GaNinFl said:
My issue is the tree rats.
The squirrels are digging in everything so I better find something to deter the critters. They uprooted little Stella/PW cross. Had the quickly get it back in the soil. Hope it wasn't to late.
Hi, Sabrina.
You might give them a little more light - they're on the verge of being a little "leggy". It depends on your conditions though - I lost some seedlings a few weeks ago due to dryness when a hot spell hit. I still try to give them as many hours of sun as I can, but I'll shade them with a layer or two of little window-screening if it's unusually warm & bright.
Fresh potting soil usually has some token fertilizer in the mix, so feeding is not necessary for a while. When you do feed, it's even more important that the plants have all-day sun, otherwise they will grow long, soft, floppy leaves. Otherwise, I'd give them a little dilute liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks. I try to stay away from all-purpose fertilizers like Miracle-Gro, because of excess phosphorus. 15-30-15 is a bit much, and years of use can cause buildup in your soil. You can use it to get them started, but something like 8-2-3 is better for long-term use.
Daylily seedlings are probably not the tastiest treats in the garden, but at some point a critter is going to eat the tops off, or dig and scatter them, so protection is necessary.
Birds tear into my seedlings occasionally, as well as 4-legged critters such as squirrels, rats, and mice, so instead of chicken wire, I cover mine with 1/2 inch "hardware cloth". Hardware cloth is made of wire which is a little thicker than that used for chicken wire screening. It's welded in a 1/2" square pattern, then galvanized. It's easy to fashion into the shape you need, and stiff enough to resist deformation.
Here are a couple of ways it can be used. I have to cover every seed pot or tray with something.
These are 3.5" pots with individual screen covers. These have been in full sun, so growth is compact.
Making individual covers is simple, but time-consuming, so when I have a lot of seedlings, I like to cover a deep tray with a flat sheet of wire screen. These trays are almost 6" deep, 15" square and hold 16 3.5" pots.
A flat piece of hardware cloth covers it nicely. Once the seedlings get to a certain size, the top can't really be replaced if removed, but by then they are pretty much out of danger. I've made a couple of taller roof-type covers for the trays, but it's a lot of trouble. These seedlings are getting light shade under some trees, so they're a little leggy, but not so much that they'd burn back if moved to more light.
Good luck!
Ken
