other seeds from mr Ko won't me here til March or April. I was trying to hold off sending them til I had those or the multiform seeds but I may not even get the multiflorum seeds yet. I was going to send you the golden coral seeds last week because the guy who sold me the multiflorum seeds said they might arrive. They didn't though. So I'll just send you these golden coral this week. Anyway I am going to start posting more pictures on my thread soon. I have some seedlings that are looking good and can't wait to get them up on the thread.
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
Hello everybody,

My seedlings were 1 month old yesterday. Here are some pictures. I don't think they grew much but I see them everyday so maybe they did.

I have about 25 seedlings and this is what I think I'm going to do once I see that it's time for them to move out of their Rockwool cubes.

- Some will be repotted in Al's Gritty Mix.
- Some in regular soil (3 parts) mixed with perlite (1 part)
- Some in 65% perlite, 10% Coco coir, 10% sand/rock and 15% top soil

I'm also going to try to cut the root off on a couple of them to create the centipede roots. I understand it's a lot of different directions hehe but I think I'll learn more from my mistakes if I see hands-on what works and what doesn't.

All of them will be in 4 inch plastic pots. Of course, I understand the watering will have to be done differently and accordingly. It's gonna be a huge learning curve for me and I feel sorry for those seedlings hehe

As for the rockwool cubes, for the most part, I think I'll take the seedlings out of the cubes before repotting them. But I think I'll leave a couple in the cubes just to see what it does.

Am I spreading myself too thin? I just don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, you know. I just wished they were bigger so that I can get it all done :)

When I look at my Adeniums, some are really short. After 1 month, is this normal?

Thanks guys :)
Stephane
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
By the way, I'm not sure what to do with this one. 1 month old and looking really weird. Should I throw it?
Stephane
Dain (Zone 5a, high NM Desert)
8 years ago
Stephane, go ahead and skip the gritty mix. It's really good for adeniums which a have started developing a caudex that can store a bit of water. Seeds need a lot of watering if they are in a gritty mix. Watering a lot is fun at first, but after a while begins to be a chore. Most of my seedlings are in a mix of coco coir, diatomaceous floor dry, and fir bark chips. They seem to be doing pretty well. If you are keeping them warm, adeniums love to be in moist soil. Also, in my limited experience, adeniums tend to form a caudex that mirrors the shape of the pot they are placed in. This guy is seven months old, and has been in this green pot since September. Overpotting has really allowed him to grow fat, but the shallow height of the bowl has helped keep the roots manageable. I'm really liking the roots that have been growing in round pots, much more than the ones that have been placed in square pots.

As for your question about the oddly shaped one, I cant really tell from the picture, but it looks as if maybe the cotyledon leaves were damaged. If that's the case, it'll never properly develop.
halocline
8 years ago
For the most part I agree with Dain. Learning to make your own soil mixes is great, but can be a lot of work, esspecially if you're going by trial & error. The most important part of that is understanding the science and concept behind Al's Gritty Mix. (Perhaps not as important growing Adeniums, as is w/ Bonsai, but important non the less.)

If you do become overwhelmed, a quality cactus soil at this stage would work as a backup. As for the ones you're leaving in rockwool, I would remove the plastic. I would also use round pots. The odd plant... Did it send the caudex up instead of down? LoL

Dain - Where do you get your Fir bark?

Rob
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hi Dain, this is a really nice Adenium. The shape of the caudex is so cool.

Thanks for letting me know about the gritty mix. I'll then keep it for when my adeniums get older. I work from home, so watering would not be a problem for me.

I'm going to try your mix as well. Could you tell me what you use for ratio?
I'm trying to find the ingredients online. Could this work:
- Substitute for fir bark chips, Repti Bark: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281585405189

- I found the coco coir: http://www.ebay.com/itm/181980004701

- What can I use for diatomaceous floor dry? I just noticed a box at my house that says "diatomaceous earth" that is used for my pool. Is that the same thing? Sorry if it sounds stupid hehe

Thanks

Stephane
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Rob :) This is the reason why I want to make my own soil and try several of them to see what works for me.
I heard that Repti Bark could be used as a substitute for Fir Bark (Which I cannot find to save my life).
LOL That's what I'm thinking about the odd seedling. Poor little guy hehe

Stephane
halocline
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Stephane - Reptibark is Fir bark, and it's great, just the right size, pre-screened, but for making soil; it's very expensive. I have zero experience w/ coco coir, but there are different kinds, I notice that one has the word "Dust" in it's name. (Dain probably knows.) I use Pine bark in my GM; which is perfectly acceptable, but I'd rather use Fir.

EDIT: When using DE, make sure it's the granulated kind, not powdered.

Rob
Dain (Zone 5a, high NM Desert)
8 years ago
Rob, as I am an apartment dweller and my adeniums are either in the window or in my aquarium converted to a grow room, I only buy one bag of Reptibark at a time. I usually just get it on amazon. If you were looking to buy in bulk, i'd wait until petsmart has their big bags on sale, use a promo/coupon, and then pay with a giftcard bought on Raise.com for additional $$$ off.

I use coir also from amazon. I make sure I rinse it well after rehydrating in case it was processed in a facility that used seawater. I know others here use coconut chips instead of fir bark. I know nothing of these other than their existence. Also, I should mention that some people have experienced root rot with the use coir that plugs drainage holes. In my opinion, this would only be a problem if you plants get too cold. Coir with DE floordry seems to drain just fine, with minimal movement of soil particles downward.

The floor dry i use I purchased at carquest. It was $10 for a twenty pound bag. Be wary, because twenty pounds actually takes up a large volume. The part number is 8033.
halocline
8 years ago
Stephane - You also might want to make yourself a watering schedule to keep track of what got what & when.

Seems like your memory would suffice, but it can get hectic w/ multiple soils and nutrients.

Just a thought.

Rob
Stephane (Texas-8a) thanked halocline
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi Rob,

That's an excellent idea! I'll do a spreadsheet to keep track of all that. I agree, once I repot everything, it'll become hectic.

So I'll go buy the Reptibark and get the coir from Ebay. The DE I got for the pool is powdered so I'll look for the granulated one.

I'm loving all the suggestions, thank you guys :)
Stephane
rcharles_gw (Canada)
8 years ago
I much prefer the Coconut husk chunks which I have bought at Petsmart in a large bag. Used to use the Bark (still do for my Orchids and Hoya mix), but I find it does not hold water and when it does get dry, it takes much longer to hold water. The Coconut Husk chunks give the same aeration to soil.

Cocnut Coir is a good product, just want to get the ones with long fibers in it. Most Hydroponic store carry this or atleast can get it.

Rick
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Rick, I actually ordered several things online. You guys gave me a lot of suggestions so I can't wait to play around with different soil. I also can't wait for the seedlings to get bigger. I need to stop looking at them cos they look like the're not growing anymore. I wish I could use an air pump to speed up the process hehe

I'll keep you guys posted :)

Stephane
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hi guys,

For the past couple of weeks, I've been wondering how the roots of my seedlings were doing. For years, I've killed so many plants because of overwatering, so today, I couldn't wait any longer, I HAD to check and see if I was overwatering these seelings. I chose the smallest one of them and delicately took it out of the rockwool. I know it's gonna sound funny but this was the cutest thing I've seen in a long time :)

There were 3 tiny roots, no rot roots, looked very healthy to me so I was very relieved and so excited. Does it look ok to you guys?

I mixed some cactus soil with a bit of perlite and put it in its own little pot. That's the only way I will learn, by trials and errors so I'll see how that one does.

All the others are staying in their rockwool cubes. I just wanted to check 1 seedling just to reassure me.

Stephane
halocline
8 years ago
That is cute!

I'm going to have some room to experiment myself pretty soon, I just bought a variety of 70+ seeds. I'm also getting ready to attempt a graft.

Rob
Dain (Zone 5a, high NM Desert)
8 years ago
No, Stephane, it does not look good. It seems its missing soil, a critical item for growing seedlings. You should look into getting some for it. ;-)
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
8 years ago
Haha Dain, darn, it kinda looked good in its own little bathtub :) I guess I'll get some soil hehe

Rob, that's awesome. I just watched videos about grafting and it looks very interesting. I see there are a lot of different ways to do so. Let me know how it goes :)

Stephane
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
7 years ago
Hello everybody,

It has been a while since I posted here so I thought I'd give you an update on my Adenium adventure. As you may remember, I started my first tray of Adenium back in January and had chosen to use groban cubes as my medium.Everything sprouted well on that 1st tray, but I decided to drop the groban cubes and just go with regular potting soil on my next trays and I've noticed a huge difference.

The adeniums in my first tray (groban cubes) germinated really fast but then the growth was extremely slow. Once I started using the regular potting soil, the adeniums took a bit longer to germinate (Just a few more days), but once they did, they kept growing really fast. Sometimes, it's best to keep it simple and it totally worked for me. Potting soil for the win hehe. I'm also getting the hang of watering them too.

I'm enjoying this so much that we built a small greenhouse out of very old windows a few month ago. It gives me a place to escape during the day hehe

Here are some pictures of my small army.

Thanks,

Stephane
User
7 years ago
What a cosy little cookie house for your adeniums. I bet they love it there. It seems to be the case. :-)
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
7 years ago
That's really neat, what a great little hideaway For you and your plants! The first batch have really come on. I hope you continue to post about them and enjoy the labours of your work:-)

Gill
spacecoast_fl_zone_9
7 years ago
LOVE your greenhouse... What an awesome place to regenerate. Your seedlings look great too.
spacecoast_fl_zone_9
7 years ago
Rick, what's the name of the coconut husks chunks you buy at PetSmart? Is this about the same?

https://www.amazon.com/Kritters-Crumble-Natural-Coconut-Substrate/dp/B004A8ZQD4?ie=UTF8&;Version=1&entries=0
Susana (Florida USA - 9a)
7 years ago
Love the greenhouse! And the seedlings look great.
halocline
7 years ago
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been getting new paint and carpet in my house. Here are some pics of my 1st flat graft.

Awesome Green/Pool House. Love it!!

Rob
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
7 years ago
Rob, your first grafting looks so cool! If i dont kill all my adeniums, i might try that in the future :)

Stephane
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
7 years ago
Here are my adeniums right now. Having some problems with them right now, but i have people helping me out in another thread.
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
7 years ago
Hello everyone,

Just thought I'd post an update on my Adenium adventure. Since my first batch last year, I've had quite a few more hehe Close to 800 now and so far so good.

Thanks

Stephane
rcharles_gw (Canada)
7 years ago
Nice group of plants there, Stephane. Good looking caudex on most of them. Will be nice to see their progress.

Rick
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
7 years ago
Someone's going to need a much bigger greenhouse, and soon! 800 seedlings, wow, what are your plans for them Stephane?
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Thanks guys. I didn't have a plan up to a few weeks ago. Friends of mine who owns a nursery couldn't get any Adenium this year so I'll be selling them some of mine. As for the rest, I'll probably sell them off Ebay or my own site, give some away to friends and family and then keep about 50 of them for me. I actually didn't know I had close to 800 until a few weeks ago when I counted them. I'm addicted and didn't realize I needed to slow down hehe.
ConnyNL (The Netherlands, 8b)
7 years ago
You probably thought like me when you first started Stephane, that you'd never be so successful at starting these :-)

I have about a thousand now, don't know what to do with them lol
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
7 years ago
haha Conny, exactly what I thought when I first started. Knowing my past with plants, I thought I'd have to sow hundreds of them just to get a few alive. Well that didn't work like that lol It's really fun though to see something coming alive from seeds. I enjoy doing it.
Agartta
7 years ago
Would be interesting to see what colour blooms they will have.
Sara Sidwell
6 years ago
Can we have an update please Stephane ..I just found this thread and I love it and all your gorgeous adeniums..was it easy to sow the seeds in soil? I just got some seeds in the mail from a little angel on this forum.. just not sure what to do with them now lol
Stephane (Texas-8a)
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Hi Sara,

Thank you for your interest in what I'm doing hehe
All my adenium have been doing great. After a root problem back in March/April, everything went back on track after that. (I lost about 20 adenium)

The ones I sowed last year are still outside; it's still hot but I'll probably have to take them in in a couple of weeks. I have about 300 outside, and 500 seedlings inside hehe This is going to be a crowded green house lol

I find adenium seeds so easy to sow and germinate. So far, after sowing about 15 trays, I've had a 90-95% germination rate so what I do works for me. Of course, it also depends on where you get your seeds from.

I just use regular potting soil. Nothing else added to it. I Fill up a tray of that soil and plant the seeds (horizontally) a 3rd of an inch below the surface of the soil and then I water them. Once done, I place a plastic dome above the tray, and turn on the heat mat placed under the tray (I keep the temperature at around 77-82 degrees). And that's all. I water them pretty much everyday. Don't let the soil dry and you will be fine.

Last month, I followed the advice of a reputable grower but that didn't work for me at all (10% germination rate). I was told to put the seeds in a paper towel with water. Let the seeds soaked in overnight and then press the seeds gentle to get rid of the "casing" then plant the adenium. It was terrible, so I'm sticking to what I've been doing :)

Here are some pictures I just took.

Thanks

Steve
halocline
6 years ago
Do you water with a watering can?

Rob
Sara Sidwell
6 years ago
Omgosh Steve ..I'm sorry I have no idea how I missed this notification... but that is just absolutely amazing .. they're so so beautiful and nice bug caudexs on those babies ..big caudexs r my fave☺️ Lol sounds a little badBut they are ..if you ever wanna sell any please keep me in mind, seriously! Lol Please keep us all updated on your adenium FARM lol I'd love to see a pic of you being swallowed up by them once they're inside lololol wow what a boatload but I honestly would be loving every minute of it, congrats to you my friend as they look so healthy... an angel on this forum who is also in Texas just sold and sent me a couple large ones witch I adore and some seeds(hence me trying to grow them;)but it's so hard for me to get them here, I ordered online and got two that were completely taken over by rot(so I learned my lesson about buying from amazon for live adeniums :( but I'm always on the lookout if your ever looking to part with a couple :) anyways Steve thanks for the excellent tips and for sharing your amazing broad with me.. here's my email if ur ever looking to part with any lol no pressure! Jk haha sarasgreenthumb@gmail.com
Sara Sidwell
6 years ago
Wow Rob you too!! What amazing plants guys!! So beautiful and blessed..
User
6 years ago
Stephane, wow....your plants are looking really good, they have grown so much. I think you have an Adenium forest growing. 800+ plants, Giggle :D

Rob, you seem to have the beginning of a forest growing indoors too. I see you have some other plants growing indoors as well. All looking good :) Btw nice kitty.
halocline
6 years ago
I have to remember when taking pics, to always turn off the HPS. It ruins the color, and make's it hard to differentiate each individual plant when viewing.

Rob
Sara Sidwell
6 years ago
Wow such great pictures rob .. so cool to see what it looks like under his hat up close as I haven't had the pleasure to see that before in person..cross your fingers for me n prey that I get to soon :(
halocline
6 years ago
It's amazing that somehow; that plant was inside that husk, but only after adding water.

Rob
Sara Sidwell
6 years ago
Wow, what amazing quality...I'm so loving your pictures Rick, you should start a new thread .. I love this and have never seen it up close and am growing my first seedlings from Roger, (bless him) but all your info and pictures are so up close and educational ,.thanks Rick , keep em coming!!! :)
Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
6 years ago
Those are great shots, Rob.
Sara Sidwell
6 years ago
Oh shoot sorry ROB lol ..why the heck was my auto correct putting Rick..lol I talk to Rick a lot on here, but I absolutely love your photos and while checking in on this thread I saw my mistake and I apologize..wonderful photos and cute little Rob JRs ;)