hello, everyone! i have something new to try. found this at wal-mart yesterday for less than $6.00! i usually use rockwool, but i like to try new things and keep an open mind. lol.
have you tried this product? would you like to share your experience? i'd love to hear! thanks.
love the wal-mart in fremont. kell, if you stumble on this thread, they have a well-stocked garden section. super-thrive is also cheaper there than HD.
http://www.hhydro.com/cgi-bin/hhydro/HH00800.html
I'm planning to pick up a couple of those today. I have used the expandable pellets in the past with mixed results, but with my new greenhouse I'll try them again. I'm also planning to try some peat pots and other things just to compare. When and what are you starting?
Sharon
hi, sharon. thanks for posting.
i have more arborea seeds (not sure how true, got them online) and more sanguinea seeds. the seeds from kell's crosses, i won't gamble on. they will be started in rockwool.
feb 1 sounds like a good day. easy to remember as well.
I emailed you RE: that Walgreens and the surrounding nurseries you should have stopped at! LOL I need more superthrive! I have no clue if it is really doing anything.
I have not used those before but they have been around so long they must work! I think Tony used them recently if I am not mistaken.
i have a feeling i'll go back to fremont sometime soon. thanks for the e-mail, kell. i couldn't access dave's for a few. site too busy perhaps.
VF-11 went so fast. it will be expensive if i use that product on my brugs and roses weekly. and i also miss MG. love the blue. that's all i used religiously on my brugs last year.
another developing story...my sang seedlings now have leaves that look like what sang seedling leaves are supposed to look like. this one is in a 4" square pot. short and fat just like me. they are even yummier green in person. i sound like a mommy....lol
I wonder if it was a nutritional deficiency. They look just great!! Those leaves look like the sang that is sold at Annies.
i have yet to go to annie's. so much to do, so little time.
not easy, but i try not to pay attention to my seedlings too much. they probably needed food, you're right. now i have to look at my notes what i did to them. i think it was just super-thrive and water. i have to go find out.
I did try the jiffy pellets . The one I bought had a heating pad - 72 pellets , a cover and tray .
Planted all 72 with 2 seeds each . 4 kinds of Datura's , a Brug , Santa Maria [ an herb ] and 7 crowns [ a thisle ] .
I soaked all the seeds in H202 [ 3%- 1/2 cup in 1 gallon of distilled water - 1 drop of Supertrive ] for about 24 hours .
All the seeds looked moldy after 4 days - so I took cover off for a day . mold went away .
So far 1 datura , all Santa Maria and 3 - 7 crowns have come up without any more mold .
When I saw seed sprouts I put a lite about 6 inches above tray . They are all outside in a cold frame .
Lowes is the cheapest around me for Supertrive .
My Lowes had a 50% off table last week end, bunch of junk a several SuperThrive, I bought 6, should get me through the season.
with a heating pad, tony? and how much is that baby? i was in fremont all day yesterday and stopped by union city to get krispy kreme on my way back.
ST, 50% off??? linda, you mean not enough people in your area use ST? are they phasing it out?
thanks for stopping by. i will miss this too much when i start working again.....sigh.
OMG. Moonglow, I was enjoying this thread until you mentioned Krispy Kreme - I cannot even drive within miles of a special KK in my area, they say it's one of the hottest stores, and I can eat 4, I snarf them down. I have not done it since I broke my ankle Feb 11/05. For my 1 year anniversary, I might go back, whew.
I didn't like the jiffy cups but the ones I used weren't in a tray. I surely wouldn't count them out, I'm just addicted to rockwool. Hey, I had some 'old' seeds and I soaked them in H202 and they sprouted in the soak, I hope I get them planted before they dry out...
Were they peeled or not peeled, Sherry? Do people ever soak peeled seeds?
Hey, you want to know a cure for Krispy Creme? A patient at work now for 2 months brings in a dozen or so everytime he comes in, so once or twice a week. It has gotten to the point here no one touches them. We have all OD'ed on them. They are so bad, so full of sugar. I was shockd though that the calorie count is not that bad. I think 70 calories for one, or was it 110? LOL. Whatever it is, I shouldn't even smell them since I am diabetic. Shucks.
No kell, they weren't peeled when I soaked them, which I only did because they were not fresh, like I'd know if that would make a difference, but the H202 is so good with rootings, I thought I'd try it, darn, if I didn't hit the jackpot. When I peeled some of the sprouted ones, they were just little sprouted curls, pretty cute.
I know little about soaked seeds and I've never soaked peeled seeds, but I did let some peeled seeds dry out for several days and they sprouted almost the minute they hit the rockwool, amazing, they were some of yours.
Why, KKs are lethal, so dangerous and I bet they have 500 calories, aren't they fried, then dipped in pure sugar?? Only thing worse is Godiva, I especially love the chocolate covered orange peel and the chocolate dipped apricots. My brother supplied me daily when I was in the hosp for ankle repair, thank the good Lord, I was only there 4 days or they would have had to fork lift me out...
sherry, i don't know why i'm even messing with rockwool success. i have to get more RW.
on KK, once every two or so months, i crave it. or, whenever i fetch a relative at SFO. lol.
i do the WALK for my dad, kell. i'll add you on my short list.
lol, sherry.
Shoot, Moonglow, try it all, I'm finding that some things work well at one time of the year, then something else works better at another time. Then, I'm a zoney too, seems like some things that work great in my zone, might not do so well in yours and vice versa. FWIW, I started out thinking I could not, under any circumstances root in plain water - well, that isn't so, I just cannot do it when it's hot, hot, hot. Luckily, I didn't waste too much time, since I'm little more than a newbie, and the lesson has taught me not to ever poo poo something until I try it myself, and in different circumstances...
This may sound funny, but I don't like the smell of rockwool. I've actually had more success with those jiffy pellets, but I've been told that they're not the right PH for brugs. This time I did seed in sterile seed starter mix, moistened and put in a tupperware type container and in a zip lock bag. They're on a propagation heat mat, and under grow lights. Enough pampering, ya think?
I'm doing some echinacea seeds too, and they're coming up easily.
May I ask where you get rockwool for seed starting?This there a catalog co.that sells it?
wow...lots of good info..(dumb question) what is H202? what is the temp. on propagation heat mat? do you keep it on all the time? how about using a regular heating pad on low???
Hey Annapet those are really handy! I've been using them for years, I use the heck out of em for annuals, etc. Lowe's has a 3 pack for $9. Walmart also has the refills for them real cheap.
The only thing I don't like about em is that netting on the little pots, I tear it off when I put them in the ground. I use to leave it on, but It will stay intact for years, I don't like that. The best thing about em is, I've never had anything dampen off in the pellet/pots ever.
Haven't tried em for Brugs. (go figure, with all the mold I've had I should have tried em)
This is one source of rockwool.
http://www.gchydro.com/detail.asp?product_id=xrockwool
Me too, ZZs, I forgot to mention that, I hate that net stuff...
Now you make me want to try the pellets. LOL All this keeps gardening more interesting!
rosellamcneil, you can get rockwool at any hydroponics store. Online, on eBay or if you have one in your neighborhood they will carry it.
If you have a hydroponics store, go!! They are so much fun. They have so many different things there that you hear about it but never see at a nursery.
More about rockwool:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/414428/
Gee Mary, I have never smelled rockwool. I didn't think it had an odor. Though I would not intentionally smell it just in case I inhaled some of its fibers.
EFGeorgia1, would you believe it is hydrogen peroxide? When Ma Vie used to say she used it I used to think her plants must get so burned, but no, it really does not hurt them at all! I have used 3% full straight as a foliar spray and they did fine. Whether it helps or not, I know not for sure, but I do think it does.
With regard to rockwool, I like it in the smallest cubes, which might be 1 inch, but the tiny ones, that have the indention on the bottom, which gives circulation. I also have some block rockwool, without any cubes, and I have finally found a use for them, I use them to start cuttings. Like anything else, I'm sure everyone has different preferences.
I don't think the rockwool I have has an odor, but little fibers will fly when disturbed or cut and should be avoided.
H202 is 35%, human grade, hydrogen peroxide.
Thanks everyone for your responses about the rockwool.I live in a small town that doesn't have a hydroponics store.I will check out the links though.I use the peat pellets all the time,and like some of you ,I hate the netting,but just tear it off when I plant the seedlings.
love the things that got brought up here! will try hydrogen peroxide next time, sherry.
rosella, rockwool ROCKS.
it was too inexpensive not to try, kell.
joyce, i'll remember to tear off the nets.
efgeorgia, welcome to dave's and welcome to the wonderful wacky world of brugs!
am i curious enough to smell rockwool? hee-hee.
I'm going to try the rockwool for sure!! It sounds great! Thanks everyone.I'm new here,but not too new to gardening,love to try new things.
I have been trying to read about the rock wool,but I can't seem to understand how to use it to start seeds.Can someone help me with this please.
welcome to our addiction, rosella.
kell is well versed on this one....if she doesn't see this, i'll find her instructions to cut and paste here.
my short version: wet the rockwool, place the seeds, and enclose in a ziploc bag. i never used heat, but relied on sunlight before. now i have a shelf and plant lights.
i used to use pyrex dishes, but hubby noticed we're running out of containers in the kitchen! lol.
Hi Moonglow, Does that ever sound familiar?? I'm lucky though,my Dh just laughs and tells me to get more containers for heating leftovers,if he is lucky enough to have any that is!!
Sherry: where do you get 35% human grade H202?
I tried the pellets for the first time this year. Matter of fact, it's the first time trying seeds. They seem to do fine, but silly me didn't take into consideration how quickly some seeds will sprout. I had a tray mixed with hot pink and burgandy castor bean (which sprout early and tall, I've learned), some datura, some mollisima vines, and dwarf poinciana. Had to take the top off very early as the castor beans were growing and getting squashed at the top! I'm wondering if I somehow cut the tray into sections then recover parts that haven't sprouted, would that help in getting everything to sprout. The daturas and mollisima vines haven't sprouted. Well..... at least I'll know next time.
Barbara
Did you have the dome on, Barbara? Can't you pull out the ones that gave grown too tall and repot them on their own?
Gary, I think Sherry found a mail order source. However, my hydroponics store has it. So you could check in your area.
i'm going to get me some, kell!
gary, i'm guessing we're both new to h2o2 for our plants. i found this site today, has the recipes and uses for h2o2. i'm going to use it for my rose cuttings in lieu of clorox.
thanks for that info, barbara. i usually pot up as they sprout, but i may be too busy the next few weeks....
I got my H202 at: http://www.dfwx.com/h2o2.htm
It was expensive, worth every penny, I got a gallon, in 18 mos, I've used 2 pints. IMO, it's ridiculous that the H202 cannot be purchased locally, there are so many uses for it. I might add that the H202 was really packed well, I was surprised and I store mine in a cool dark place.
Some of the uses of H202 are on the site, too.
I save take out food containers with lids for starting my peat pelltes,then I don't have too many types of plants that germinate and grow at different rates together!
thanks sherry!!
thanks, sherry!
i forgot to send the link.
http://www.h2o2oxytech.com/h2o2-uses.htm
Maybe it was the rockwool treatment liquid that made them smell weird. Maybe I'll try it with just a rinse out of water instead of the soak in this rockwool treatment which is supposed to help with the PH.
Great site Annapet. It is like Neem oil, you can use it for everything !!! LOL
This was interesting:
Insect Spray: In one gallon water stir 8 ounces (one cup) refined white sugar and 5 to 8 ounces of 3% H202.
I wonder why the sugar.
House & Garden plants (for growth) : To one quart add one ounce 3% H202 or 16 drops of 35% H202. Mist and or water plants frequently.
Crop Spray: Many farmers are increasing crop yields by spraying with a dilute H202 water mixture.
For each acre add 5 – 16 ounces of 35% Hydrogen Peroxide to 20 gallons of water.
