FYI....Gardens North 50% off Seed Sale

Not to enable anybody of course ;p

http://gardensnorth.com/site/index.htm

Oh-oh. Thanks, Erynne.....I think!

Resisting here......oh maybe just a little peak......

--Ginny

Phew....that was close.....I almost looked in the catalouge........
Musn't buy more seeds........I counted how many different ones I had......Eeeep :)

Steven

LOL Steven.

I must admit that transplanting stuff to bigger pots last night has somewhat* dampened my enthusiasm to buy more seeds; I simply have run out of room. Ok, and do I really need 40 pansies??? And I haven't even potted up my tomatoe plants yet. Yikes. Need a greenhouse. Really bad. Oh yeah, and where exactly are 25 morning glories supposed to fit once they all need bamboo sticks to grow up.

*translation: only slightly

Joanne

Thanks to Erynne, I freed a 20$ bill LOL!
Yummi, cannot stop me from getting in a Grow_Jo like problem LOL!

Grow_Jo, I started most of my plants indoors in styrofoam cups so if they need to be transplanted after that..............................too bad for them! HA! Also, I'm running out of room FAST! I just went on a small buying spree at the local garden center this aft and bought 1 Oriental Lily (in bloom. It smells SO gooood) 1 Jasmine on a hoop (I've always wanted one of those) 1 Gerbera Daisy and 2 Primroses.........The Jasmine went into the living room and curently the rest have been spending time in the basement with me......but I'll need to find spots for them. Oh Yeah, also earlier today I planted Brug seeds...........another plant I'm growing that I have no room for :) LOL

Steven

Lol, Lol,........I didn't mean no harm....serious! Just thought I'd lead the way to some nice goodies from a nice company.
I like the green that is slowing spreading throughout my house. Everything was supposed to stay in my new plant room BUT......the seedlings have now invaded the laundry room, the living room and the kitchen window sill. And I ain't done yet!
Transplanting them to bigger containers sure is a PITA though.

LOL, no harm done! What do you all fertilize your seedlings with? I think mine are a little on the small side and need some sort of fertilizer.
I too like how the green invades our house, the upstairs has been invaded by seedlings and houseplants that need to get outside again, and the living room/kitchen has been invaded by the pretty plants........Orchids, Jasmine, a Lily, Succulents, a Morning Glory, Gerbera, assorted other houseplants and a Lavender plant. Oooh how I love it :)

Steven

BTW, I really like your shortforming :) When I was younger my brother used to call me a PITA and said it was just a name he made up..........Ha ha ha
Although it wasn't funny then :)

I have dropped in here to announce (quite smugly) Erynne that I have succcessfully resisted ordering any more seeds from Gardens North :-) I am not being quite so successful with Dominion Seeds special only on the web offers though (sighhhhhhhh). Check out their current promotions: http://www.dominion-seed-house.com/en-ca/promotions.aspx

--Ginny

Steve, I'm doing things a little differently this year and holding back on the fertilizer a bit longer with the exception of my daylily seedlings which I started long before anything else. So far water & light is all they're getting and I figure they'll let me know when they want some food. When I do start, which may be soon for some things, I'll give them just the liquid fert (MG 4-12-4) diluted to 1/4 strength, q7d for the first 2 weeks, then 1/2 strength q7d for 2 weeks, and then out to the garden where they'll get food when I remember and/or if I think they need it. By then I'll just be using that more balanced type of MG that I attach to my hose (20-20-20).

Last year I started fertilizing too early I think, and I ended up with bigger plants that I quickly ran out of room for. Keeping them a little smaller won't overwhelm me and besides, they'll take off once they're outdoors anyway.

Getting even are we Ginny,lol. Ooooooh, Green Envy........

edited for typo

This message was edited Apr 5, 2007 9:17 AM

8^0 Who, me? LOLOL

Green Envy..................I WANT THAT! BUT MUST RESIST! AAAAHHHH!!!

Erynne, All I've got right now is reg MG, so I guess that will do. I wouldn't mind some bigger, healthy plants. My Daturas especially are tiny and yellow.....the leaves which are supposed to be getting big are staying tiny.
Time to break out the MG!

Steven

BTW, someone on another forum said they water their plants a little before fetilizing. That way the soil is already moist and less of the fert runs off.
Just thought I'd share :)

Placed my order last night.

As far as fertilizing, I have been using liquid seaweed & fish emulsion for years & it works great. This year I bought a bottle of Ultra Growth that someone on this forum suggested (sorry, I can't recall your name) & I am going to give it a try as well. You can't beat liquid seaweed though. I also soak my seeds in a weak solution of the seaweed,hydrogen peroxide & water overnight.

Broots, May I ask where you get your liquid seaweed? I'd like to give it a try.

Steven, just a heads-up here about the amount and strength of the fertilizer. I started fertilizing my hosta seedlings at the 2-leaf stage, full strength, every 2 weeks. Any that splashed on a leaf, the leaf burned and died. In hindsight, it would have been better to either wait a little longer, or dilute the fertilizer, as Erynne has done. Now they are at the 5-leaf stage, though, the fertilizer doesn't seem to bother them. Next year, I'll definitely wait until they get bigger. I can't see it being any different for other seedlings.

Sandy

Here's a good little bit of info about fertilizing:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/706383/

Steve, you gotta with a lower number on the nitro (bigger isn't necessarily better now is it? ;p , LOL)

This message was edited Apr 5, 2007 9:10 PM

Steve, I order the liquid seaweed from T & T Seeds.

http://www.ttseeds.com/

I have also ordered it from Richter's.

http://www.richters.com/

I usually start fertilizing at the two leaf stage with a weak solution of seaweed & I always bottom water.

Linda

Erynne, good link there! This is a good discussion.

I would bet that bottom watering would help my situation of burning the leaves! I used a turkey baster after I burned the leaves, which worked way better. I have been using a 10-52-10 transplant fertilizer, meant to promote root growth, maybe it's harsher? The reason I haven't been bottom watering up until now is because I read that the roots grow better in a drier soil. If you bottom water, you would have to keep the medium wet all the time so that the wicking action would continue. I must try the other side of the coin, though, so I can say one way or the other.

Hey, Linda, I read somewhere that the seaweed fertilizer smells strongly. Do you find this?

My turkey baster (no, seriously!) Yuk-yuk

Hi Sandy, no I don't find the seaweed smells strongly at all. You might be thinking of the fish emulsion. Even that doesn't bother me, but some people don't like it. Some are deodorized and some aren't.

I plant almost exclusively in peat pellets except for winter sowing & poppies & I must say they do not remain wet all the time. There have been many times that I forget to check them & find them getting quite firm & dried out. I just soak them in warm water & they usually come back as long as the plant hasn't got dried & crispy. There are a lot of people that do not like peat pellets but I have been using them for 30 years.

That's some turkey baster you got there.

Thanks for the info, Linda! Maybe it was fish emulsion I was thinking of that some people find strong. Yes, most people are impressed with my turkey baster :-))

Sandy

Sandy, it looks kind of dangerous. Like, do you have to threaten your turkeys to make them stay in the roaster or something? LOL.

Joanne

Used to. But now, no threats necessary. Could be the new oven gloves though. Oh jeepers, another experiment. lol

Ok, heres a really embarrassing question....................Where does everyone get all they're different kinds of fert? The only kind I ever really use is MG, house plant and AV food....which are available everywhere. Any answers to my embarrassing question will be appreciated :)

Steven

BTW, nice turkey baster Sandy.

well, now I can't figure out how that would be an embarassing question, Steven, seems a fair one to me! Linda gave some links above for the liquid seaweed. I think I got mine at the local Can. Tire or Home Hardware, you know, nothing special.

I start off every spring with 25-30 bags of sheep manure that I just get at the local garden centre. Then it's just the seaweed & fish emulsion. On the odd occasion I will give the garden a dose of MG.

This excerpt is taken from the Richters seed catalogue.

Oh great, I finally make it back to DG and you guys are all trying to make me spend more money and add to my already out-of-control seed bank!

Am totally overwhelmed with plants in the house and stuck with a greenhouse that still drops down to only 2-4 degrees overnight--and sometimes zero. Can't see out the dining and livingroom windows any more because the squashes and tomatoes are too tall. My long-suffering husband is losing his patience. I despair of ever having spring--nearly a metre of hardpacked snow on the veggie garden still.

But oh, those seed catalogues offer such hope!

Have comments and questions about fertilizers but will start a new thread.

Rosemary

Sandy, I guess after gardening for a while I figured I was supposed to know where to buy these things, and thats why it was embarrassing, but then again.....I won't know if I don't ask!
So, next time I go out I'll scoot by Home Hardware and see what they've got.

Broots, Thanks for the links in the above post. I missed them untill Sandy pointed them out.
BTW, Your garden looks really good in that photo!

Steven

Steve I just go to our local big box stores for any fert that I've bought (Rona or Home Depot).
Broots, I like those peat pellets as well and have always had good luck getting things to germinate in them. We did a bunch of tomatoes and cosmos in them with no problems and they're doubly great for kids to work with (no mess). When my plants need to go into bigger pots, I snip of the netting though and leave the peat ball somewhat intact. It looks like the Home Depots around here are getting away from carrying the Jiffy brand products (which I really like) and are switching to MacKenzie peat pellets. BTW, what are those lovely white flowers called that are behind the Nasturtiums? Very pretty display and sooo full!

Hi Rosemary! I don't think I've met you before on here .....so I'm pleased to meet ya! Do you have a heated green house and if so how do you heat it? I have a green house of sorts but I'm not entirely sure how to use it (now that's embarrassing!) and where to purchase a proper heater around here.

Erynne

Here's another neat online source for indoor seed starting, etc:
http://www.bustan.ca/main.asp?menuID=1

*Warning, they are pricey it seems but may be useful.

Steven thanks for the comments.

Erynne up until last year I was able to buy peat pellets for 10 cents a piece from the local Co-op. Now they only sell the packs of 25 for over $5. I do the same as you do when transplanting, just take the netting off.

The white flowers are Nicotiana alata grandiflora. If you want hummers, plant these. The hummingbird moths really go for them too. In the evening they have a wonderful fragrance.

Wish I could afford one of Bustan's light systems.

Linda

Are we talking about seedling or garden fertilizers? I don't use any water solubles in the garden, but I do in the annual containers.

Linda that is a gorgeous combination with the nasturtiums and nicotianas! I would like to try the seaweed as an experiment for my containers. The fish emulsion I'm a little leery of because a couple of years ago someone told me to plunk a whole fish into my rainbarrel and water my plants with that. Acck! I couldn't go near the barrel without gagging. I'm sure the commercial stuff would be better? LOL

I have to say that in the garden, I tend more to the soil enhancements rather than foliar feeding, not to say that one is better than the other but, it can become costly because the soil amendments (compost, alfalfa, etc.) are very long lasting.

Erynne, thanks for your link. Wow expensive, but very interesting. Can you imagine replacing our 40watt flourescents with 1000watts? Hoo-ha look out, we'd be able to hear our seedlings growing!

May I share with you guys a bit of fun and knowledge that I learned today. I went to a back-to-back seminar style lecture series in Ottawa with some garden gurus. We had Ken Beattie from the Prairies as the feature speaker. OMG he is SO entertaining! If you haven't already seen him, and you get a chance.... go! Fun guy. So down to earth. Anyway, he was saying tongue in cheek how people from the ritzy area of town need a tomato fertilizer, broccoli fertilizer, squash fertilizer, etc..... and he says basically they are all the same! It's just packaging and marketing. The posh from Toronto would use 'Ralph Lauren' fertilizer (he probably says 'the posh from Ottawa' in his Western speaking engagements! haha). Basically, his point was it depends on the N-P-K. Do you require more nitrogen-Phosphorus or potassium?

Hi Rosemary! Nice to meet ya.

Sandy

Hey, Linda, is a hummingbird moth the same as a snowberry clearwing moth?

I'm so getting into all the activity in my garden in the summer. Last August I took this picture. I went out mid-morning and I was so amazed at the bees buzzing, birds flitting, frogs jumping out of the way, damsel flies, etc. I'd never been so mesmerized. I went back in to get my camera. At first I thought this was a big bumble bee. Was it ever hard to get a picture of because it moves exactly like a hummingbird, zip, zip, zip. I have since identified it as a snowberry clearwing moth. It sure liked the Million Bells that day!

Sandy

Welcome back Rosemary! It's nice to see you posting again :-)

I remember seeing my very first hummingbird (or clearwing) moth too Sandy. I remember standing there thinking.....What an unusual hummingbird. No, it can't be....Must be a moth....Nope, I'm positive it's a hummingbird....On second thought...... LOL And so on. It wasn't until I looked it up online that I realized what it was - I had never heard of them before.

--Ginny

Sandy, I'm glad you like the nasturtiums & nicotiana. I plant nicotiana every year by the front door. I just love it. Actually it's the hummers & the sphinx moths I like. About the hummingbird moth, I was talking about the white-lined sphinx moth, not the same thing as the snowberry. This link shows the difference in the two. They come from those dreaded tomato hornworms. I have only seen the white-lined sphinx moths in the evening & as soon as I see them I am outside snapping pictures like crazy. Very hard to get a photo, but I did get one once back in 2002.

http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_moths.html

I can't believe you put a whole fish in your rain barrel. Boy it must have stunk to high heaven. Smells really bother me & I can't stand fish to start with. Maybe you should have put the fish in a large pail if you wanted to try it. Bet you don't forget that experience for awhile. LOL. Commercial stuff much better, especially if you get the deodorized. I get mine from Cdn Tire & it's called 'Muskie' by Green Earth.

I have watched Ken Beattie on tv & he is very interesting. What he says about the different fert's makes sense.

I forgot to post the picture I took of the snowberry clearwing moth last year. (Well, actually I took a few thousand, but only this one turned out OK, lol) zip-zip-zip

I can't believe I put a fish in my rain barrel either! What a dork. Oh well live and learn!

I went to Humber Nurseries yesterday to get some stuff and picked up some of that fish emulsion called Muskie (5-1-1). First thing I did when I got it home was smell it,lol, and actually it doesn't smell too horrendous at all. Sorta reminds me of a light oil paint smell, not fishy. I gave it a try on some Rodgersia seedlings yesterday afternoon because they've been puttering along too slowly for my taste and today......whoa, they are noticeably bigger! I did not expect that.

Nice pic Sandy! Fish in the rain barrell eh, lol,lol......you might not live this one down.
I have never seen a hummingbird in the 12 yrs that I've lived in this part of Mississauga or moths that look anything like those pictured. We've got the airport and so much industry that they probably couldn't stand to live here which is really sad.

Sandy great photo of your clearwing moth. I have never seen one of those before. Maybe they don't come this far north. It sure seems to like the calibrachoa. zip-zip-zip is right. They really have you going in circles. I have attached a photo of my white-lined sphinx moth.

Erynne, glad to hear you are trying the fish emulsion. I think you will really be pleased. Sorry to hear that you don't get hummingbirds. They really make my day.

Oh, that's beautiful, great shot!