Lettuce seed germination woes
dimitrig
5 years ago
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daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agolgteacher
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Germinating lettuce seeds
Comments (1)For best results, you want to keep temperatures at 70-80 degrees F during the day and 55-60 degrees F at night. So the garage is way too hot for seedlings and adult plants alike. Also, did you cover your seedlings up with a dome? Seedlings don't have roots so they tend to dry out quickly. Domes keep humidity high which keeps them from drying out....See Morelettuce germination
Comments (2)Ditto on 3 years for lettuce seed, sometimes only 2 . Another thing I noticed is that poor germinating lettuce also grows poorly . I plant inside and out and as long as its not too deep it should come up easily light or not . I cover all my seeds the same and use the same depth setting for all the spring seeds on my 2 seeders and plant 1000's of row feet each year...See MoreLettuce germinated in 3 days! Now what?
Comments (22)Well, if I'm potting them up in 2-3 weeks, I'll have nothing but time then, started sweet peppers yesterday and got the cells filled for hots today (ran out of time to get seeds in before dinner - family was waiting for me). Next weekend of so it's broccoli and tomatoes. Then it's the long wait until spring when I can plants peas and potatoes. We did have a lot of snow melt yesterday, and it must have gotten warmer than the 43 I saw before I went out to the garage to plant, but high today is supposed to be 25 (it's 22 now), 30 tomorrow before warming up mid-week again. Hate these wild rollercoaster temps. Moved the trays of greens to the basement, lights on the lettuce and kale and only a little from shelf above on the spinach (only 3 germinated so far, maybe 67 was too warm for them). I'll pot them up when they get first true leaves. I tried Tom Thumb last year but all that came up after seeding twice was red salad bowl, and not that much of it. Anybody try covering the bed with thin burlap (enough light)? I did that with carrots until they germinated last year - at least they didn't get washed out. Though they seemed to mysteriously disappear after I took the burlap off - I really didn't have to thin - and they kept disappearing....See Morewtf? carrots and lettuce wont germinate...
Comments (9)My carrots took about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks to germinate. I don't know about lettuce. I would say just be patient with the carrots, but when in doubt, plant more! Make sure you are keeping the soil moist, and not letting it crust up--atleast that's what my packet says. Seeds from last year aren't necessarily the cause, since most of my seed is from last year and it germinates fine. I heard that Reimer's seed doesn't germinate very well, so if your seed is from them, that could be why. Here's what I found from Johnny's about bibb lettuce from seed: Lettuce can be dormant at high temperatures. For best germination results sow at soil temperatures of 68°F (20°C) or lower. TRANSPLANTING: Sow in flats, 4 seeds/in., or in 3/4" plug trays, barely covering seeds with fine vermiculite, 3-4 weeks before transplanting outdoors. Shade the flats on sunny, warm days if necessary to keep the soil surface cool, below 75°F (24°C), until germination. DIRECT SEEDING: Seeds germinate even at low, 40°F (4°C), soil temperature, but poorly above 75-85°F (24-29°C) depending on the variety and seed lot. Cover seed lightly, about 1/8", and firm soil gently. Dry soil must be watered to ensure coolness and moisture, and for even germination. I hope this helps!...See Moresusanzone5 (NY)
5 years agorandy41_1
5 years agonaturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
5 years agoLars/J. Robert Scott
5 years agodimitrig
5 years agoSara Malone Zone 9b
5 years ago
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daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)