| Author |
Garden Gate:  Indoor seed growing novice  |
|
|
HDA
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Heidi
Hood River
OR
USA
59 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 15 2011 : 12:15:08 AM
|
Hi there gardeners, I'm trying to grow from seeds indoors for the first time this year and I don't know how well I'm doing. I have a tray with a plastic dome over it that I planted broccoli seeds in. Things were going great, I got tons of sprouts.
As they started growing I have tried to take the dome of (some have reached the top of the dome so it seems it needs to come off) they instantly seem to wilt. Even though they are not dry? I am not sure what I should do. I'm worried they will die if I leave the dome off, but that if I leave it on they won't have any more room to grow.
Help! I was so excited when they sprouted I seriously danced around the house. Now I fear I'm in danger of killing them. What should I do |
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2011 : 08:32:33 AM
|
Heidi - I'm honestly not real sure why they're wilting, but I do want to offer that you need to be really careful not to overwater, too. I had a problem with little flea-bugs in my seedlings last year because I overwatered. I had been going through the same thing, too, with the soil being dry and just kept watering. The man at the nursery told me to grow the seedlings by placing the seeds in little peat pots (and some seeds should be soaked first before planting to help germinate better). He said to place them on a tray and then water from the tray so the plants will get water from the roots up. Maybe since your broccoli's getting big enough to remove the dome it would be a good idea to transplant the plants to larger peat pots (made of dried, processed manure, which adds nourishment to your potting soil) and just water from the bottom. I know exactly how you feel - it is just so exciting to see the seeds grow, so you want to do the best to help them along! For me, it's a learning process... I'm sure the other more experienced - and successful - farmgirls will help you much more than I, but I wanted to share this with you, because I'm starting to learn, too, and know how it can be! :) Good luck! Keep us posted! - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
 |
|
|
Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2011 : 09:16:40 AM
|
My broccoli seedlings are always very touchy. Too much water and they wilt, too little water and they wilt. Once they get the first set of real leaves you should transplant to bigger pots. Be careful, their roots are very fragile. Mine looked a little pathetic last year, but I hardened them off and planted outside and they grew like crazy!
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World!
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
|
|
|
natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2011 : 10:38:42 AM
|
I tried the dome kits for a while, but they never worked well for me. I began usin bigger pots so they didn't need transplanted before the garden stage. I also have a homemade greenhouse in my living room made from visqueen, 2x4s, and a table. I keep mine heated with a little space heater under the table. I have found the combination of larger pots and their own heat really works. I think takin the dome off the kit tray causes a temperature change that the tiny little seedlings can't stand.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
|
|
|
HDA
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Heidi
Hood River
OR
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2011 : 9:18:57 PM
|
| ok this is very helpful. just today most of them sprouted some first leaves so maybe it is time to move them. They just still seem so incredibly small & fragile! It has also been incredibly gloomy here in the northwest so I also wonder if it is just not warm/sunny enough for them. Today I left the dome off & some of the smaller ones look pathetic & wilty, but the bigger ones that are getting leaves still look ok so I am crossing my fingers! Diane, your info gives me hope if you had seedlings that didn't look great, but still made it so I'm hoping I'll get some healthy plants out of it in the end! Hmmm..good ideas. I love the homemade greenhouse idea. I have an outdoor greenhouse that we are in the process of repairing (came with the house when I bought it, but haven't got to use it yet) but it is not heated so it won't be that useful until the plants are bigger or it is warmer out I think. So much to consider! |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2011 : 10:25:22 PM
|
I always try to give mine as much of the natural sunlight as possible. When I think about it I put them outsie on the front porch and instead of completely taking the plastic dome lid off, I just turn it a bit so there is some air circulation but the still get the greenhouse effect from the plastic. Another idea is to use something as a spacer to lift the lid a bit (like half a pencil or something) to give more room but again still doing the greenhouse effect. The seedlings need to have some sort of air movement or their stems will be week and liable to die off in real conditions.
I have brocoli sprouting too! I am hopeful they will be hardy as they have been growing quickly!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 08:00:27 AM
|
I am in Oregon and start my whole garden from seed. It sounds like you are needing some sort of light. When my seeds are started they are in trays with a dome, heat underneeth and flourecent light above. If a seedling is not getting enough light it will grow very tall and lanky, not a very thick stem and will have a tendancy to not be strong enough to support itself. You do not need to go and buy the expensive grow lights a shop light or white flourecent will do the job.
Lillian |
|
|
|
Pasthyme
True Blue Farmgirl
99 Posts
Gail
Mountain View
AR
99 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2011 : 06:13:39 AM
|
I looked at plant grow lights at the dept store. They cost a few $$ more, but are exactly the same as the shop lights that were next to them in the store. The only difference was the packaging and price. Just get the shop lights.
I went to the 2nd hand store & bought heating pads for a very small price (check that they work before purchase). They make great seed starting heat mats. Put it on med. or low. I put my seedlings in little pots and place them in small cat litter trays I get at the dollar store. I keep some water in the bottom of the cat trays and place the tray over the heating pad--take the cloth cover off the heating pad first. When the seed sprout, put them under your shop light, keeping the light low to the plants. I made a hoop house, unheated greenhouse out of cinder block base, pvc pipe hoops with gravel holding hoops into the blocks. I put clear corregated plastic sheets over the pipes, screwing them together, and used foam sealant to fill the gaps. It made a great place to put my plants when the weather is cool, but above freezing. Lots of tomatoes & peppers in there now.
Gail |
|
|
|
Heartbroken farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
604 Posts
Annette
rio vista
Ca
USA
604 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2011 : 07:53:49 AM
|
Gail, how terribly clever you are!! I believe I'll be convincing DH to make a run for cinder blocks, pvc pipe, plastic, and foam...lol. I do believe he will laugh at my shopping list, but my first green bean planting is a bit advanced this year, and my tomatoes and peppers and lavender are needing a place to go. This is the ugliest spring beginning I've seen in California in YEARS!!
The tears I shed then, watered the flowers I harvest now.
www.broken908.blogspot.com
http://forums.familyfriendpoems.com/broken908
"The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts but of values."-Dean William Ralph Inge |
|
|
|
HDA
True Blue Farmgirl
59 Posts
Heidi
Hood River
OR
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2011 : 9:25:23 PM
|
| oh more good ideas. I guess I'll have to find some lights. I naively thought I could put my seeds in my sunniest window & they would do ok! ha ha. Shows how much I know! The sun hasn't cooperated! My broccoli is still growing slowly, but they look awfully spindly which I'm guessing is because of the light problem. It is so GLOOMY here right now. Any special way of rigging lights over the plants? I'm not exactly sure how to do that in a non-permanent location (my kitchen counter!). |
|
|
|
Tammyb
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Tammy
Bluffton
Ohio
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2011 : 04:48:53 AM
|
I am getting ready to start my seeds today. So I loved ready your advice to these girls.
I too use a shop light but start my seeds in egg shells ( until I run out ) and then the rest in
cardboard egg cartons.
Tammyb
Live to leave a legacy
|
|
|
|
amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
|
|
Room To Grow
True Blue Farmgirl
974 Posts
Deborah
Kingston
Georgia
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2011 : 7:41:55 PM
|
I do seedlings every year. This is the first time I planted radish seeds. I just planted them last Sunday. They are already coming up. I am hoping I can replant them in the garden. If I cant I guess I have to replant them
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
|
|
|
Pasthyme
True Blue Farmgirl
99 Posts
Gail
Mountain View
AR
99 Posts |
Posted - Mar 31 2011 : 12:53:21 PM
|
The way I rig my grow lights is: build a shelf across the window (can be removeable). I put a wire across the top of the light to make a hanger and hang the wire over the shelf so that the light is under the shelf. I have a small table under the shelf where I put my cat litter boxes of plants. I can put heating pads on the shelf for the seeds that are waiting to sprout.
Pasthymesfashions.webs.com |
|
|
|
Arctic Flower
True Blue Farmgirl
85 Posts
Marjorie
Nenana
Alaska
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2011 : 1:56:10 PM
|
One thing I learned about seedlings is they need good air circulation. I have a little fan that I turn on a few hours a day on my seedlings. The gentle swaying motion strengthens their stems. I bought a bunch of those clear plastic seedling tray lids. When the seedlings start touching the tops of the lids, I turn the lids on their sides and push them up against the side of the flats and form a fence around the tray. Then I lay another lid across the top to form a box shape. There is a little gap on either end but that is ok as the seedlings still need good air circulation. This works great under the grow lights as the sides keep the seedlings warm too.
Farmgirl #2416
Believe in the power of Love! |
|
|
| |
Garden Gate: Indoor seed growing novice |
|
Indoor seed growing novice
