OK, You enablers have gotten me hooked on Plumies and I want to try starting some seeds. If I did that now, I should have little ones just about the time I would have to start protecting them for our cooler months.
Can you let the babies go dormant, as you would with an adult plant?
It might be best for me to wait until spring to start seeds but like most addicts I want immediate gratification.
What do you think?
A ? about seedlings
If you already have the seeds, I would start them now and let them sprout. I would not let them go dormant. Very new seedlings do not do well if let go dormant. You probably will not lose all of them. I will put my seedlings on a heat mat under grow lights over the winter. Next year, they will be allowed to go dormant.
If you do not already have the seeds, you may want to wait until the weather warms up next spring and start them then. That way they will have the whole growing season to develop. I would still bring them in for the winter that first year and put them near a window or under grow lights to keep them going somewhat until the spring.
Hope this helps.
Mike
Thank you, I will put off getting the seeds until then (big sigh). That makes the most sense but I was hoping I could put the little guys to sleep for the winter. I'll just have to be patient. :-(
I start mine inthe winter so I have something to do lol!
Super bright flourescent lights and a lil bottom heat do wonders.
I started too many to speak of on Jan 19 05 they are over 45 inches tall now and in 3 and 4 gallon pots!! WOOT!
Try'em in winter if you have a green thumb, just be sure to priovide bottom heat and lots of bright light right on top of them.
You got some super good advice on this thread so I don't really have anything to add except some pictures!
These were started in December, 2003. I kept them on a cookie sheet on the stove at night with a bright light over them, and when I could, I would put them out in the full sun during the day:
Here they are a month later in January, 2004, after they have been potted up:
Here they are April, 2004. They've been potted up again and are staying outside day and night now:
Here they are at the end of May, 2004:
Here they are at the end of July:
Mid-October:
Here they are at one-year old in January, 2005, after I removed all the leaves. The leaves got rust and aphids in the temporary greenhouse because I didn't have a fan in there.
This message was edited Sep 5, 2005 9:52 PM
Here they are in February, 2005:
Here they are again in August, 2005:
Last one taken today, September 5, 2005. I've discovered three inflo's developing on two seedlings so far. One of them has two inflo's or a double inflo, I guess it is called. I'll take a picture of that one tomorrow so you can see what I'm talking about.
Here is an inflo on my seedling at 21 months old:
Here's the other seedling with an inflo:
Clare,
I have about 8 seedlings that I started in June/July. They are doing well, but some of them have branches. I notice none of yours in the pictures have branches. Is this desirable? Should I take off the branches to stimulate vertical growth?
Mike
Hi Mike! You're right that none of mine have branches. Only one seedling has about ten branches, and that is because I rubbed out the tip when it had Black Tip at one year old. I think it is more desirable for seedlings to have branches, and I wouldn't cut off any at this point. You can cut them off much later if you wish, but I would let it grow as it wants to grow. I think your seedlings with branches will have a nice shape when they get larger. The two seedlings that have inflo's are now starting to branch.
Seedlings will branch when young if exposed to extremely bright light.
I made my lights very intense, 4 bar 40 watt each daylight type and I kept them only 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the seedlins at any time.
I have many 'branchers' including some with many branches.
Thanks so much. At first I thought it was the cultivar. I have 5 "Dainty Pinkl", 2 Aloha, and two "Sunrise". The first to show branches was a Dainty Pink, but I now have one of each of the other two that have branches, as well as more of the Dainty Pink that do. I will leave them alone and decide later if I want to "reshape" them. I suppose if they grow large I can always prune them and root them to have more plants!!! Yeah!
Thanks for that info, Michael. Good to know!
Mike, that's how I think: more branches = more plants:-)