Help me TPlant and Bob and Everyone

Ok, my seedlings, my baby toms, are under the lighting. But, I have fed them a mixture of MG tomato plant food, mixed with a 1/2 tsp of epsom salt and sea magic. I read on the pkg of the sea magic that you are to mix it and feed it to the plants, that is what I did, now Burpee shows that you are to spray it on the plant? Does it matter if the plant takes it in at the roots at the bottom or from the leaves of the plant? Also, I am seeing a lot of growth already, but, my stems are not thick and strong looking like Bob's are????? I did order some more of that sea magic though, couldn't resist myself.
joy112854

Your'e ok on the Sea Magic, just next time spay it on the leaves. As you told me, your'e seeds just sprouted. Give them alittle time. Get your hands on a digital camera and post your pictures so we can help you more. Easy on feeding those babies, they are very young.

BocaBob

I dont like the stems on mine either. This happens every year and I end up throwing them away. Im going to just keep at it this time, and hope.

Guys: Pics sometime in the next few days. Lost the camera cord to the puter so have to take pics and camera over to neighbor's to have it downloaded then will post them.
joy112854

Joy, if your seeds just sprouted you're doing them more damage than good by feeding them so early. By feeding them the M-gro as well as the kelp that's a double-whammy, too.

Will be looking forward to your pics.

Shoe

Horseshoe: When should I be feeding them something besides water?
joy112854

I was just doing a once over. My sundgolds are just green and fat. Everyone does look different. I have the light sitting almost on top of them

Joy, here's an easy way (and perspective) to remember when to start feeding the majority of plants.

"A seed is a tiny plant, in a box, and it carries its own lunch."

The seed has enough energy to get on with growing into a plant. The cotyledons (which look like leaves but are usually not referred to as such) are what transfer the food from the embryo to the seedling. Picture them as "two little lunch bags". As long as you see they have their lunch bags you know they are doing just fine.

Every young'n loves to play outdoors (Yay, recess time!) and to a plant that means they love light, either sun or artificial lights. As their 'lunch bags' (cotyledons) become empty of food you'll notice they will begin to shrivel and/or turn a pale color. Usually by that time they'll have grown their "true leaves" above the cotyledons. At that point you should feel free to give them a small amount of some sort of snack, with an emphasis on "snack" as opposed to a full-blown meal. (A snack would be a VERY dilute solution.)

Once the plant has gotten TWO sets of true leaves that is a good sign they have developed a nice root system and can then handle food uptake without a risk of fertilizer burn. That would also be a good time to transplant them to a bigger pot (or "playground"!)

Hope this makes sense. (It's me mind, ya know, kinda weird in there!) *grin

Shoe

This message was edited Feb 3, 2009 4:05 PM

wow, that sure helped me.

Awesome illustration, Shoe!

Shoe, I love your way with words !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BocaBob

the Shoe man ☺ Thanks buddy!

Shoe: Now your version I understand completely.
joy112854

Whew! Glad I didn't come off too 'off the wall', Folks!

Hope it helped! Ya'll are the best!
Shoe

Excellent explanation Shoe ! Now Joy follow upon it and go to Radio Shack, Circuit City, and Best Buy or Walmart and buy your connector cord. Take your camera with you. We can not really help without pictures? Now get -a- goin! They are still open!!!

TPlant: Are you crazy? LOL I'm a polar bear right now, not stepping foot outta this house lest I havta. I pointed to the pump house when my brother's wifes son came down, and he discovered the light was shot, now my worker will get it tomorrow in the meantime, I've turned up the heat and will snuggle down under my duvets. See ya'll in about 3 days when this is hopefully passed.
joy

Okay but I'm holding you to it!!!!! It is hard to help w/o pictures and it is time that you learn. If I could do it --you CAN do it!

TPlant: I did it, now that I posted some pics I had, I will wait til the ice melts and I can move outside to the car and go into town and get that cord I need for the camera and I'll be done. I posted those pics all by my lonesome, gee, that makes me proud. LOL
joy112854

I fell the same way as Joy right now. Im just layered and fleeced up and not going out till saturday when it is suppose to be a so welcome 70. Still freezing here, even the water on my patio dripping from the faucet froze, and thats right up agains the house, under roof. That has sure never happened before. My last utility bill was 300 bucks over my budget the last freeze go around. I swore no matter how many layers it took, I just could not do that again, well, wrong, I think it ran most of the night, and that was to keep it at 60.

I just checked my seedling, Im actually very happy. Most happy right now that I got so close to 100 percent germination. Tomato's, peppers and eggplant. Its a start.

Did I mention what it feels like when that wind starts howing. Even inside its like a cutting cold. I think Im just getting old.

Gardenglory. You are NOT getting old. It IS COLD! This is a strange winter in Fla, huh? Joy keep warm and snuggly.

Devota and Garden Glory: I'm getting into all kinds of mischief here at the house had an emergency planting to keep me busy for a while.
joy

I pulled out a bunch of old seed packets from last year, Now Ive got all kinds of perannials going as well. o my. I did find some of the bean seeds I was looking for, when its time to plat them. They go direct in the EB tho.
Going to have to get two more shop lights tho, I need another shelf on the shelves now.

Garden Glory: I was tempted but stopped myself. So; you plant beans seeds directly into the EB? What about peas? And do you start your okra late or no?
I'm trying to figure out what to latch onto next myself. LOL
Spent the day looking at those tomato fleece hoodies they have that you throw over the tomatoes in cold weather, but, by the time they get here, it'd be too late to use them.
joy112854

Beans and peas go direct. If they are the sugar snap peas, I would plant right now, even in the cold, its warming up anyway. Cow peas I plant after the tomato's give up the ebox. Same with okra. You can plant it earlier, but its the really hot august that it does its best producing, Actually, tomatoes peppers and eggplant are about the only thing I dont plant direct.

Garden Glory: So; too early to plant okra yet, hmmm, I got melons and watermelons and pumpkins, too early for them too I suppose? I got some peas, so that's a go. I got some red express cabbage, earliana cabbage and leaf lettuce blend also. I got beans (green bush)? Also vital green spinach? What is ornamental Kale? I got some of that too, whatever it is. I also got snow peas? Got more tomatoes but how many of those can you have, oops better not ask Ted that question right? LOL He'll say never have too many. So; which can I plant now of the ones I got? And should I put them directy into the EB or in the seed starter kit? Also got corn; but I know that goes directly into an EB and it's way too early for that. LOL
Let me know
joy

cabbage is a hurry up, the heat will get to it at the end. You can get them going for sure right now tho. Im not doing melons again, but they do come later. Im going to try some winter squash. Probably the same as the melons. By the time you add up the EB and the filling, the darm melons have cost about ten to fifteen buck a piece at the rate they produced for me.

joy112854 Do you know a hyperlink on 5 gal EBs How to make I think I can do .Just like conformation with my thinking

Tubby

Joy, you would want to start peppers now too, they take forever, and eggplant.
I dont even like eggplant, but Im trying the baby ones.

Tubby

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/search.php?forum=&search_text=homemade+EB&limit=boxgardens&search_area=body&limit_poster=&Search=Search

this should take you to all thread dealing with homemade boxes. Well at least alot of them. You can wander thru,

I still ask anyone at this time to show me the results of your HEBs? I have yet to see successful pictures of them with the exception of Big_Red's who passed away awhile back and will always be remembered. I continually ask but never get an answer? Eb's are an expence but darn, they work and last almost forever. They look neat in the garden and one does not have a mish mosh of all kinds of creations that don't work after the time and effort involved? Sorry to hurt anyone's feeling but honestly " Have you seen successful crops from HEB's?" I'm still waiting for pictures?
I am not hear to plug EBs but to offer successful garden methods. For example Boca Bobs simple five gal bags with the coco coir will out grow any HEB one can make and cheaper? Darn he has proven that so many times with his pictures and continues to do so!

Gardeners kits , also very successful and only second to Earthbox. Why buy or make a 100 of something that has not been proven? I understand a lot of us are having a severe cash flow just now but why not buy one at a time of a proven product then mess around with a maybe? Our own "Marketplace" has the finest products from the most proven to be honest people and successful products so why mess around and possibly waste your entire season and money??? Frusterateing isn't it when a crop fails especially when it is our fault for one reason or another? Food prices are rising higher and higher and soon we will shy away from some food products because of price so why not grow the best in the best?

I was dead set on saving $349.00 to buy 10 original EB's myself.....In fact, I had $150.00 saved towards it last week. For reasons of my own I didn't want to fool with homemade ones. I made the decision (not a sales pitch at all) to go ahead and buy 70 5 gallon grow bags at just a fraction of the cost. I just don't think the EB will grow the quantity of veggies I want for the price justification. I think for a long time they were the very best thing you could buy. Period. But now that we have the grow bag option for so cheap with the same results, I didn't want to scrape for the $350.00 (not counting the potting mix and fertilizer) to get started with 10.

What is the differance between growing in a grow bag and growing in a pot?

Tubby: Boca Bob made his own 5 gallon EBs and they were successful and I saw pics of others who have so decided to do it myself. I will know by the end of spring/summer if it works for me, and I believe it will, as the people making them for me have been very meticulous in following the instructions. The Earthbox works because it has a wicking system, water fill tube and the right ingredients, well, so do my homemade ones (smiles). They cost under $20 to make also, except for paying someone to make them then add to that another $5. Still cheaper right? That's with totes of course, and with the buckets, you have under $10 invested and that is with labor. So; I'm happy with that, the 5 gallon buckets are perfect for tomatoes, eggplants, and artichokes and if you have to put a wall of water around them to keep them warm, no problem.
joy

joy112854 Thanks to you & all for your help I order some grow bags from Boca Bob I'm sure I'll wish I had order more I have several 55 gallon barrels also I'm going to try a couple of these too
Tubby

darkmoon, you sure saved a bunch of moola there, didn't ya! (Now just think how much other cool stuff you can buy w/your savings!)

Gardenglory, a grow bag is the same as growing in a pot except it is less expensive than most pots. (For me I trip over pots cus I tend to have too many!) But w/most of the conversation here about grow bags it is also the growing media that comes into play, coir. However, if you already have your pots or other preferred containers you can easily use coir in them as well.

Tplant, in all fairness to the readers, regarding HEB's vs real EB's, I've seen lots of successes on line. And since you mentioned Bob's garden it should be pointed out that he, too, has had success w/grow boxes. A year ago he said,

"I started in the fall with the real EB's and homemade ones with tomatoes and cukes. Both performed equally well. I honestly could not tell the difference in the results. I had 7 foot tomato plants from both. The cukes were also amazing. They climbed up the screen to 10 feet."
The above from http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/806185/
I think that was before he started using coir, too.

The "EB system" sure is a great one (water reservoir, wicking, one-time feeding, top cover, etc) and can be utilized using various items BUT keep in mind folks, some of the wimpier items will cause problems, failures, headaches, and it is those items that Tplant is most likely warning ya'll away from. Thin vinyl/plastic tupperware-type boxes that will warp and bend and not hold up to the stress that a harder plastic (like an EB) will is going to bring you disappointment. Five gallon buckets seem to fit the bill though, although you sacrifice some growing space if compared to a real EB.

For me there is also the "Miser Syndrome", and if five gallon buckets come free I'll turn them into something and save moola. And if grow bags are inexpensive (which they are!) I'll continue to use those as well. Course now, I also have two EB's, love 'em, and wouldn't give them up for the world!

Shoe

Was going to edit the above but it's easier to add:

Joy and I were typing at the same time. Interesting to note that we were both saying the same thing. Great minds on the same channel, eh Joy!?

The day is warming up here (after a low of 16º), happy day to all!

Shoe

Exactly my point Shoe! People buy the wrong stuff trying to save a buck and actually end up losing the works...

Tubby! Yes on the 55 gal drums. I am doing the same to a couple of 30 gal. I have a simple plan for them too.

Devota how about some info on your plan for the 30 gal drums Might very likely save me from goofing up Thanks

Tubby

I went to Lowes yesterday to buy a few odds and ends and they are now selling a new grey 5 gallon plastic bucket for $2.79. That is really cheap for a new 5 gallon bucket. It said new lower price (not a sale). Growing in buckets just got cheaper (but not as cheap as 5 gallon grow bags) (unless you get your buckets free)

BocaBob

For me, Im going with the buckets and getting your blocks of coir. I almost went with the bags, but I really dont have the watering set up, and I think the buckets with coir are going to be my best bet. That also leaves me the EB's for my peas and and beans. 16 plants is alot of bang for your buck and it would take alot of buckets. Thanks for the heads up on the gray ones. I was dreading orange. I kept telling myself they would be like having red covers. I just find them a tad much