Minimum nighttime temperatures for healthy transplant growth?
TomatoZesty 9B Central CA:Coastline
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Transplanting Dahlias started indoors - again
Comments (9)Dahlias grow the very best when the soil temp. is constantly 60*-- no 2 ways about it! If they are already growing & you put them out they might just sit there stunted until the temp. gets up to where they need it to be to grow- or the tuber will rot & not have enough feeder roots growing yet to sustain the plant- then you've got a dead plant. Also- dahlias & tomatoes are related-- so there you go- what's good for one is good for the other! Your dahlias grow all summer long & as the temp gradually gets cooler, they keep going until frost- yes, it's colder than 60* but they've had all summer to put on semi-hardy stems & the fall to get used to the colder temps. The stems in spring are tender new growth & way more susceptible to frost than the woody thick stems that have grown all summer long. Why do Home Depot & all those nurseries have tender plants out now?? When they frost & die you have to go back to the store & buy MORE, of course! Stands to reason- if they can sell you the same plants a few times over they're going to! Most savvy gardeners don't fall for their tactics & don't purchase tender plants until they can stand up to the local weather....See MoreNewly transplanted trees browning - transplant shock, overwaterin
Comments (20)Just wanted to post a followup on this for anyone who may come across this thread in the future. I always hate finding a thread full of good information, but then not knowing if it actually worked or not. I replaced the trees that died, and the new ones are doing great. Here's what I did differently. (I know that for some of you, these may be the most obvious things in the world, but some of us are still learning, even from our really stupid, obvious mistakes). - I waited til it cooled down. It got cooler earlier than I expected, so I was able to do the transplants a couple weeks ago. - Smaller trees. I did still really need the height, so I went with 6-8' tall trees (some are about 9', actually), but I got much smaller caliper (trunk diameter) trees. I tried for no more than about 1.5" caliper, measured 6 inches above the root flare (some are a little closer to 1.75"). They're definitely much less full, but they'll get the job done until they fill in and grow up a little. It helps a lot that I found out that for screening purposes, eastern red cedars can be planted as close as 4' apart. Bigger, fuller trees really aren't needed at that spacing. - No starter fertilizer. These are trees, not grass. I used some Fertilome Root Stimulator & Starter solution (per the manufacturer's instructions) when I planted, and may add some Superthrive in a couple weeks, just to get the roots really going before winter kicks in. - Much better care of the root balls. I didn't make perfect root balls, as such - after reading a whole lot of back and forth between scientists on the benefits of good root balls vs taking as much root as possible, even if they're outside of the dirt, I kind of went with a hybrid approach. I got as much root as I could, and kept as much dirt on them as possible. I kept all of them covered with dirt of some type for as much time as possible, and ensured that they never actually got dry. Total time from digging to planting was less than 4 hours, and most of that time, they were in some kind of dirt. - I watered with a sprinkler for a few days, to let moisture come in through both the roots & leaves, in case the roots were having difficulty of some kind. Then I found out about Wilt-Pruf (prevents moisture from escaping through the leaves, which causes a lot of transplant shock). I applied it per the manufacturer's instructions, and am now watering with a soaker hose, as Wilt-Pruf should also prevent absorption of water through the leaves. - I haven't mulched yet (life got in the way unexpectedly), but I will be soon. Something else I came across in my reading - mulch isn't required, but most bushes or trees that are mulched in their first year or two after transplant show 20%+ more growth than those that aren't. Since growth & size are my primary goals here, it's worth having that junk in my yard for a year or two. We'll see what, if anything, will grow under these trees once they're established, but for now, it's gonna be mulch. Thanks, everybody, for all the insights provided. Hopefully these results, and what I did to get them, will be useful to someone else in the future, too....See MoreMinimum nighttime temperature for seedlings
Comments (14)I have been having the same problems here in Kansas. I have 102 plants in one hoop building. They have been there since March 28th. They are growing great, minus the ones that died when it was 18 degrees. It is 50-80's in the day and 32-50 at night. I have been covering them up with row cover every night it is suppose to be below 45. Then take it off each morning. It is alot of work, but I can tell you that I am seeing more growth this year than last because of it. I also have 400 seedlings in another hoop house. They are under one layer of row cover also. They have been out there for a week. They went straight from the basement lights to the hoop house during a cloudy 3 day warm spell. They were not stressed. I don't get too worried about 40's, with the hoops. I do start to worry when they say 38 or below. I just double up the row cover. After the 18 degrees and had a majority of everything come through ok, 32 doesn't scare me like last year. Do I worry, a little, but I still sleep good. Jay...See MoreSlow tomato seedling growth // Fast zucchini growth
Comments (13)First, trying to compare squash growth to tomato growth is apples to oranges. Squash normally grow at 10x the speed of many things. One reason why they are normally direct seeded in the garden. That plus they are a summer crop not a spring crop. Second, look at the BIG difference in the growing mediums you provided - big containers of potting mix vs. multiple seedlings coir pellets. No comparison there either. Separate and transplant those tomato seedlings into small containers of potting mix and they will take off. And check out the Growing from Seed forum here. There are great FAQs there and many discussions about the various steps in growing from seeds. Dave...See MoreTomatoZesty 9B Central CA:Coastline
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBarrie, (Central PA, zone 6a)
8 years agoTomatoZesty 9B Central CA:Coastline thanked Barrie, (Central PA, zone 6a)Barrie, (Central PA, zone 6a)
8 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years agodigdirt2
8 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years agoBarrie, (Central PA, zone 6a)
8 years agodigdirt2
8 years agoPeter (6b SE NY)
8 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
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