2014 Seed Starting, part 2

I have a heat mat around here somewhere and still have never used it....LOL. where is that thing?
I have such good luck that I've never used it....I'm guessing I've started more than 10,000 seedlings (over the years) without one so I guess there's no reason to think I need to now....

I keep showing you all how "I" do it..lol!!!!! Just lights and pots and potting soil I make..... I know...shut up! LOL... But if I have time this coming fall I might try the milk jug thing for winter sowing on those things that need stratifying. (I forget things that I put in the freezer or fridge most of the time...)

Talked with a few of the gals at Garden Club and told them I might be offering some of my goodies for sale ths year, they've been begging for years. Of course they would rather have me donate them for the plant sale but I've done enough of that over the years... then they only pay about .25-.50 (cents each) and that money goes into the treasury for the club... Still dosn't help pay the electric bill... So I still have a few months to decide...but need to get to potting on PDQ if I decide to... I know a few of the gals here do this, I just haven't been brave enough to jump in.....lol.
Keep wondering if it's really worth it or would I only sell a hundred $$ worth... Then I'm not sure it would be worth my time....Dilema.... Comments......suggestions?

Wow, April 15, must be nice!! I know the grass is greener...lol.

Just heard the weather report..... they were saying how one of the ski resorts has already reported 26 feet of snow this year so far with another 2 months to g (some resorts have had more than that )Could you imagine....I'ld love to have even half that amount down here.... Am lucky to get 50 inches in a season.......

Kathy, I'll purchase your heat mat from you. Do you have paypal...easy peazy. Ask a fair price and you're off to the races editing all the things you don't find useful...more room to put up seedlings.

My take on heat mats: I used to start seeds on the east end of Long Island, NY, now Zone 7, in a house that got bright sun all day. I only did annuals and a few vegetables in those days, and
never used heat or lights. Then I came to CT, to a dark house and a much colder zone. The first year was a disaster- weak, spindly seedlings and mucho damping off. Yuck!

In both cases, I was a weekend gardener, and house temps were set at 50 while I was gone. I also have always used self-watering systems because I'm not there to monitor for several days at a time, which means everything is always a little wet. In NY the sun heated things up enough during the day to prevent problems. There was a little leaning of seedlings, easily remedied by rotating the flats when I was there, and a cold frame to harden things off in.

In CT, every gardener I met told of using electric blankets, portable heaters, etc. But I didn't like leaving something on all week that wasn't made to be used that way. So I got heat mats and lights, which made all the difference. The mats are on when we're not there and the house is cold, and the lights are on timers. No more damp off.

In the apartment in NYC, my only available spot is a window that gets very little direct sun, and can be very cold when temps dip in the dead of winter, but heats up fast otherwise. I worried that my babies would freeze without a mat, but get cooked during a thaw with one. For a while I tried to manually adjust to the weather, but finally I got a thermostat. Voila, no more problem. I keep the sensor inside the propagator under the dome, and the mat only goes on when needed.

I do think the heat helps speed germination in many cases (not including certain perennials), and the quicker that happens the less likely the seeds are to rot.

But I also think that a lot depends on our own specific conditions and habits, just like gardening outside. I try new methods every year, and some work for me, some don't. For me, trial and error have been the best teachers.

I have a dark house too, lot's of windows but the orientation doesn't gel with the design. Even growing shade loving indoor plants is a challenge. Thanks for sharing your trial, errors and successes Pam.

Robin...lol.....I'm not even sure when or where I saw it last.......Would definately be quicker to buy one at the store or even online....and it's more than 15 years old....not even sure it works properly....Lol...sooo many things to do..

Just a note...I'm still updating the germination dates for things that I'm starting, listed above (3/20 842am). Five days on my Peppers and nothing yet...

Thanks for considering it anyway Kathy, I'll purchase a heat mat. I'll start to worry about my pepper germination when yours come up and mine don't, I appreciate the update!

I planted peppers March5 About the 12 th the first came up ,
Some aren't sprouted , However a white belle planted the same day , sprouted (white arch ) last night , no leaves yet , They are slow at the arch to leaf ..

Thanks Juhur...good info!

Mipii About 9 days is what is about right for peppers to sprout , Only to say I have had them take months to sprout , Some stragglers appear in June or July from Feb or March planting ,
I am glad they grow only " I hate that when that happens" lol

Their unpredictable ,, seems to be a "Lot of those" lol grrr

Wow, I'd say unpredictable. I second that grrr.

Heat mats made me really successful with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and tropicals.

Yeah, they like it toasty :-)

I found a good deal on a heat mat from Greenhouse Megastore ($20.85), with great reviews but, the shipping is exorbitant...I'm gonna keep looking.

I got mine from Amazon.com, and the local garden store at the end of the season, marked down from $69 to $15. I bought four of them.

I use to use an aquarium heater sealed in a hot water bottle , because they were laying around , About the same cost if purchased anymore ,
Depending on how solid it is or how cold , a storage container filled with water with a submersible Aquarium heater .
A long thin cake pan or muffin pan , you know with a hole cut in the top for the plug and waterproof tape over the cord hole .
Takes a while to warm up . I get silly with "Do it Yourself ideas " lol

This message was edited Mar 22, 2014 10:01 PM

Didn't I see something here about Christmas lights and cat litter with a flat set on top?

I don't have the link , Greenhouse forum or something , That is still there , the lights for heating mats .
Somewhere around this site are a bunch of talks about Rope lights for heating , I can't find them ? Where 'd those go . ,



This message was edited Mar 22, 2014 9:26 PM

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This message was edited Mar 9, 2015 10:12 AM

People put Christmas mini lights in cold frames for warmth, I remember reading that. There must be a way to use them to warm up seeding areas too. You wouldn't be able to control the temperature, but depending on the location, maybe that would be okay.

Inventive people! The seedling heating mat I was looking at didn't have a temperature control...do I need to add one?

I don't use a thermostat at the house, because The mat is off when we're there and the heat is up, and when we're not there it's cold enough that the mat won't overheat the area.

But in the city, controlling the amount of heat is much trickier, so I use one. Also, I do most of my propagating in the city, and I like having the control.

warriorswisdomkathy wrote:
It's soo rewarding seeing little babies sprouting, the hard part is having to wait another season to see bloom on many of the perenns.. It's always a nice suprise to find some that bloom first year. I now try to fill in with annuals around the newer perenns, so that means growing extras. At least there's something to look at the first season other than a stick.

.

That is a great idea, I have lots of newly started perennials and am so gonna do this to fill in the blanks!

Also hope to see how your Orlaya Grandiflora seeds do.. I have one sprout in the jugs I wintersowed them in, but it's off to the edge and not sure if maybe another seed spilled in or maybe a weed from the mix? Idk. I took pics from inside the holes of my jugs but I was lazy and didn't take the top off to investigate this one. Time will tell. See it? One of the nurse leaves is peeking out toward the top left of the shot.

Pam, I just noticed you have foil as a shielding between the bottom shelf light and the shelf it hangs from. What's the purpose? I bought an emergency Mylar blanket from walmart and taped it to the wall behind my shelves. It does a great job of reflecting the light and I no longer need to turn on the light to use my laundry room.. it's lit all day! Your foil seems to be shielding the warmth from the light fixture though, right?

Not a super pretty or difficult , a variegated Catgrass , aveena sativa , planted Friday night , Up and growing Sunday morning .
Front center , still tiny .. Saying Hi There ! lol ^_^

Lol...the second hardest job you'll ever love Becky! There's a seedling frenzy going on here, how's that for TLC paybacks?

I spent the morning making a mess in the kitchen. I'm nearly out of room, so I used 3oz cups to cluster sow a few more things- Ceratotheca Triloba, Ammi majus Rubra, Lobelias White Cascade and Riviera Splash.

The Lobelias I sowed heavily in 4 cups each. Once they come up, I'll put them in cells in smaller clusters. I'm really tired of seeding multiple cellpacks and ending up with some blanks. This way I'll have more control- at least that's the plan. And once we open the house next week, I'll have more room again. Can't wait!!!

Scabiosa Scarlet Sundae, Stachys macrantha have been doing nothing in Deno, so now they're planted in cups next to an open window. I added Agastache Golden Jubilee, which has been under the dome for a while, and Verbena Bonariensis, there too.

All the annuals- Petunia Easy Wave, Salvias Coral Nymph and Fairy Queen, Snaps Royal Bride- are doing well, and the last of the snaps, Bell's White, showed itself yesterday. The only holdout is Salvia Indigo Spires, which is a hybrid and may be sterile. But I'll give it a little more time.

The Red (?) Lupines are up to 10, 6 with red stems, 4 green. No signs of life from the rest of the seeds, and I have enough plants now, so out they went.

Datura Metel la Fleur germinated very well in Deno after a soak, and about 15 are now planted. Thanks, Susie! So far, nothing happening with the fragrant white. I have more batches of those from different places, so I'll try again if they don't start soon.

The first batch of Lupines, my one and only Asclepias incarnata Rosa and the Alceas are huuuuge! I can't wait to get them out of here! The Asclepias tuberosa, Linum Saphyr Blue, Digitalis Pam's Choice will also be glad to go into a cooler environment, they need to toughen up now. If I can, I'll get the Campanulas out too. Then I'll be able to pot up the annuals that will need room badly by then.

In Pic 4, the 2 'empty' pots have EE Hilo Beauty in them, just planted today. I've never gotten them dry before, usually buy them already planted. But these were a great price, so worth a try...

Wow, you've all been busy-- I started writing the above when WWK was the last post!

Becky, the lights with the foil over them are T5 but not the high output, and didn't come with reflectors. There are four of them hooked together under there, to make the same amount of light as one of the others.They were my first lights here in NY, bought at HD because it was the only place I could find that had anything at all. NYC isn't a great place to find good seed starting supplies, lol, even at HD the choices are very, very limited. I rigged up the foil at the time and haven't gotten around to changing it. I think Mylar is much better. The rest of my lights are Hydrofarm T5's, most bought from Amazon.

Many people are perfectly happy with shop lights, but I really wanted the most light I could get, after a season or two of the elongated spindly plants you get in a dark house. Maybe Mylar would have made the difference? But anyway, I have them now.

I'm very fond of those kinds of messes, there's not much else as promising in the world as a mess like that. Your babies are huge, you've done run out of headroom. Geesh, I'm getting spring fever......

Hi, I'm new here, I'm on read-only mode for awhile and now I'm excited to have something to share with everybody. Recently I'd like to grow some herbs and flowers, but I'm living in tropic subtropic country I'm not sure can it grow. After I sowed, my super hyper dog made the tray fall all over, then now I don't know which sprout names. Is it weed? Is it herb? I don't know. I can only tell #4 is sage. I'd appreciate if somebody could recognize some plant names. Thanks.

# 3 is a Tomato (looks like) #5 looks like some of my Burdocks . only many flowers look like that .
I did not realize Sage looked that much like Borage does either
Learn things here all the time ..
Nedd Welcome to the conversation !!!^_^

Canadates for #5 could include Four-o-Clocks , Amaranth , Green Basil , and Pokeweed . Comfrey seeding might also look like that , If any those seem familiar , watch a day or two .. like your not going too anyway ,, lol ^_^

This message was edited Mar 23, 2014 10:19 PM

I agree. In a few days it will be much easier to tell what's what. How upsetting that your dog turned it all over!

Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago, but I didn't have a dog to blame, just myself. I had a small shelving unit on a windowsill. It was completely packed with seedlings-- overloaded, actually- and it fell over. DH was sitting having coffee, and it fell across the table and onto the floor. What a mess!!! It's funny now, but it was horrifying at the time, lol.

But your little ones look perfectly healthy, and I'm sure they'll become recognizable soon!

I have a companion friend like that also , as before ; My companion really loves playing Pooping on the Poppies , Digging in the Zinnia , Tearing up the Tomatoes , and a favorite of course "Green Pillows to lay on in the Garden Beds"

Of course some of it is my fault for not making the pets learn to garden , but, then again, I am not so sure I ever did Either !!! lol ^_^

Thanks guys, I'll water it carefully and waiting for more real leaves.

Mipii, it (seed starting) is right up there with bringing home a newborn baby and fearing for its safety.. Lots of 'what if' type scenarios stressing me out! And I agree about the making a mess comment.. The dirt and water messes are good for the soul :)

Pam, that was some clever ingenuity to rig those lights up. I think I may swap out my inexpensive grow lights for some higher output lights next year, if I can afford it. Are you happy with the hydrofarm T5s? I hear you on Home Depot having few options. Most of my roadblocks have been due to lack of availability of certain items. Either that, or experimenting with freebies. Anywho, I trust your opinion, your plant pics are a testimony to your skill. They look fab!

Nedd, I agree w Juhur, #3 does indeed look like a tomato. Hope your pup doesn't try anything funny again! My MIL has a chihuahua, and he has a tendency to hop up into my raised beds. Well this year I have a super soaker water gun waiting inside my window, and if I see him jump in the one bed closest to my house, he is getting a shower!! Cute he is, but he needs to learn and she is not doing anything about it so I will.

Pam I hope you were able to save some of the seedlings from your oil spill, oops, soil spill LOL, I only laugh since you say this happened in the past. I'm sure it was heartbreaking at the time.

Juhur, said chihuahua would love to play those games with your little friend! You crack me up!

Nedd, hope to see what your mystery seedlings turn out to be. I have a jug of mixed perennials coming up, I need to figure out what they are soon, thanks for reminding me!

My garden helper's favorite game: Liberate plants from the constrains of their pots and take them for a walk (or a chew) around the yard. Pooping on the poppies cracked me up, my pit bull likes to hide, so I have to crawl behind some giant grass or shrub to poop scoop.

Yes, I'm very happy with my Hydrofarm lights! I started slowly. First I got the HD's, for my first set of shelves which was smaller, then ordered a 2' Hydrofarm. (Pic1)

That's the unit that fell over :-(.

In 2012, I re-thought, and set up shelves all the way across the opening. I used the lights I had, but it wasn't enough to keep the plants from stretching. (Pics 2, 3)

Last year, I decided not to care that the 4' fixtures are a little too long, by then DH was so happy with what was happening in the garden he didn't object to the intrusion. For my birthday, I asked for two long T5's, (I did the research, and found the best price at Amazon), and I rigged up the HD ones into 1 unit. For the bottom shelf, I got a 2' light with 2 bulbs. That was disappointing. The fixture is very heavy, and the design of the reflector prevents light from spilling out at the ends, so much of the sill was too dark. (Pic 4)

This year, one more long light, and I'm happy. The top shelf gets 2, for the real sun lovers. It's made a huge difference in how they grow- no more long skinny seedlings. They fill out properly, the way they would in the garden. The next shelf down is for sun/shade plants- lots of Campanulas this year, some Digitalis- and slower, lower growers, like Linum. The Platys are there this year too, for now, because the top is full. Next week when the tall plants move out, they'll go up. And the bottom shelf has the HD lights, which are just fine there. I use it for newbies, so I can keep an eye on them. I inspect every morning while I'm eating breakfast. :-)

And this is what it's all for :-). (Pic 5).

Cross post... I did save most of them, but you can see why that system didn't last!