I bet I am not the only one. Do you have some containers with a tad too many seedlings? Here is my first case. These are some Penstemon seedlings. The seeds came from a plant that was given to me a few years ago. I really liked the parent so I wanted to be sure I got some plants. Plus I am never quite sure about the seeds that I collect myself.
- Brent
Here is another piece of evidence. I have two containers of thyme that look about like this. I am not sure which one this picture is from. I purchased two packs of Thymus serpyllum (Creeping Thyme) from an eBay seller because it sounded like a cool plant. I sowed one pack (250 seeds) in one container. The other one was from a pack of Thymus vulgaris (Common Thyme) that I purchased at the store (Burpee brand). I only sowed half the pack, but there were a lot of seeds on the pack!
- Brent
I don't have this problem really, because I took this guy's advice from last year:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=2727102
Check out the picture too!:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=2728108
:)
Brent, I have 2 words for you -- clump transplanting! I learned about this technique from Tom DeBaggio, see http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/589725/
You'll end up with the look of a fuller, branching plant that much sooner... and you won't have to find 10,000 pots!
This message was edited Apr 20, 2007 9:22 AM
I don't have this problem really, because I took this guy's advice from last year:
LOLOL
Thanks for the link. That is one smart fella there. I will have to keep an eye on his posts and follow his advice! ;-)
I only have 4 containers now that have the "carpet of seedlings" look to them so I think I am getting better. Oh well, having too many seedlings is a better problem than not enough seedlings.
- Brent
Brent,
Your Thyme truly looks like a carpet :-) My Bachelor Buttons came in almost that thick- I'm about to pot up this weekend after my week at work. Looks like we'll have plenty of plants to spare !!
Samantha
Funny thing about the Thymus serpyllum...I had grand hopes of laying some flagstone paths this spring. The idea of growing thyme between the stones sounded so appealing. I placed my first ever seed order from eBay and sowed half the seeds. I have since priced out flagstone and between budget and time I seriously doubt I will be creating the paths this year. Now I just need to find a spot to put this thyme to use.
So it seems that I have lots of thyme, but no time for my thyme!
- Brent
Brent, the thyme will make a nice border around any existing bed... I even have some in a location that gets shade form about noon onward, and it does all right. When you're ready to do your paths, your plants will have filled in very nicely, and you'll be able to get loads of well rooted little clumps to put between your flagstones!
LOL Brent. I just came in from laying flagstone myself (pshew!) I had also planned to use thyme in between the stones, but since it's so shady I decided to transplant moss there instead.....which now leaves me with quite a few pots of thyme whose home is yet to be determined.
I'm really impressed with how well your WS penstemon has done. I started some inside and they're all floppy and leggy looking. This was my "leap of faith" year in regards to WS and next year I hope to do more WS and less inside growing.
La
La-
I took the leap of faith this year too :-) I'll be doing much more wintersowing next year- my outside starts all look a hundred times better than my leggy indoor starts! Here's to wintersowing, Dave's, and Trudi's site-
Samantha
Here here!
I love my wintersowing stuff too - it was such an interesting distraction from winter this year. I'm definitely a believer - I had lots of sprouts that have survived snow & temperatures well below freezing. And yes, like Brent, I have MANY seeds sown in my containers, and I'll bet I'll do the same thing next year, just for safety. LOL.
Joanne
I might have sown a few too many Double Shirley Poppies ... :)
Brent, Yes, I have a few of those chia pets growing too, and need to find time to start getting them into the ground. And I still have some annuals I want to plant.
Karen
Overall, my WS germination rate is poor; and I did not sow too many, as warned......so Brent, you did the right thing!!! My container of Thyme, which was oversown and full was eaten last night by ???? .... and a few more containers stirred up. Now the temp is at least 80 and some of them look like they are bleaching out, so I covered them with one of those thin sun-filtering sheets and am trying to keep them moist.
Tammy, Don't give up yet. You might still get more seedlings now that the weather is warm. Just be sure to keep moist. In these temps bottom watering works best. I did that today.
Karen
Brent: I think your creeping Thyme look awesome! I just love that bright green emerald color!! You'll have plenty of "creepers" for between your paving stones and it will look beautiful when they are all planted out. Bet you'll plant the majority of them! Just wait until you walk along your planted path and brush against them. What a wonderful fragrance!!
Tammylp: Have you been keeping your ws containers moist? Are they getting enough sun? Germination can be erratic so don't give up! Bet you'll still get more sprouts now that the weather is warming up. Hang in there!
Tammy I've had a container of hibiscus with 1 sprout in it for 3 weeks. Today there are 13 in there! Don't give up they may still be coming.
How do you bottom water a milk jug?
I also sowed in large deep aluminum pans that are set inside clear plastic storage boxes with clear lids (they are doing best). That way I duct-taped the lid on one side and can prop it up like a cold frame. The pans have drainage holes, so would I just put water in the plastic box until the pan of dirt absorbed water, then dump the remaining water? It doesn't seem like it would get to the top of the soil where the seedlings are.
Tammy, I've got my jugs and other containers in nursery flats... those black plastic ones tend to get little holes in the corners after a couple of seasons of indoor use, and that makes them perfect to use on the deck. Rain or water from the hose can fill the flats to a depth of an inch or more, and the slow leak allows plenty of time for the pots to soak up water without ending up sitting in water. It does seem to get to the top of the soil just fine, although occasionally I'll open a pan or container and mist the surface if that last little bit of potting mix on top seems to be staying stubbornly dry.
Or a kiddy swimming pool or some similar tub works well. I have a tub that probably holds about 15 (or more?) one gallon jugs. I'll put the first round of jugs in and let them soak for a couple of minutes, then put in the next round. The deeper ther water in the tub the faster it will rise within the jug. I leave them in for only a few minutes and they be totally saturated to the soil surface. This avoids messing up the seeds or seedlings while watering thoroughly.
Don't leave the jugs in the pool or tub all the time unless it has drain holes. I few minutes is sufficient and will usually allow me to go several days between waterings, even in very warm weather.
Karen
Tammy-
The soil will definitely get moist all the way to the top- I've got all my tomatoes in 4 inch plastic cups, which I poked holes into with a knife, and I've got them sitting in a container. Just pour water into the container, and the soil soaks up the water through the bottom holes. It works great, and seems to get the soil more evenly moist than when I water from the top.
That is a great idea with the clear plastic storage containers- how big are they and where did you get them? I would love to have used my big aluminum roaster pans like you mention for wintersowing- perhaps next winter I'll try them your way :-)
I've been using baggies for my wintersowing- and they worked pretty well. I've got them all together in milk crates which helps hold them upright- so when I want to move them around, into the sun or whatever- I just pick up the whole crate and there I go.
Samantha (wow I can ramble sometimes!!)
Thanks, all--I am trying to bottom-water everything now; especially those teensy-weensy seedlings. I had found some large, deep rectangular containers with clear lids marked down at Home Depot. They were marked down to $2.50 because the lids would not snap down and stay put; but I figured duct tape would make a nice hinge and be water-proof....and it works great. Once some of my WS is planted, I will use them as a coldframe for my inside starts. If it is warm, I remove the lids altogether and use the roll of thin sun-filtering cloth to provide more circulation. I put them in a row on the deck and unroll the cloth over the whole row and add a few clothes pins to keep in place. I think the hot weather that followed the cold spell was hard on some of them.
