2014 Seed Starting, part 2

Kathy How is the Rooting going ? Willows going ,growing roots ?
It is only now getting warmer here , With mine about three weeks before I know (I have several I am wondering about ,
I hope this a a good season . for everyone Probably week after next before I get to start most of my seeds .
Winter sow leeks , and Milkweed , Green shoots on onion and Garlic , roots in the earth where the milkweeds seeds are . only roots from the seeds so far , no green shoots on the sprouts from Milkweeds

Kathy I Put Many of my seeds out in the cold frame to see how they will do I saved some seeds to plant when weather breaks. Just in case my winter sowing didn't take .
I'm going to do my Tomatos this weekend Bought my soil today .
off to get the critters in ya all have a great eve

I have another White bell pepper ?alba , Today Got 2 out of a dozen seeds so far . from trade .
I have four Black pearl pepper seedlings out of about 16 or 18 seeds of my own ,,That is not satisfying for seed saving to me , (my own seeds ) ,
They grew , and that is good , only that is a lousy germination rate ;
Of course it is going on 25 days and another sprout ,,I am really glad I started them early .. sloooooow little fellows ....
Oh well , I will keep at the Pearl peppers , until I hybridize a nice red leaf ,, (meaning , I might get lucky ) lol
First tomato seedling is up , I can grow a nice tomato plant , but not always a good Tomato ,,
one seed, one plant . I like that .. Someday I might figure out how pro's ? do that ,, After almost 50 years of playing with seeds , I still have not "got it" though ,,
Give myself an :"F" at spying ..lol

I had crappy germination rates with black pearl pepper seed that I saved, but the purple jigsaw was awesome. I look at the flats and every single seed must have germinated.

Juhur....so far I have roots on the Eastern Crabapple and the Sandbar Willow... The pear is in bloom but all are starting to leaf out nicely... The one you had sent with dirt is outside in my green house and greening up nicely (already potted into a 1 gallon pot.. I want to try and get to potting the rest of them this weekend if I can... Suppose to be calm today so will see what I can get done.

Fingers are crossed for you susie!!! Did you not ever try any in your new table? And is your helper doing her job? LOL...Love those little people...

Still have 4 more varieties of peppers to germinate....we'll see.

All my tomatoes are up, that's no surprise, they're so easy :-) The annual Lobelias and Salvias are up, too. But now I have all these little cups of sprouts to separate and find room for, lol.

Our plans to open the house this weekend are scuttled. The heat is on, but the well is still frozen, so no water. The plumber said on Thursday that the east side of the house was still covered in snow and ice. Even though it's been warmer and raining the last couple of days, it wasn't enough to thaw the pump. :-(

My daughter is coming over tomorrow to take a flat or two, which will help. But I have to get really creative about how to fit all these babies in!

Oh Pam what a great problem to have.. Too many plants, not enough space! You're lucky I'm not there, I'd be bartering bags of potting mix for seedlings! LOL truly though I hope I'm not jinxing myself here and in the same boat myself soon. Pot - kettle - BLACK! :D

I'm def going to have too many tomato plants. lol

Celene, I already do! I double or triple seeded 117 pots, thinking half of them wouldn't make it, and end up w 50-60. Now I have over 200 individual tomato plants, but they all look like crap. Very puny considering I started them in late January and waited too long to separate them. It's ok, first year lesson learned and I'll still have a few plants for my garden :)

I would like to try seeds for a palm tree named Bismarckia nobilis. Is someone already knows that and can give me comments ? Thanks.

Becky, not to worry on the 'maters... Just pot them up individually. Plant them deep taking off any branches that would end up under the soil... The whole stem will produce roots all the way up to the soil line. So don't throw any away......... They will perk up in no time, I promise.... As far as them looking punny, don't worry give 'em a good feeding and some extra light. When they do go outside they will grow like crazy. and can again take off branching and plant them deep again or even on their sides...just leave a few branches at the top of the plant sticking out of the soil!

Kathy, you think? I already potted them up individually. It's been 2 weeks since I separated them, I initially watered them in with some superthrive, and then next watering I added MG transplant solution. I feel like such an idiot, they have really been stunted and look like they did a month ago.. I am so embarrassed to post pics of my wimpy tomatoes but here goes =/

The nicer of the transplants went into flats, I wanted 8 of each variety. Any varieties having more than 8 seedlings, I potted them as extras in 18 oz. red solo cups. There were two varieties I only had 4 seedlings of due to limited quantity seeds, Matt's wild cherry & yellow bell.

Becky....they'll make it... Just givem time. Do you have them under lights? They are just young seedlings so far.... Let them grow taller and begin showing more true leaves, say about 4+" then you can repot again but deeper, like I say taking off any that would be under the soil line. I am putting mine into the 2 1/2" wide pots now. The stem goes all the way to the bottom of the pot. (Remember to take off the leaves that would be below soil line). The whole 3 1/2" deep pot will fill with roots. Hope that makes sense to you...lol, it does me...Just teasing a little.... I promise they will get strong... Mine are a bit further along than yours. I seeded 10+ seeds per pot to begin with...let them grow on and when they got to aboout 4-6", and several sets of true leaves I began repotting. The white roots are at the very bottom, and actually the green stem is touching the bottom of the pot also.... This is one of those plants that can be planted deeply without harming it.

Doesn't anyone else plant their tomatoes deep? Personally have taken a plant out of a gallon container and plucked all the leaves off but say the top 2 or 3 and buried the rest of the plant on it's side but as deep as I can. Looks drastic but grows like crazy.....

Kathy, I plant them a lot deeper like that . When I plant them outside ,i dig a big old hole and sometimes I end up covering over say 1 to 2 ft of plant a little at a time ,
As said before , often a lot of plant is the result . i don't always get great fruit , But a nice plant increases the odds for that Ever Elusive, "Perfect Tomato" lol (like anyone is ever going to find that Baby!!!^_^ lol

So far I have 1 , that is right 1 little tomato seedling . My broad ripple currants return on their own from self seeding outside ,so later I always (almost) have a few , (lots really)
I am only going to do three or four tomato plants this year ,, That was all my sets really did any good with last year ,as far as growing tomato plants .

I always forget to say something ,, sleepy . I guess .
Kathy . that is great to hear their rooting ,, I hope the Mulberries finally do for you also , those little rascals are mutant here ,, They do everything except sing and walk around .. !


This message was edited Mar 29, 2014 6:30 PM

Kathy, tomatoes love to be transplanted deep, roots grow from any stem that's below soil level and helps create a strong root system. I was asking earlier if sunflowers can be treated the same way.

Look at all those babies Becky, you'll be feeding the neighborhood or spend the last half of the summer canning. Either way, somebody's gonna be eatin' good. I don't think I could live without tomatoes, they're a staple in my diet.

Hi guys,
At the moment, I've got Lavenders (English and Spanish), Rosemary, chives, savories, sage, and tomatoes sprouts and growing. I've just sowed more Lavenders here. It's sunny and I can't keep it in freeze.

Additional, I found the little guy who dug holes in my pots. I keep the pots moist and that's why he stays in my pot. I have to cover the pot to keep kim away my dog. Talking about my dog, she keeps eating the leaves and pukes like crazy. That why tree grows very slowly .

Becky, I'm chiming in late, but only to agree with everyone else about planting tomatoes deeply. They root all along the buried stem, and more root they have, the stronger the plant. Also, they are the most forgiving of plants. Since they are not completely dead, they are growing and will be just fine, you'll see :-)

My daughter is coming today to take some plants, yippee! Then I have lots of potting up to do...

But first, I have to finish getting taxes ready. I keep track of everything on the computer so it's easy to print out what I need for the accountant. At least that's how it's supposed to be. Somehow this year I am months behind, and don't have all the statements I need. Yikes!

Mipii. not sure if you can do the same with sunflowers.... Interesting question...they also have those hairs.all along the stem.. I might plant it a bit deeper than what they sprout at but I usually don't go any deeper than where the first set of seedling leaves emerge... (really it depends on the plant).

"Spose to be 70* today so I might just sit outside and pot a few things up....and then get them to the greenhouse... Need to also get my taters cut into pieces and maybe pot those tomorrow... Still haven't decided where I will be planting the veggies this year.. Better decide soon, huh?! LOL.

Nedd...speaking of lavender, I should look and see if I can get some cuttings for rooting. Would like to have some in the backyard this year. Do you grow the ones with bunny ears? Just love those things but they aren't hardy here. (stoekas, I believe)

Pierre, sorry didn't try to snub you, just can't grow palms here in the mountains....lol.

Nedd I have the same problem with holes in my pots. My house has an invisible sign on it that says all stray cats welcome here. For some reason the latest set of kittens love to dig in all of my flower pots.

I did have them under lights but after I repotted (luckily I had enough sense to bury them right up to their chinny chin chins), I started running out of shelf space so I have acclimated these ones to my porch which gets great afternoon sun and they seem to be responding well. I will transplant them into their in-ground home in the next few weeks and hope they like it and take off! Yes I'm happy they're alive, but I'm already behind on my goal, which was to have them in ground a few weeks ago and hope for an early crop since they don't fruit well in our HOT summers. Doubt I'll find that "perfect tomato" this year either , Juhur ;)

Kathy would you recommend doing the same with all other vines? Say I rooted a cutting from a vine, should I plant it as deeply as possible leaving the topmost 2 or so inches above ground and burying the rest? I ask since *usually* I can get cuttings to root, but once I pot it, the roots roots stay puny without much growth. If you are just starting to get into propagating cuttings, I can't imagine how your garden will progress.. It's already gorgeous, you'll be bursting at the seams now!

Robin, I found a thread on gardenweb where the same question arose, about transplanting leggy sunflowers deeply. Sounds like they have success with it, so I would try a few and see how they do compared to their peers.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/seed/msg0310201812154.html?14

Pierre, I found this forum where they are discussing various techniques for germinating the Bismarckia nobilis. Someone posted a pic of their seedlings in homemade 4-pack pots made with 18 " lengths of drainpipe and electrical tape. Im so gonna try that for winter sowing in larger plastic tubs. But for germinating your seed, here's the link.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/13823-bismarckia-nobilis-seeds/

Pam good luck on your taxes, and boy I wish my mom grew plants and wanted me to take them away! Lol she's a lucky girl!

Ahh Kathy you just reminded me I was supposed to start sweet potato slips weeks ago! Dangit!

Thanks Kathy and Becky, the gardenweb link talks of squirrels chomping sunflower seedlings...I'll wait for as long as possible before I put them outside. I had a bunny problem defoliating my tomatoes last year, just got to outsmart the critters. They usually win the first couple of rounds.

I have poppy seedlings , to small for me to pic , I tried , no luck .
This , Under there is about four sprouts , The joke from my paper towel roll cubes and bottle covers .

The second pic is real fuzzy , a failed attempt , But if you have the eyes for it , there is a little green sprout right in the middle of the pic

My ex baked chicken sprouter .
This works really good ,! Seeds that fell on the bottom of the container , are also sprouted
Anything I put in these sprouts ..
well anyway the poppies are sprouting !^_^ I'm good with that

Kathy: yes, I'm growing bunny ear lavender (Spanish) which I bought with white lavender seeds; but the white one was destroyed last night. There's only one small white lavender sprout was broken in half :(

Anyway, here is a picture of my seeds until now.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2014 6:42 PM

Well I see I am not the only one who likes looking at things (about anything) as a container for seed starting .

My Baked Chicken got raised 5 Chinese Noodles !!!^_^ lol Well four anyway .
Nice seedlings Nedd


This message was edited Mar 30, 2014 10:33 PM

This message was edited Mar 9, 2015 10:11 AM

One vine that I can think of that can handle the deep planting is a Clematis for sure. I dig a hole as deep as possible and take off any foliage that would be underground. That way if the top were to happen to get damaged there are still another set (or more of buds) that can sprout. Also you will get two stems instead of one ) actually would be 3 duh! Main stem and 2 on the side of the main stem lol). As soon as they peak above ground you can give them a pinch making them bush out even more (at a node of course)…. Will have to think of any others………. And blomma is right most would rot so have to be careful about deciding which to plant deep.

Blomma…lol, nature is cheap with moisture….boy ain't that the truth sometimes…. I've heard one of the weather forecasters already calling for a El Nino year….fingers are crossed… Boy oh boy wouldn't that be wonderful!

We had a monsoon over the weekend, lol. I would have been happy to share it with anyone who wanted it...

Besides tomatoes and clematis, I can't think of any plants that like to be planted deeply, but I'm sure there must be more. I know to keep burying squash stems as they grow and vine out, they'll keep rooting. Hmmm...

Pfg ; I don't know many either '
Would it be okay to say that's actually a Tuffa one ^_^ lol
Mints ?

Thanks to our panel of experts for weighing in. For the record henceforth, I have buried some of my Sunflower seedlings. We'll soon see if it thrives or croaks. It was a tuffa one and an even tuffa decision. Ju, what are you building there?

LOL^_^ Got me Back LOL!!!^_^ It is a pic of an upside down Tuffa pot . Those are the Drainage holes in the Bottom showing ..
Old by this time , but , It is not that Tuffa to do ,,lol ? an easy to do .


I was asleep , I got back up a while ago ..
Here's a tomato sprout and the Catgrass outside ...

Outside already? Gee I should consider moving to a warmer climate.

Yep ,, 61 and sunny , The catgrass was really unhappy with the wind . The Tomato Saying bring it on ,, I am a tough one .. Be one thick little plant , got it going just about right. Beginning Monday though I won't be here for a day or two ..

Hoping they little ones will be okay ,, But that is another (tuffa?) Story .. Bet You were hoping I wasn't going to say that ,, lol ?

I still cannot type

This message was edited Apr 1, 2014 6:31 PM

I hope the little ones will be okay in your absence too Ju. As tuffa as yours are, I'm sure they'll be good for a day or two.

I have a pepper sprout...yipee! 16 days and a heat mat till germination.

I have all kinds of new tomato sprouts today. Black from Tula, Micro-Tom, and Sungold.

I thought my fave Sweet Millions were done sproextras uting after 6 (out of 14), so I planted another bunch. Now all of them came up. I grow a few for a neighbor or two, now I'll have a bumper crop :-)

Tomorrow lots of dividing and potting up to do. And I thinkit's time to start the zinnias-- Kathy, have you done yours yet? I think your seasons are the most like mine.

Thanks for the heads up -- I should start my Zinnias too!

Robin, you have bunnies, I have grasshoppers. Not yet but I'm sure they'll show up soon! They chewed the heads off all my young green bean plants last year, very depressing.

Juhur, lucky you to have poppy seedlings. Mine never came up in winter sowing. I'm going to save my unsprouted jugs and see if any eventually germinate. I've heard instances of up to 2 years!

Good advice on potting the vines deeply. I hope I don't forget that. I think it saved my tomatoes. At this point, all that were weak from potting up at separation have died. The rest, at least 100-150, are looking bigger, greener and overall happier every day. They might be small but they are getting planted in ground as soon as I finish setting up their rows. Today was 87 and wow felt HOT after a freezing winter.

All the other veggie seedlings need to be transplanted into their beds as well. I need to reclaim my home from my jungle of plants! Lol