Need Advice...First time Sowing Indoors
lillivewire87
8 years ago
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agocaryltoo Z7/SE PA
8 years agoRelated Discussions
indoor seed sowing - first time
Comments (10)This year I moved my seed-starting to an unheated (and poorly insulated) basement, so I'm leaving the heating pad on the peppers for now. I remove the domes after germination, and I remove the heating pad from most things. I use some seed-starting kits that I purchased a zillion years ago, and I certainly didn't pay much for them. Maybe $3 each? The domes are getting a little cracked, and a little yellowed, but I'm still limping along with them. I've lost some of the seed-starting cells to cracks and crushing, but other cell-packs wander in from the nursery each year, so I get by. Several years ago, I was able to replace just the domes for $1 each, but I've been having trouble finding the pieces separately in recent years....See MoreAnyone still indoors sowing?
Comments (11)Hi Newbie, Your post made me smile because it is totally the monologue that runs through my head constantly these days. So, first of all don't panic! Also, this is my first time growing from seed so I am a newbie too. The cosmos problem you're having is one that I already lived through so I can actually offer you some useful advice there. Exactly the same thing happened to me - approximately 3-4 inch long, spindly stalks between the surface of the soil and the point where the cotyledons attach and so spindly that the seedlings were actually lying down growing horizontally. I knew they were'nt dead because I could see hints of the serrated looking true leaves emerging. So I took each seedling, gently worked the roots free of the soil and then transplanted them into small (2-3 inch) peat pots using potting soil and putting 2 seedlings in per pot. When transplanting, carefully wind the stem so that the cotyledons are pretty much on level or just a tad above the surface of the soil. Be careful not to break the stem when you're setting it in deeper and you shuold be all set. They will grow just fine from that point on given enough light. I lost only 2 seedlings in this process out of 2 flats worth of those little pots. They are happily growing now and eventhough they are still kind of lanky, the new stems are strong enough to allow them to stand upright. Ofcourse I have been trying to harden them off so I started leaving them on my porch now - 2nd time today and hopefully when I get home they won't have keeled over in shock. It's a new adventure every day and you just have to try to not stress - according to my husband, plants WANT to live so there's not much mollycoddling required. Hope this helps and good luck with the rest. BTW, I also germinated violas (Helen Mount and Johnny jump-up) but under lights and they came up pretty quickly. I did have them in my little grow tent (officially for my Jasmines) while they were germinating so the tems were around 70 -80F. Amna...See MoreIndoor Sowing & Propagation 2008
Comments (78)Yesterday I was at home with my kids (5 and 3) and we tried to plant some seeds together. We planted some Rudbeckia Spotlight as well as 2 types of Marigolds. I am also going to try to wintersow some of these seeds at the end of April or beginning of May - so I won't be too unhappy if they don't grow that well. I was more the act of planting that was the fun for the day. I also started some dahlia roots, 8 yesterday and 2 other ones a couple weeks ago. The kids had a lot more fun planting the dahlia roots because they got to shovel a lot more dirt with their spoons! The first 2 roots I started at the beginning of March, and I pinched them off between 3 and 4 leaf pairs. I was reading about dahlia's on the net recently so I am going to try to pinch out the growing tips of the dinner plate dahlia's the way it is recommended for a more branched plant. The last time I planted them I didn't pinch any of them, and I planted them a bit late so they barely flowered before the frost got to them. I have high hopes for this year if they all start well and transplant well. Janet...See MoreIndoor Sowing, Winter Sowing & Propagation 2009
Comments (135)Hi! My name is Karen and I've posted some questions on the geranium forum and got some good advice, but noone is terribly chatty over there so I was wondering if this is a good forum for me to join. Are you taking new members?? I'm in IL and we started over 700 (agh!)pelargoniums, or whatever they are called. We call them geraniums. Anyway, I was told to pinch and went to town and I hope I did it right because I have some sad plants. And it's about time to start hardening off...and I haven't a clue what I'm doing! We have two portable greenhouses outside with heaters in them and we put the impatiens and pansies, I think, in there. But the geraniums are inside under grow lights and in sunny windows (as sunny as it gets during the long awaited IL 'Spring' if that's what you call it!) Can anyone help me keep them alive?...See Moredocmom_gw
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
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