These are about a month old and growing well. They had their first food today.
Kell, here are some of your babies
from overhead
a close up. Thanks for the opportunity.
Linda, I cannot tell you how impressed I am, they are just wonderful, to say the least. I'm so far behind that I will never catch up. I didn't start any seeds until, Jan3, I think, we had two days of sun and they sprouted almost as I planted them - then, tap, tap, tap, they sat, two weeks of cloudy, dreary, weather, so, I added a shop lamp that 'exploded' two days after I set it up.
I ramble - what I'd like to know is how did you start yours and what did you start them in, etc??? Since we are in the same zone, I would think, within reason, about the same thing would work for both of us, ya think??
Linda , very nice healthy looking brugs. I planted some seeds about a week ago and haven't seen any sprouts yet. the seeds weren't new except for some op seeds from my Snowbank. Donna
Sherry, I start all my seeds inside under lights. I have 2 of the shelf units on another thread here and each shelf has 2 shop lights. I've tried several methods (rockwool, DENO etc) but I seem to get best results when I use a cup of seed starter. I sterilize the starter by pouring boiling water through and letting it drain and cool, then I add the seeds and top with a thin layer of coarse sand (sand has not yet been added here)
then I top with another plastic cup and put under the shop lights.
here are Kells seedlings on Dec 25 (not quite a month ago).
seeds were started Dec 11, so germination was 2 weeks.
Thank you so much for your super photos!!! I love your stuff, your pics, your setup, your success!!! It seems, at every turn, I run in to obstacles that, while not insurmountable, cause set backs, or seem to cause setbacks. Do you run into such obstacles, and, if so, what might they be??
Linda, your seedlings are doing fantastic. I am happy to see that this method works well for you. I do pretty much the same thing regarding soil sterilization but use Monika's method of not peeling and pressing the seed down a little in the soil and leaving it exposed to light. I have found that this works well for me. Sometimes we have to adjust and find what works well for us individually. It is obvious that what you are doing is working very well for you. You should be proud of those healthy babies.
Linda...when you say pouring boiling water through....are you sterilizing each container full of potting soil individually? Have you even done a larger amount at once? How would you do that with the boilling water?
BTW...Your seedlings look great. Looks like the seeds are growing close together. About how many seeds do you have per cup? When do you separate them into their own containers?
Thanks, Margie
Monika can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe she used a large container with some kind of cloth laid in it and the soil put into the cloth. Then a large amount of boiling water is used to cover the soil. It's allowed to cool and then the cloth full of soil is lifted out to drain.
Margie, what works best for me is to do the cups individually as I need them. The cup I use for the bottom is a soft plastic and with kitchen shears you can cut the bottom rim about half way around for drainage (that probably doesn't make sense and I can post a photo later). I put as many cups as I'm starting that day in the sink and slowly pour the water through each cup several times until I know it's good and hot and wet. Then I let them sit there and drain until they cool off. I've never done large amounts at a time, Monika has a thread somewhere where she shows how she does it. As I remember, she uses a dish cloth and a collander and drenches about a quart of soil.
I start all seeds this way. When I'm doing brugs, I have found that if it's a large seed it's pretty easy to peel dry, then I soak 24 hrs in plain water. If it's a small seed, I soak unpeeled for 24 hrs. When I'm ready to plant I drain the seeds and soak for 5 or so mins in a 1:10 bleach solution then put them in the cup. The number in each cup depends on how many I received, usually 8-12. I try to place them so that they're not touching each other. The sand on top helps to prevent fungus gnats.
When they start coming up, I take off the top cup for air circulation and leave them as they are until they have 2 sets of leaves then gently (I use a cocktail fork) lift them out (don't touch the stem - handle them by the leaves) and pot into a 4" pot.
Sherry - of course I run into problems (I just don't post photos of them). I have some interesting crosses for brugs that didn't germinate, not yet anyway. I don't know why - maybe the seeds were not fertile, Sometimes I wait and wait and nothing germinates, so I re-use the cup of soil in something (other than a brug) that I'm potting up. Then weeks later up comes a bunch of brug babies in the midst of snake plant and I don't have a clue what they are. I try to be patient, but what can I say . . .
Linda, your babies look great! Thanks for sharing your method plus the awesome pictures to boot! They will come in handy when I get courageous enough to start brugs from seeds.
I had no idea gardening is so addicting!
Linda, i love reading every word you post and your photos always tell me exactly what I want to know, you have really learned from the gurus and you are now a guru yourself, and, yes, that is a compliment!!! I guess we all have those unlikely germinations and wonder what the heck they are. I had an odd problem when I was planting my first seedlings this month and had to remove lots of soil from my little tin foil pans, really trying to keep from removing any seeds. Well, I scooped up all the mess, put it in a plastic bag and, I'll be darned if those little suckers didn't sprout before my well planted first team. Of course, i had learned last year not to every count a brug out until it's over, and, you know, it's never over until it's over, lol!!!!
Linda -- they look wonderful! Nice and healthy and lush! Good work!!!
Your seedlings look great Linda. I started using Messenger on mine and they have really colored up. Just wish it was time to get them outside and in the ground. I'm getting anxious!!
Shirley, I did not see that you had posted while I way typing.
Thanks Sherry and Gretchen. I certainly am no guru, but have picked up a few tips from the experts here.
Sherry, have you ever dropped a tray of seeds???? Everything scrapped up off the floor has to be named 'oops'.
Shirley, you mentioned Messenger and seedlings - how much do you mix at a time and do you water them besides the Messengers and about how often. My shop light blew up over the weekend, but no problem because the sun is out and instead of fearing they will freeze to death, my concern now is that they will burn up, the transplanted (to small cups) seedlings are requiring water twice a day. So, the next transplant, I will put seedings in a larger container, separated, with like seedlings in one pot. I guess I'm talking to myself, but maybe someone will YELL if my game plan doesn't sound okay...last year I was afraid of my rootings and I refuse to be afraid of my seedlings this year, whew!!!
It sounds like a plausible plan, although it'll be harder to separate them when the time comes. That would be tougher for me to do since mine are all individually numbered, with names of the crosses and who they came from on a master list. I ended up with too many "oops" last year, and don't want a single one of those this year, so that's why I'm planting them individually from the start...whatever works for you, Linda. They really do look great.
Sherry, I mixed a quart using the measurements on the package. What was left over, I poured into the pot of a full sized brug.
I used Messenger about a month ago on my seedlings and I could tell no appreciable difference. I sure am glad that you're having good results with it, Shirley!
I'll do the quart measurement next time, Shirley, thanks!!
Gretchen, I have tried Messengers two different seasons and I've yet to see a difference. I bought a ton of it so I will not give up, but I really would like to 'see' the improvement that so many report. Seaweed and fish emulsion are the only two things, so far, that have given me obvious results, as well as Safer insecticidal soap with seaweed extract, and I think that is a result of the seaweed, but I really don't know...
Use what works Sherry. Like you, I have a ton of this stuff and because my friend used and and said it really helped her seedlings, I decided I would give it a shot on them. The change in color was amazing. I've used it on bigger plants and cuttings, but can't really see a lot of difference yet. I hope what I'm seeing isn't just my imagination. That money could have bought me a lot of pots, if it is. LOL!
Yes, Shirley, it was promoted as working better if used on seedlings. My hope is that is true and mine are just too tiny to see much results and they are tiny. Thanks!!
Mine have already been transplanted once into large cups. They will get there Sherry. One day you will be wishing they didn't grow so much. LOL!
Hey, tell me about it Brugie, I'm afraid I have so many brugs that I'm going to have to board some - ya think my Golden partner would notice if I sent him baby brugs instead of baby Goldens?? Surely not, lol!!! I will say that taking care of brugs is almost as time consuming as a litter of puppies...the puppies leave at 8 weeks, and brugs just get going at that time...
oh, my, oh my....there is no turning back for me. my fortune cookie said, there are seedlings in my future =).
i'm taking notes.
Linda they all look so healthy
Great job Linda! Thanks for all the photos, and info. I think we have all had our little "oopsies".
They're looking great, Linda.
Looking great Linda. I hope you get some good ones. I love the short pudgey baby look.
Good to see you again, kell...we need your humor and knowledge! Hurry back please & please let us know when your surgery is due.
God bless, Margie
Hi Kell, they really are doing good. They are all in 4" pots and a few are ready to move up to 1gal and go to the gh. They were started Dec 11, germination took about 2 weeks so most were potted up around Christmas time. They're only 1 month old and some of the leaves are already as big as my hand. They are nice and short because the light is just above their head, in fact one leaf got burned on the bulb. None of mine have had the 'Messenger Magic' yet, maybe if I can keep myself home ths week end.
Sherry, I think the Messenger is most effective when the plant is actively growing. Some on here saw a big difference in number of blooms and earlier blooms last year.
Where is Diane (Kernysgirl), she's the one that got us started with it.
I too bought quite a bit of it, so maybe tomorrow I'll hit all the babies in the GH with a shot of it...Try, try again...
My problem is that I am running out of room fast. My DH built me another seedling rack made to fit in the bathtub. When I left home it was almost filled after just a week. So many need to be moved up to gallon cans now. I will need to move them outside soon. I am hoping for a mild February. So no way I want to spray mine with Messenger now.
Ladies, popping in again, and reading about MESSENGER. Do you order it online? I went to their site and no dealer in my area.
And which one?
Thank you!
Oh my gosh, I left to find the Messenger link and thought I'd never find the right thread to attach it to LOL! I must be tired. And the server is soooooo slow tonight. Anyway, here you go, Moonglow. I think you have to buy the version that's labeled for California. Good luck :)
http://www.edenbio.com/xcart/customer/home.php
Gretchen, thank you so much! I think Kell is right, my brug UNA will soon be BRUGMANYA...
=)