Okay, I'm using those peat pellets that swell up, and are covered with some kind of cheesecloth-type substance. Some of the seedlings are getting nice and big, and the roots are poking through the cloth just a little. I have a novice fear the roots will dry out and die and kill the plant and devastate the entire universe.... oh wait, it would just devastate THIS way to do my garden.
What do I do? Will those roots be all right if I keep them moist? Or should I hurry and plant these before the roots get any more exposed?
TIA!
need advice on seedlings, please
If you are not ready to set them out yet, you could put your little pots in some kind of tray or pan with a solid bottom and a few holes punched on the bottom. Put the little pots side by side in the tray and add some soil to cover the little pots and water to keep them moist, that way your roots won't dry out.
You shouldn't leave them in the tray very long, maybe a week or two, before you plant them, or they will grow together.
A disposable aluminum pan would be good for this purpose.
Josephine.
Thanks, Josephine! That sounds good.
I got the perfect size little plastic pots at Dollar General to plant my pellets in when they started growing good like this. There are 10 in a stack for $1 and they were 25% off. I just plant the whole pellet in the pot and that gives it more room to grow until I put them outside.
Here's the ones that having moved from the pellets and the fluorescent lights to the bigger pots and the natural light. I've got 2 batches that are now in the hardening off stage. So far my rotation system is working good.
Paige, good idea, I am curious about those baggies taped to the window, I guess you have seeds in those?
I bought small peat pots for mine at Ace Hardware. They were $1.98 for 15. I bought two sizes so I can replant my tomatoes as they progress. I'm kind of experimenting with the tomatoes. I've put a few in the ground already and, as they grow a little, I'm raising the soil level so that I'm continuously burying the stem up to the 2 top leaves. Once they get good and strong, I intend to let them grow normally. If it doesn't work, I've got extra seedlings in the peat pots.
I started all of the following in those little pellets, transferred them to the peat pots and they're doing excellent: butterfly weed, milkweed, liatris, purple coneflower, orchid vine, moon vine, morning glories, datura, holly hocks, foxglove, balsam, zinnias, cosmos...there's more....I just can't remember what. The peat pots really seem to work well but you have to water them more frequently than the little plastic pots. I had to create charts for the little greenhouses so I knew what I planted and where. It seems to have been a successful project so far.
Good job Knolan! Glad to see you are growing some natives.
Josephine.
Yes Josephine, there are seeds in those baggies. I cut up coffee filters, wet them then put some seeds in them and tape them on the window. When they germinate then I transfer them to the pellets. It's much better than watching the dirt to see if a seed sprouts!
Very neat idea Paige, I might give that a try. Do you put all kinds of seeds in there? or just some types.
It's called "the baggie method". I use it for just about everything that doesn't require darkness to germinate, except big seeds, like moonvines etc. I soak any hard seeds overnight first. It's great because you know what seeds have germinated and which ones are bad.
HUMF! Why doesn't my Dollar General ever have anything like those pots!
Check around at some other DG's too. I bought the only 3 sets at the store closest to me then went to 2 others and the last one had a ton of them. They have great drainage holes on the bottom, all the way around it rather than 3 holes. Keep looking, they are definitely worth it!