This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Seed Starting -- Comment and Question

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

> I've read where keeping a small oscillating fan about two feet off your
> starts makes them stronger,  its supposed to simulate breezes and take
care
> of the heat issue.  I've never tried it and yes I've transplanted some
leggy
> starts, but they seem to do OK.  It seems that if I keep them a little
drier
> than I think they should be, they become sturdier also, prehaps not
watering
> every other day but every two days.  Hope this helps
>
> Hilary

I can vouch for the fan technique.  Even with bright fresh tubes
and aluminum foil covering the nearby walls, I had leggy plants.
Using an oscillating fan helped considerably with making my
plants much stockier.  Couple notes though.
1) Leave the fan on a timer.  Running it constantly dries the
    plants out quickly and kills (or stresses) them.  Running the
    fan for a few hours a day seemed fine.  I ran mine for 15 minutes
    every other hour or so.  I now use a computerized timer but one
    of those cheap $5 dollar timers will work just fine.  However if
    you have overwatered them, leaving the fan on a little longer is
    a great way to dry them out a bit.
2) Rotate your plants.  Blowing in one driection only gives the
    plants a definite bend in the trunks.  Rotating them one quarter
    turn every day or so seems to avoid this problem
3)  Others have suggested (this list in the past) that you can just
     pet your plants (by gently rubbing your hands over them) I find that
     anything that allows me to be a hands off gardener is best.  When
     I give them what they need and leave them alone they do great.
    When I watch and take care of them too closely they suffer.
I am getting ready to order the seeds to fill in for this year (most
packets last me for years).  Can't wait to feel the dirt, time to make
those coldframes for the raised beds.
best of luck  - Ron Souliere


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to sqft-unsubscribe@listbot.com
______________________________________________________________________
Applying to college this year?
Apply online at Embark.com and enter the Embark.com Tuition
Sweepstakes! You could win $80,000 for tuition to the college of your
dreams! Enter daily to increase your chances of winning: Sweepstakes
ends 1/15/00. Click to enter: http://www.listbot.com/links/embark
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index