gardenglassgems said:Here are the first seedlings that I had come up. I actually germinated these seeds in paper towels on styrofoam plates and planted the seed in soil after germination. I also have some others growing this way: Hollyhock and Zinnia. Not sure if I can keep these going until it is time to plant them out which will be the first part of May but I am going to try.
Jeanne, those look great for your first seedlings! What are the ones in the photo?
By the way, it was very cool to START out using a relatively technical method for starting them: your method is very close to Dr. Deno's approach to fussy perennials and other very hard-to-start seeds. And you got to see the emerging radicle (baby root tip) up close.
Persistent URLs for Dr. Deno's book "Seed Germination, Theory And Practice" and supplements:
http://hdl.handle.net/10113/41... (1993)
http://hdl.handle.net/10113/41... (1996)
http://hdl.handle.net/10113/41... (1998)
If you plan to go all technical and start really hard seeds, Tom Clothier has a lot of focused advice that seems practical. And the best explanation of why warmth may speed up germination, but not always increase the total % germination.
http://tomclothier.hort.net/
especially:
- Seed Germination versus soil Temperature
- Soilless mixes - Sowing techniques
- Damping-Off -- Frequently asked questions
>> What are the ones in the photo?
Salvia & Petunia & Viola should tolerate a long wait under lights. Dave's "Garden Calendar" gives some idea of when to start what indoors for a given location (based on last frost date, I think).
Several cold-tolerant things can be transplanted outdoors Mar 26 - Apr 9 around Lansing, Iowa, unless your micro-climate is colder than average for your ZIP code. ("Warm-weather" crops like eggplant, peppers and tomatoes can't go out that early unless you have a freakishly early, warm Spring.)
http://garden.org/apps/calenda...
>> Not sure if I can keep these going until it is time to plant them out which will be the first part of May but I am going to try.
Yeah, eight or nine weeks is a long time in a seed-starting cell for fast-growing species.
If you have a spot with good light, or "shop lights" you can put close to them, the next question would be whether you're devoted enough to those seedlings to prick them out and pot them up, each seedling into a 4" pot or so.
Or, if those pretty babies are warmth-lovers, you could call them "practice", toss them out, and start more later.
I think that multiple seedlings of many species
in one small cell will be very inter-woven and too root-bound in 8 weeks. If they survive the wait, you could plant each cell as one clump.
- Since you probably need to prick them out anyway, maybe the sooner the better.
- Or maybe prick them out soon
after they have 1-2 pairs of true leaves, just to give the roots a little while to "beef up" but hopefully not become too inter-woven. (strongly recommended)
- Or use small scissors and cut off all but one seedling in each cell (recommended)
The easiest decision would be to just keep watering them and keep them under lights, but
expect them to become rootbound and grumpy before you plant them out. I swear that seedlings read our minds and play tricks on us. If you EXPECT them to become too rootbound, they may move Heaven and Earth to survive well, just to mess with your head.
That may sound crazy, but see whether you agree after a few years of starting seeds indoors!
The really crazy thing would be to harden them off and plant them outside after they get a little rootbound, but while it is still "too cold". Firmly expect and TELL them out loud that you EXPECT them to freeze and be killed. That will maximize your chances of them beating every chill and freeze sent their way.
(It wouldn't hurt to throw some floating row cover or muslin over them to give them a few degrees of warmth protection. And/or plastic film draped over hoops of stiff wire, small PVC pipe, or 1/2" EMT metal conduit. Seal the edges and ends to the ground by heaping a little soil on the plastic. Seal the heat in. Vent it on sunny days. Good practice for when you decided to deliberately "push your zone". But that's pretty advanced and ambitious for your very first batch of seedlings.)
