I have my first sign of life!!!!
started seeds on 1/18
These are last years seeds from BGI.
JP X PB
Unpeeled,not soaked.
I am sold!!!
Looks like RW is working great for tiny cuttings too. WTG Bob. Everything is looking great.
Shirley
I don't think anyone thought you were trying to be contrary or difficult.
I have appreciated all of the information that has been posted and I am sure everyone else has also.
Like so many things there is so much information available, that everyone needs to be informed, and then make decisions about what is best for them.
I think we all know that you are only concerned for our safety and wanting us to be able to be able to be informed consumers. At least that is the way I have been interpretting your posts.
I put the seeds on top,I read where some folks thought they had pushed them down too far,think I will be ok?
My thinking was that if brug seeds need light to germinate, I didn't want them down very far. Yours look like what you've done was the right thing.
That may be why mine are not doing as well as everyone else's! I guess I had better go see if I can do anything to correct the situation.
Thanks I must have missed that tip somewhere up above, and I thought I was reading everything so carefully!!!
Thanks "aknapp" for your input! It is greatly appreciated!! :~)
Rooty: I push my seeds down lightly into the preformed hole with a blunt ended toothpick or other handy items available. Most seeds need some darkness and some light to germinate. Those I tend to push into the hole lightly. Other seeds that germinate with darkness, I'll push further into the hole and cover that container with foil wrap, so that the seeds remain without light. Some seeds can be "surface sown" and usually that is indicated on the seed packet. If you don't have a seed packet to refer to, I have found Tom Clothier's website to be a "treasure trove" of germination information! Hope that helps! http://tomclothier.hort.net/index.html
Root yours are looking so good! So tell me are you not enclosing yours or do you have a dome? when I was in the hydroponics store yesterday they were selling theses huge domes for the black trays. I almost bought one but plastic bags are easier for me but then I also thought brug seedlings won't want to be 8 inches tall and in a dome but my cuttings would like it.
I finally found a hydroponics store in the phone book....gunna call and get directions tomorrow......
Don't forget to wear a wig and sunglasses CC, and bring cash!
LOL!!!CC,Incognito!!!
I am using a dome Kell,just a starter tray dome.
So going after work in my UPS uniform would be a no-no..LOL
I was having problems with my rockwool drying out really fast after taking the cover off when the seedlings started touching the cover. I have already killed 1 batch of brug seedlings that way, and 2 batches of other stuff. Soooo, I finally figured out a way to prevent that from happening. I had a seedling starter set that including a water reservoir with a capillary mat that sat on top of a stand in the water reservoir. On top of that you place the cell tray that has open bottoms to wick from the capillary mat. Well, I just set up the water reservoir with the stand and capillary mat, and set my cubes of rockwool directly on that capillary mat under the grow lights. Now they wick water up from that and won't dry out!!!!
Speaking of soaking, I did buy some of the rockwool presoak stuff, http://www.wormsway.com/detail.asp?sku=ERC505
and I soaked my rockwool overnight in this, but I didn't flush it out afterwards, I just squeezed the excess out and then planted, you think I should have flushed this conditioner out?
I also bought these 2 fertilizers made for growing in rockwool
http://www.wormsway.com/detail.asp?sku=RFO407
http://www.wormsway.com/detail.asp?sku=RFO409
and have been using a real dilute solution of those on the seedlings after they are up some prior to putting the rockwool in soil.
I was going to do that too Mary, but guess where my trays are? In the greenhouse. The ground has heaved due to all the freezing weather and I can't get the door open.
Now I have a a question for all you rockwool experts :)
I was under the assumption that once they had sprouted and it was time to remove them from the dome, you would then plant the entire cube in a pot of growing medium. Seems to me that would eliminate the problem of the cubes drying out. Please correct me here so I know what to do if and when mine get to that point. Thank you all!!! Gretche
Now I have a a question for all you rockwool experts :)
I was under the assumption that once they had sprouted and it was time to remove them from the dome, you would then plant the entire cube in a pot of growing medium. Seems to me that would eliminate the problem of the cubes drying out. Please correct me here so I know what to do if and when mine get to that point. Thank you all!!! Gretchen
You've got it Gretchen. I'm still holding some of mine in the cubes because I'm out of room, but they are doing well. If the roots are showing through the rockwool, I would go ahead and plant if you can.
Thank you Shirley -- Oh believe me, I'm not there yet, but hopefully will be soon. I cleaned out my little portable GH today to make room for them once they're potted up. I'm still waiting for germination at this point. Hope I haven't somehow killed them :-( I only planted them on the 27th and 28th, so I'm not too worried yet. They are in RW under a double plant fluorescent fixture... Anyway, I hope you have a great, blessed evening and thank you again for all your help :)
One small step... I know its really insignificant to you guys, but I'm so excited -- its my first brug seed to show signs of life! Its Insignis Gold X Ember Glow, planted 1/28/04.
Gretchen I am excited for you, besides if it grows well maybe I can beg cuttings later!!!! I am starting to doubt my abilities with the seeds!!!! (not yet) (just a little discouraged by my errors)
That should be a great cross!
Way to go Gretchen. You are really on your way now. I love growing from seed. Any kind of seed. It is such a sense of accomplishment when something good comes from all the waiting and work.
That's really fast. My rockwool is not here yet, and I just ordered a heat mat. This is so exciting.
I have a bunch more that look like they're ready to "pop".
Yes, its very exciting!!! My Mother is even getting into it, and wants some seedlings when they're ready to go "out into the world". That's the best part, since she's the one from whom I inherited my love of gardening :)
edited for typo. i need to preview these.......
This message was edited Feb 3, 2004 2:15 PM
It makes it so much more fun when they grow so fast! Instant gratification!
Kell, I went to the only local hydroponics place to buy rockwool after my favorite nursery only had one size. The hydro place wouldn't take checks or credit cards, ONLY cash! Fortunately we had enough cash to get what we wanted, I didn't put it together until we were walking out the door. My mom was wondering why they wouldn't take checks (& it dawned on me at the same time why ebay sellers made rockwool buyers 'private'). My sister & I decided that the next time our husbands go to a city auction they should look for gardening stuff for us!
OMG! I never put two and two together. When I bought mine, it was noted that it would be packaged discreetly and I thought to myself, how odd... Oh well, guess I was a little naive. Can't believe that there aren't enough regular folks like us using the stuff to warrant it being in the mainstream. I have to believe that if more people knew about it, you'd be able to buy it everywhere that you can buy peat pots!
I can't believe this stuff. I planted brug and dat seeds Saturday and some hollyhock seeds Sunday in rockwool, and this morning 3 brug seeds, 2 dat seeds, and 3 hollyhock seeds had already sprouted. Wow!
I'm still w a i t i n g . . . All the excitement here has me even more anxious to receive mine.
Anyone plant unpeeled seeds in rockwool? How did they do?I planted some premature ones, and no sign of any growth yet! I check a couple of times a day!
I did some unpeeled ones of Susies, they are coming up great, they just took a bit longer than the peeled ones.
I have tomatos, watermelon, cantelope, celosia, amaryllis, canna, columbine, larkspur, morning glories, moon flowers, key lime, orange, and lemon, and daylilies all growing in the RW, all are doing great!!
Im enjoying reading all of this! I have laughed out loud a few times. Yall are great!
Shelly, where are you going to grow your cantalope, watermelon, and morning glories? They are going to get huge in no time. LOL. Maybe a baby pool full of soil would work in the middle of the livingroom floor with trellises for them to climb on?? Can't wait for pictures.
Mine are all unpeeled,I look like a Grizzly shelling a peanut,my big ole paws,would probably kill half of them,just getting the cork off!
Yes Kell, I planted some PBXEP soaked, but unpeeled as they were very small. No signs of life yet. I have lots more sprouting in the varieties I peeled though!
Sylvia -- that's awesome! Way to go!!! I'm so glad you were able to do it inside!!! Do you still have them under the fluorescent lights in your kitchen?
Now I have to add this little tidbit of info, y'all aren't going to like it, but... The same time I planted 10 Dat Tatula in the rock wool, in a flat of Hoffman's soiless seed mixture (I am out of RW) I sowed a row of them (same source seed) along with a row of mixed hollyhocks and red oleander. 90% of all three varieties of seeds have sprouted, and those in the rw have germinated but haven't sprouted! They are right beside the RW seeds, under the same light... From an ease of use standpoint, I definitely prefer the RW, but I'm really not sure at this point that my seeds are any happier in it. There is more work with the Hoffman's because those babies will have to be pricked out rather than just planting the RW in a pot...
Here is a MG that was planted in RW on 1/30/04!
We want to hear all Kaufmann! If there are better ways, we are all ears! So what is Hoffman's soiless seed mixture? Does it look like dirt in a bag?
Kaufman, may I ask what you mean when you say they germinated but not sprouted? Roots, but no shoots? I use those two terms interchangably, and perhaps incorrectly.
And yes, all information is very welcome! I have wondered if the rockwool permits one to SEE the roots earlier than when planted in soil (or soiless mix), but the seedlings appear about the same time.
I have still had goodluck with using the pure perlite to start brugs. I have found that when it is time to prick them out and pot up, that the roots have grown through little 'kernals' of perlite, come away easily from the container, and transplant with no setback at all.
Thanks,
John
LOL Brugie.. I have plenty more of the cantalope, and watermellon, just wanted to see if it would work really. As far as the MGs, I have some that I planted back in Nov. (in soil) they are doing fine, so hopefully the ones in RW will be also.
I was actually just thinking of putting a big hole in the floor, and let the things grow from there. :o)
Yes, Gretchen, I still have them under the fluorescent lights under my kitchen cabinets. I didn't peel any of my brug seeds, because the first one I tried that had been soaked in the HP/water solution was so slippery that it took me 10 min. to get it peeled. I figured that at that rate, it would take me all day to peel the seeds. I tried to peel one without soaking first and completely destroyed the seed. lol
Now I'm not sure what the difference is between sprouting and germinating, so maybe I'm wrong is saying sprouted. The hollyhock seeds have 2 leaves already, but the dat and brug seeds just have the little white thingy coming out.
I may have to do that also Shelly! I am really out of control now!
edited to say:
Hi Sylvia. Just saw your post. I had taken a break while writing mine! So sorry you still had trouble peeling them. I am wondering if fresher seeds are harder to peel in that the cork sticks more to the corky coating and tends to pull off with the cork. I am putting it together that seeds I have had for over a month , drying open in air, peel easily and relatively cleanly. I just found with new seeds that that I had a horrid time keeping the inner seed from sticking to the cork as I peeled. Were yours newly harvested or older well dried?
This message was edited Feb 4, 2004 3:05 PM
The Hoffman's Soiless Seedling Mix is what I've used for a long time. Yes, its brown, looks like dirt and comes in a bag. The seeds that I started in the GH aren't doing nearly as well as those under my funky light stand and they're in the Hoffman's. But, my point was that in a side by side comparison, those in the mix are growing much faster than those in the RW. By germinate, I mean when the seed kicks out the first little white tip of a root or shoot; by sprout, I was referring to when the cotyledons are present. Maybe I'm incorrect in my thought on this.
And, the seedlings are easily removed from the mix, its just not nearly so convenient as planting the entire little bundle of rw.
On a previous note, I have TWO brug seeds in RW with cork intact that have germinated! They are Pink Beauty X Ecuador Pink. Of all brug seeds planted thus far, I have 19 showing. I think tomorrow I'll have a sprout on my Insignis Gold X Ember Glow, as its little nub has turned green!
Next time I get brug seeds, I'm going to do a side by side comparison of the Hoffman's vs rock wool.