Seed Germinating! -- different seed starting methods?

[tedln]

TZ,

How much time do you have between the root emergence and the need to get it into the soil?

How carefully (gently) must you handle the seedling while transfering it to the soil. Do you use any kind of instrument? I have such large, indelicate hands; that I am always afraid to handle anything delicate.

Ted

[soil]

seed starting is a very diverse topic. so many ways with so many different seeds. i think a forum for seeds in general would be good. starting seeds, care for seeds, harvesting your own seed.

most seeds here just get put in a mix of compost and sand. watered with compost tea. then planted in the ground.

some seeds are cold stratified in the winter just outside(fruit trees and perennial plants)

some seeds are started with care

and some are just tossed out by hand alone or in seed balls

ill have to say seed balls are some of the best, they always produce healthy plants.

[tedln]

Soil,

How do you prepare a seedball?

Ted

[TZ -OH6]

Ted,

I (hopefully) check the seeds once a day and get them in the soil ASAP. But on the occasions when the root elongates and penetrates the tissue it is not a big problem to tear up the paper to get it out because wet TP disintigrates so easily. Peppers are pretty slow at room temperature so you have a bit of time before the root gets into the paper. This method also lets me put a lot of seeds on top of my computer where it is a bit warmer than the rest of the house.


Even with smaller fingers its difficult to take one seed away from a set (especially in the well of an egg carton) so I just use tweezers/forcepts, or even scoop them up with the tip of a knife.

[soil]

Soil,

How do you prepare a seedball?

google it there is tons of website and lots of videos explaining the process. i like to keep the number of different seeds high so each gets to choose its own area to grow.

[organically_me]

I plan to start almost all of my 200 or so types of seeds by winter sowing this year and just let nature take its course. The only ones I may start indoors are my most tender varieties that are very slow maturing; mainly my tuberous begonia and plectranthus seeds......this winters experiments.

[jal_ut]

Lots of neat ideas. It seems that uniform temperature and moisture are important. I often put germinating seeds on top of the refrigerator. The heat from the fridge keeps the seed temp a little above the room temperature. I like to plant in 9 oz dixie cups, with a hole punched in the bottom. I use seed starting mix. I can put a seed in a cup and let it grow there until planting out. No need to up-pot them.

For the most part, I just plant seed in the garden where it will grow.

[garden5]

Seed-starting is largely a "what works for you" type of thing, but there are certain guidelines that do help make things better.

Generally, tomatoes and peppers like the soil temp to be about 70 degrees F for them to germinate well (watermelons prefer 75 degrees).

Some folks will use a heating pad beneath the containers to keep the seedlings warmer.

I like to start them in 72 cell trays, 1 seed to a cell, and keep the tray just a few inches below a fluorescent shoplight. I start them in a mix of compost and dirt. I use the "cool/blue spectrum bulbs. I keep this up until I plant them, which is about 8 weeks from seed-planting. They should be up-potted during this period, but I don't (not enough room), so I just plant the root-bound plants. You could also just start them about 5 weeks or so before you plant them to plant them before they start getting root bound.


The method seems to work pretty well for me.

[webmaster]

You got it!

Welcome to the new Seed Starting Forum.

If any of you have suggestions for threads that belong in the new forum please feel free to post the URL.

Great suggestion for a new forum!

[soil]

yay for the seed starting forum!

[rainbowgardener]

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... ion#176002

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... d+starting

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... g&start=75

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... ion#168781

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... ion#111751

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... ion#109660

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... ion#107485

[OpenSource]

I generally winter sow most of my seeds. On occasion for pumpkin and bean seeds I'll use a coffee filter in a bag. And I don't care if it makes me a slave to the seed.

For corn, I use egg cartons.

For peppers I employ the winter sewn method , but indoors on a window ledge. I do my first initial wetting of the medium with hot tap water. Then sew pepper seeds and cover then mist with hot tap water. I continue to mist with hot tap water when ever dry until I see signs of the hook.
No problems getting peppers to sprout and show true leaves in a week and a half.