heirloom vs hybrid tomatoes

[Duh_Vinci]

I'm about to start my THG giveaway seeds in an hour or so. the moon is changing to full so we should get pretty good germination...

And thank you for the reminder on the moon phase!

About to start the seeds for grafting: Emperador for the root stock and Everett's Rusty Oxheart for the fruit.

Few spots in the garden always get Fusarium wilt. Tried Kosovo on the same Emperador root stock last year in the place where I knew fusarium is present, and results were exceptional, not a trace. Maybe coincedents, maybe the addition of mycorrhiza specimens, maybe a combination of both. Who knows, all I know, the plant lasted until the frost. So it is worth trying for me again...

Regards,
D

[rainbowgardener]

soil: re I'm about to start my THG giveaway seeds in an hour or so. the moon is changing to full so we should get pretty good germination...

Are you planting the tomato seeds directly in the ground? I don't know where in No Calif you are. I would think for most of the area it's a bit early for tomato seeds in the ground, but I'm not real in touch with your climate.

If you are planting the seeds indoors, do you really think the moon phase makes a difference to indoor planted seeds?

[applestar]

Hmm... interesting. I've never been able to test the theory because I'm a haphazard gardener at best, and I haven't been able to work out all the logistics of seed starting and planting to incorporate moon phases, but my rudimentary understanding of the concept is that tidal forces/gravitational forces and electromagnectic forces due to positions of the sun and moon play a role. So my guess is that indoors or out shouldn't matter.

You know, somebody always mentions the undisturbed taproot when sown directly in the ground vs. started indoors in containers, and obviously there are so many seed starting mixes sterile and not. But I think another factor that can't be dismissed is interaction of living organisms positive as well as negative when sown directly in the ground.

My Haley's Comet (I think that's the name) and Red Boar are up.

[rainbowgardener]

Re: My Haley's Comet (I think that's the name) and Red Boar are up

How long did they take? If you are also doing some hybrids, were they quicker? How many of the Comet and RB came up?

[soil]

they are started in a greenhouse, inside the greenhouse is a sweat chamber similar to doubledog's. so indoors and outdoors lol.

applestar I plant by the biodynamic planting calender. it makes it really easy you should check into it.

[Tonio]

oohh, got to check out teh biodynamic planting calendar. I've been using Reader digest calendar mostly.

[soil]

just a note to those who have had bad germination rates recently. something to think over.

tomato seeds were started weeks ago at the last full moon, for the most part germination rates were good about 190 out of 200. one selected line did not germinate well, 0 out of 10. since they were in the middle of a two hundred cell tray I left them and didn't replant. The next full moon came through in the last few days, and guess what. they have started to sprout over the last few nights. so far two have germinated, if that's all I get I ca still save the line.

also another test tray that I planted a few days after the full moon, germination was poor, it was around 15 out of 72. I left the tray of seeds as usual, and again over the last few days most of them have come up. somewhere around 50 of 72 so far.

my overall point being not that the moon saves non germinated seeds, but really that seeds may take some time to germinate. specially older varieties like heirloom tomatoes. conditions just may not be right yet.

[applestar]

Heh. I was going to post that all of the Haley's Comet germinated, only half of Red Boar and no Berkeley Tie Dye (old seeds). But in the las tcouple of days the rest of the Red Boar came up. I'd say Comet was maybe three days behind the rest of my other heirloom seeds (all home grown - mine and others) -- overall 3-5 days behind the rest. B T-D is still no show but I had to take the six pack tray I used off the heating pad so that may have some relevance. I should try sowing a few more in its own container so it can stay on the mat as long as it needs to.

Considering the overall slow germination of Wild Boar seeds which I experienced last year like others, I may have to chalk them up as lost since even the Full Moon's influence didn't shake them up. For next time, I'll have to try to remember the bleach pretreatment trick, but I'd have to get some first.... I wonder if I could use the pool shock treatment chems somehow....?

FWIW, my 2nd generation Moskovich seeds saved from last year was the first to germinate ahead of all others and with 100% germination, requiring clipping off some that we're too close -- but that was the case with all the others, though few had the stuck in the seed shell issues. I don't do the full blown fermenting thing when saving seeds, though I don't know if that is relevant.

[dustyrivergardens]

your old tomato seeds you might want to try bleaching. I do it all the time soak your tomato seeds for 30 minutes in a solution of 50% clorox bleach and 50% water. rinse well and plant as usual if there a viable seed they will come up shortly....good luck

[Duh_Vinci]

Soil, very interesting observation regarding those germination conditions!

I had few varieties that didn't germinate at all the first go round, I didn't bother replanting the seeds, just left those cells under the heated dome along with the peppers. And yesterday, 3 weeks after seeding (very long in my book), all three, Jumbo Jim Orange, Dynnye and Lithuanian Crested Pink germinated. Sometimes, it just takes longer... Well, even much longer

Happy growing everyone!

Regards.
D

[GardenGnome]

No I wish I knew how many red boar seeds I planted. I think I ended up in 6 to 10 plants.so heirloom seeds you can keep but hybrid seeds will change in the next gen?