Ric took the bottom plate of the dishwasher off and sprayed under it and this morning I didn't have any ants. I leave my potting soil outside so it would be easy to bring them in when I'm potting things up and we also have a wood / coal stove so there is usually some wood logs in the mud room so I try and watch that area. We do get our share of creepy and crawlies for a couple of years we just couldn't seem to get rid of the wood spiders. I'm really not exactly Mrs. Clean but I can't stand anything on my counter tops and I never leave food of any kind sit out.
Back to seedlings. Can I, should I pinch back my Lantana and 4:00's? Also when I re-pot them do I plant them up to the seed leaves? Oh how about the Datura, same questions?
Seed starting 2008
Doc, Years ago when we raised a few pigs. Ric would make pig manure tea. Wow that stuff was really good.
I posted a thread over in Garden Art about one of our projects it's a small water feature in case anyone would like to see it.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/831255/
Holly, I sure hope you mean that "stuff" was really good for the plants... not wow it was really tasty! LOL
OOOOOUUUUEEEE, Yucky, Yes good for the plants. LOL
doc,
Those little larvae on top of the soil in your pots may be larva of the Fungus gnat, as they are known to lay their eggs in potting soils which go through the larva-stage and then hatch and fly all around bugging us.
Someone once told me (she worked for a professional planting service--offices and such) that you can mix a T of clear ammonia in a gallon of water and use that to water the plants to get rid of Fungus gnats. Can anyone else chime in on this?
Yesterday, I transplanted a lot of my seedlings in larger pots, or at least separated the multi-sprouted ones into individual cell packs. Especially all the basils. Sure smelled good! Left some of them in clumps. I think that was OK to do.
I also transplanted the Daturas into 4" pots. They will now grow there until planting time in the ground. Yes, Holly, I did sink them a bit deeper than they were growing, but not quite up to their 1st leaves.
You would die if you saw my tomatoes! They are now 8" tall since I transplanted them!!! Can't raise the lights any more--will have to unload everything and re-position the shelf higher. My 2 Knidas Black MG's are twining up the side posts (at least 12") of my shelving and the Moon Vines are also looking where to climb. Everything is growing so well. Having all the right set-up sure gave me a bit different mind-set on doing all this. Just have to keep things in bounds....NOT too many of anything!
Lesson learned here (for next year)--wait at least end of March to plant some of these "galloping" things--NOT everything, though.....
Sally, your Nicotiana Alata (?) (the tall white one) are just these itsy-bitsy green leaves--1/8"-1/4" tall--but it looks like they all came up. When do THEY get a growth spurt??? I think I will have about 100 of them and I only sprinkled a small pinch of seeds in 2 cell-pack sections. I can see already that i will be giving a lot off things away.....
Are you having a Plant Swap, wrightie?
Jill, none of the pink Gomphrena seeds I took from yours have sprouted....:o(
None of my own Marigold seeds I saved have come up either.
Oh well--$2 per MP at the growers......and I will have all I want. However, all my short, pink Zinnia seeds came up (I saved those myself too). They were so pretty!
That's about all the news from here......
Gita
I just planted my Zinnia they are Candy Cane Mix, Nasturtium, Scarlet Milkweed, Thinking about planting my Castor bean seeds, can anyone give me some instruction on them?
My OSP Blackies are really going to town.
Me have tomato envy? You don't know me very well. Mine are going into large milk shake cups in a day or two. I'm wondering how to go taller with the time that is left......without going into heavy buckets and such. :))
Big Zac has more vigor than any other tomato I know of. They can hurt 'ya if you try to step over them.
I haven't sowed any Gomphrenia (yet, anyway; I'm way behind) this year, but I seem to remember something about soaking the seeds overnight in warm water... see if you can find any hints in PF.
Is anyone doing any sowing-in-place right now? If so, what seeds are you sowing? I've been spreading poppy seeds around my beds, but that's about it. I'm itching to get more out there. I'm impatient!
I am impatient too Wrightie. I want to get out and sow something myself. I did finally get two pots of Coleus going and thanks to Wind, potted up what will hopefully be a Yellow Butterfly Bush.
Last year I had a packet of Columbine seed break open and spill in one of my beds. They are doing really great even though they are very, very crowded. If there is to be a plant swap at some point, I think I will have some of these to offer. I can't tell yet, but I believe that the package was mixed seeds, so they would be taken as a Mystery Columbine.
Wrightie, I like your idea of sprinkling poppy seeds around. I might try that myself too. I want to take some of the Morning Glory seeds that I got at the Plant Swap last year and try putting some of them around the fence that encloses our front yard.
If you decide to go ahead and sprinkle anything else around, let me know. I will be right behind you.
Ruby
I think I'm going to sow-in-place with some gourds and cover them with a milk jug- Already dug a hole underthe hill and filled it with compost.
Bushel gourds in house are being stubborn. It was hard to tell what I was chipping into as I chipped them.
doc any gourd chipping hints?
I keep looking for signs of poppy life. They seem to just arise at the five leaf stage for me. Never know how I miss them, then one day-boom. (except Cal poppies in one particular bed, I knew almost exactly where to ook, maybe that helped.
I have something sprouting where I guessed my Heliopsis to be- too soon to tell.
hi everyone, hi Ruby :) nice to hear you're getting some planting in, I hope all is well
I have some lavender gomphrena sprouting here, seeds were from critter
I'm also looking where I direct sowed some poppies but can't see any yet...I've never grown poppies before...the ws poppies are all up. I also direct sowed some columbine.
my tallest inside seedlings so far are cannas, the lights on their shelf are at the highest they can go!
I never chipped or filed the edges of a gourd. We soak them overnight before planting in the pots. Our germ box is held at eighty degrees and the potting soil is just barely damp. Using one year old seed we get emergence in three to five days about eighty percent of the time.
Our large seed soaks consist of water, 10% by volume H2O2, and Kelp Tea. Compost tea,
Earthworm Cast Tea or Alfalfa Tea would be a good third additive in place of Kelp Tea.
thanks doc. sounds like I better try again.
Not to hijack the thread at all, but can you tell me how you make your "tea" doc? Have a bin vermicomposting this winter and I could use the goodies from there. Just curious.
Thanks,
Juanita
Me too!
We need a new thread!
Somebody must have a cute seedling photo to get us started...
:-)
JUNITA..........product + water + time = tea. Or you can just put castings on the soil and let rain or your pot watering make the tea on site. This kind of tea I like to let sit and stir with some kind of a paddle for about a week. I would use about a pint of casings in a five gallon bucket. Stir the dickens out of it untill it stops darkening. Then use as is or dilute untill it looks like tea you would drink when held up to the sunlight. Use as if you were watering with it about once a week.
Earthworm castings can be aeriated with a brewer for excellent results. That is a whole other story and practice.
Thanks Doc!!! I'm going to give it a try. First have to get the worms out f it though. :0) I made a homemade deal that was from on article on Dave's and it has been great so far except that getting the worms to migrate out of the finished product is going to be tricky. May just have to sit on the floor and hand pick the liitle buggers out.
Juanita
338 posts !!!!!!!!!!!
I am due for pictures if you can wait til later......
rvnsbrk I have read something somewhere that...like you spread it out, put cardboard on one side and shine ight on the other...???
Looks like there is a call to start new threads, I'll take up the challenge.
Seed starting 2008 part 2
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/832487/
This message was edited Apr 9, 2008 9:23 AM
And to continue the Composting/ Tea discussion so it doesn't get lost.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/832490/
This message was edited Apr 9, 2008 9:33 AM
thanks- I have to take kid to checkup etc ...