HYB: germination - watering & refrigerating

Ever since my current crop of seedlings started germinating, I've been
making a real effort to keep the seed pots well watered - a good soaking
at least twice a day if it doesn't rain (the rain came to a screeching
halt after all the flooding and it's been setting record highs in the
upper 80s F this week, 20o above average, with wind).  The water is from
a spring, temperature ~55oF (I just checked).  I also bought one of
those Cobra mister thingies that goes on the end of a garden hose & had
it running all day yesterday over one of the seed flats.
Psychologically comforting, but I doubt it was able to really cool the
seedbed any, tho it did keep it moist all day.

It rained a tiny bit last night and is much cooler today with forecast
highs this week in the 60s & 70s.

Results: so far, a few additional seedlings have come up in both the
current year's coddled seeds as well as the 2nd yr seeds left out on
their own.  One more is up this morning in the new seeds.  I will count
them all later & post both germination success & how many more came up
after the first batch.

Lots of disadvantages to living alone, but at least I can put pots of
dirt in the refrigerator without getting hassled <g>.  And that's what I
did with the seeds that had been chilled for two months, then planted.
After reading that 3 months was better, I put the seed paks, soil and
all,  in a sterlite plastic 'shoebox' watered them well, made sure there
was no standing water in the bottom of the container, then put the whole
thing in the fridge for another month.

Re: letting seeds 'breathe' - after making the little burritos out of
seeds rolled up in damp paper towels, I put them in baggies that fold
over, leaving them fairly loosely wrapped, then loosely packed them on
end into a jar.

Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8



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