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Re: Help -- what to do about my sprouts?? (long reply)

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

I *think* that the movement makes the plant produce a hormone or s/t
that strengthens the trunk/stem or makes it grow stronger/fatter.  

On Thu, 2 Sep 1999 09:31:00 -0700, you wrote:

>Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>
>Ron,  thank you for that long reply..I printed that one and put it in my
>binder of garden wisdom!  I know that when you plant trees you need to let
>the sapling have room to move, even though you stake it...for the same
>reason, to make the trunk of the tree stronger and to establish a stronger
>root system.  It stand to reason it should work with young plants as well.
>
>Thanks,
>Peg
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Souliere <souliere@iname.com>
>To: Square Foot Gardening List <sqft@listbot.com>
>Date: Thursday, September 02, 1999 6:16 AM
>Subject: Re: Help -- what to do about my sprouts?? (long reply)
>
>
>>Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>>
>>
>>From: Patricia J. Santhuff <psanthuff@mindspring.com>
>>
>>> Thanks, Peg -- That's pretty much what I've done so far, except that I
>>> planted the seeds in what I intended to trrasplant them to the garden
>from
>>> (if that makes sense), and haven't gotten to the 2nd set of leaves stage
>>> yet. I'm pretty sure they've gotten at least 14 hours of light, and even
>>> closer than the 6 - 9 inches.
>>>
>>> Anyone have any other ideas for my spindly-legged sprouts?
>>
>>I may not get many starts any one year, but I do get good ones.
>>My lights are controlled by a timer (actually my computer) for the light.
>>When I tried just one bank of lights parked 2-3 inches over the plants I
>>got good results.  When I put aluminum foil on cardboard as a "mirror"
>>on all unused adjacent walls (From a TV show on cops catching people
>>growing illegal stuff inside, see TV can be educational) I got even
>>better results.  Finally I went for two light units side by side.  I rotate
>>the starts around every few days so at least for a few days they seem
>>to get light from all sides.  Even better lush vegetation, not leggy,
>>but still spindly.  Some people mention using chains to raise and
>>lower their lights to adapts to transplants.  I never have enough
>>transplats of the same size to do this.  My lights tend to stay 18 inches
>>high over the table and I use boxes (over turned plastic transplant
>>trays recycled (read scrounged) from the hardware store) to raise
>>and lower the transplants.  Some people use expensive Gro lights
>>or mix hot and cool tubes.  I just put in new tubes occasionaly and
>>rotate the old ones out to places that only need to illuminate humans.
>>
>>Finally I added a fan.  Again on a timer (still the computer).  Cheap
>>$10 fan with the oscillating thing turned on.  I have the fan turned on
>>for 1 hour 3 times a day blowing back and forth across the plants,
>>the stalks thicken or toughen up this abuse that they would get natrually
>>outside.  It is important to move the fan (or what I prefer) rotate the
>>starts a few times a week.  This does not work for starts still under
>>plastic
>>(go figure...)  And when I first tried it and just left the fan on
>>constantly
>>there was no way to keep up with the watering and some starts
>>containers dried and the starts while seemingly okay when watered
>>never produced as well as starts that did not dry.  I have read in numerous
>>older books about growing transplants that the garderner should touch
>>the plants by running his hands over them.  Some books said this was c
>>cause human touch was good for plants (or just plain fun) others
>>actually said this help encourage thicker stalks.  The fan just does
>>this automatically.
>>
>>Here during summer (end of in the north) I "waste" 1-2 square feet in the
>>bed as my nursery.  (I lay the transplant trays right on the bare soil)
>>I can have few dozen plants getting full sun and
>>everything else and they will be healthier then anything I normally
>>develop inside.  (Have not figured out how to do this in january though)
>>So my fall broccoli (first time) and other fall crops I am getting ready
>>to put in the ground.  (lettuce and beans and peas I direct sowed...)
>>
>>Best of luck.  YMMV.  Sorry for the long reply.  - Ron
>>
>>
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