OK, I have no problem starting G seed, and getting them up to 21/2", then I have the problem of some turning yellow, and dying. I wonder about the potting mixes, and have tried 3 different ones.I have them in news paper pots, and plastic pots, and there is no differance there.If anyone could PLEASE help me grow one to maturity, I'd be sooo greatful. Thank you, Mike
Do you fertilize them at all once they get some true leaves? Seed starting mixes don't usually have much in the way of nutrients in them, so once things have their true leaves I usually give them a bit of dilute fertilizer (not gerberas because I don't grow them, but other seedlings) The other possibility is that they're not getting enough light, seedlings need tons of light, so when I'm starting things in the winter I have lights suspended a few inches above the seedlings and leave them on 16-18 hrs a day.
Mike. Gerberas have to stay on the dry side. The do not like alot of moisture they get fungal molds faster than any plant I know and croak and will continue to get molds even when mature and blooming. Cut back on the water. Use a fungicide every week for several months.
Thanks,ecrane3, and starlight1153, you both are right,I have been afraid to fertilize, because of the soil saying "good for 9 Mos.", and to know when to water is iffy too.I have mirical grow mixed for other plants, should I dilute that in water, or can they take it streight.
mqiq-you mean it is NOT a miracle grow concentrate-its already mixed with water? Or is it a blue powder that you mix with water? Either way-if it is already mixed with water then dilute it so that it would be about a 1/6th of the regular strength ( am thinking that would make it about 50 ppm-if regular strength is 300 ppm). Fert once or twice a week for a few weeks-then move it up to 100 ppm. When you fert-just pour into the soil till it fills up the pot. Don't fert when the soil is really dry.
Thank you, tigerlily123, I understand fully what you mean, by 1/16th strenght, and yes, it is the blue power type, and i have it mixed, acording to bedding plants, but will recheck.It is a heart break to watch them die.I ordered some more gerbera, from eBay, and I've BEEN HAD!!, there was not one viable seed in that postage stamp package.I don't know what I can do, but negitive feedback.This is the 2nd time I have been victim to a , "fluff bandit", or, maybe they don't know. Thanks again, Mike
Mike. I said one sixth, not one sixteenth....just want to make sure that you don't dilute too much. Why don't you just order some gerbera seeds from Park? That is where I have always gotten mine and they germinate great!
TL, are you aiming for 50 ppm N or 50 ppm TDS?
50 ppm N its almost always figured in the nitrogen
Holy Cow, I'm overfertilizing my seedlings. My fert calculator shows 50 ppm N to be 0.3 tsp per gallon for the Miracle Grow liquid.
Mike... One thign to remember when ordering Gerbera daisy seeds is that they have a very short shelf life. They need to be planted almost as soon as they are harvested.
They can't be kept for usually more than a month or two once picked for storing the seed.
best thign is too check when Gerberas as blooming and kind a judge when seed s wilbe harveste d then buy from reptibule company.
Here is a method used to figure out the ounces needed /100 gallons of water to get the desired ppm.
desired ppm/75 oz of fert
---------------------------- equals
decimal fraction of desired
nutrient in fertilizer carrier carrier per 100 gal ( figure 8-1)
Let us assume that a recommendation calls for 200ppm of nitrogen and that we have a 20-10-20 grade fertilizer available. Using equation 8-1 ( the above equation), we divide 200 ppm by 75, which results in a value of 2.66. Then we divide this number by .20, which is the decimal fraction of nitrogen in the 20-10-20 fertiizer, to obtain a final answer of 13.33 ozs of 20-10-20 fertilizer per 100 gallons.
200/75
--------------- equals 13.33 oz/100gallons water
0.20
Hope this helps-took it word for word out of one of my grhouse management books ( Paul Nelson is the author -wonderful guy!)
so if you divide both the 13.33 oz and the 100 gallons by 100 you will get the rate of
.14 oz /1 gallon of water for 200 ppm of 20-10-20. This would be the same rate for any fert with a number of 20 ( i.e 20-20-20 etc)
In liquid weights, 1 oz=2T, but I just weighed out 2T of dry fert and it came to about 1/2 oz if that helps at all. A note about weighing out fert. It is very important to keep your fert dry ( which can be tricky sometimes in the grhouse between watering stuff near the bag, and humidity!) but if your fert is wet-it will throw off the weight you are measuring, and then it becomes a guessing game unless you have a EC probe to measure the soluble salts in the fert. solution
Also, I just use 50ppm until the seedling is big enough to transplant ( and I usually fert twice a week at that rate-watering inbetween fert). After I transplant into a 3.5" pot (18/flat), I switch to 150 ppm once a week, and I start a week after I transplant. When I see roots starting to reach out to the sides of the pot, then I up the fert-depending on what I am growing and how much I am watering ( how hot is it-am I leaching out the fert inbetween fert) and how heavy a feeder is the plant.
I use this javascript calculator: http://www.firstrays.com/fertcalc.htm
Thank you both,, I filed the material's for future referance, and thank you TL, for the tip on buying gebera seed.I had no clue that seed companies carried gebera seed, and I need to order all my seeds today, and I have been leaning tward Parks, they are reasonable, and have most everything.Thanks, again, Mike
I have Nelson's book from school...............I am laughing as i never knew what was going on in that class!!!!!!!
As I shall never forget the gross blunder I made in Eng. Lit., on the oddysey.A pop quiz was in play the moment I entered the class.I didn't know what the oddysey was, much less the main characters, so I tried to cheet.The guy next to me was the second dumbest in the class, and when ask , on the quiz, what was cyclopes' name , he wrote "noman", and I thaught he wrote "norman".So I guess norman would be as good of a name as one could find, darn, I needed that grade. Mike
