Graowing seeds indoors

When do I take the lid off and put them in sunlight? They sure popped up fast! :) Oh, they are asylum seeds.

I take the lid off when they start to reach the lid. At that point (usually a week or two before the last frost), you want to get them use to being outside. You take them out during the day and bring them in at night, since it's usually cooler.

Is that a lot of plants in each cup?

You may want to thin those seedlings, better air circulation and less competition for nutrients.

okay. i took the lid off yesterday. i guess i need to put it back on. thanks for all the advice. i read on another thread that with asylum they don't need to be thinned because they clump naturally. hmmmm...what to do. lol

I think you need to thin them out, you have way to many growing in one pot, I agree with Granny. :>)
Christine

what do i do? just pull them out?

Yes, they probably want live the way they are. You also don't have enough soil in each cup. They need more soil to have room to grow roots. The plant will clump when they are big and strong. Right now they will just chock each other out. You can plant some of the ones that you pull out in more little cups. Fill your cups almost to the top with soil.

As far as the other thread everyone has their own opinion and ways of doing things. Some things work for some people, others don't. If you're not sure what to do, experiment a little. Maybe thin 1/2 the tray and leave the other side full-see which way works best for you. (My opinion-thin the seedlings)

Okay, i started to thin them and the whole clump came up. I only did a few. I don't want to hurt them.

Man, this is alot harder than i thought it was gonna be. But if i get it down, i'm gonna do this every year. It's so much cheaper!

Oh yeah, how many should i leave in each pod?

I use tweezers to pull mine, but most everyone else uses little scissors to cut them. For now you can leave two or three per cell, but as the plants get larger thin down to allow room for growth.

It will get easier as you go along,dont give up. We all make mistakes and I still make mistakes after many many years, but thats how we learn. This is a great forum with tons of very smart gardeners to help.I agree with the scissors method, try both and see which is easier for you. Good Luck
Christine

two or three per cell, man thats thinning alot. okay. gulp. here i go. i fell like a surgeon.

I've been doing it for years and still don't like thinning the seedlings,I want to keep all of them, but I know it's for the best. They look really small now, but they will grow into larger plants given the right conditions. I made a lot of mistakes when I first started seeds indoors and the big one I made was not thinning the seedlings. They usually didn't do too well, didn't have room to grow, and not enough air circulation to prevent disease/fungus growth or 'dampening off'. What conditions do you have them growing in now?

. . . like I know something to add. . .

Was reading this thread because I, too, started seeds (quite a few)
- they sprouted! and directions said "prop" lid. not sure HOW they had in mind the user doing such with the size, shape and flex of the lid - but that too was done.
- I had the same question as jessnjus.
- and when to give more water.
(any drying and its all over, too much and they'd drown, mold or something equally disastrous.)
- ElStupido - ME - called the Ferry Morse 1-800 number.
- recording said, "Leave a message"
- if Ferry Morse called, so did SantaClaus.

I'm just grateful I did not use all seeds in this effort.

On to the Burpee Seeding System - said to have some watering thing to keep the babies . . . watered.

I just spray with a spray bottle. It is easier not to overwater. I am not using that kind now but I have many times. I did not prop open I just slid the lid a little sideways. You do that if the are to damp. If they are wet you can remove the lid for a day.

Ah DUH! . . . I did say this is new to me . . .we only hope so.

thanks for the Spray Bottle idea.

one last thing . . .once it is really warm with no other cold chills - does the seedling go right into the ground??

You move them first to a sheltered spot outside to get them acclimated for a couple days.

The easiest thing to do is have the pots(with holes in the bottom) on a tray and you water from underneath.