RE: HYB seed planting

Robin Shadlow directed the reader to posts Keith Keppel and I set forth in
January of this year describing our seed planting methods.

My success with this method--followed with some variation described
below--resulted in relatively low surviving germinants this year.  I used the
same Fafard B-3 germinating mix covered with sand from the same source used
the winter before.

First, I planted about the third week of October instead of into November.
Also, I did not presoak the Fafard mix this year, but used it dry directly
from the bag.  I did not water the seedbed right away because I was planting
as early as I was.

The rains came in sufficient quantity to leach the seeds, or at least I
assumed so.  Then, December was unusually mild with many days into the 70's.
This unseasonably warm time gave no chilling at all, then the weather turned
abruptly cold and nasty.  Following a few weeks of this we began a see-saw of
too mild and too cold for the season.  I suspect, as Keith describes for one
year in California, the germinating seeds were caught in a critical stage and
killed by weather changes.

Surviving germinants did not appear until almost the first of April.
Beginning about that time we began to have copious rain at a rate more than
twice normal, which still continues.  The ground has varied from saturated to
just beginning to drain then back to saturated.  Losses to fungal and
bacterial rots have been serious in some crosses.

For this coming year I am thinking of planting fewer seeds in each pot.  In
past years some pots (6" and 8") have held over 100 seeds, most with at least
35.  Those that had fewer germinations produced healthier plants that survived
lining out better than those from too crowded germinants in the seedling
pots.

I am thinking that perhaps some liquid feeding using something on the order of
Hyponex might be of benefit to the small, germinated plants some time prior to
line-out.  I have not yet tried this.

Neil Mogensen  z 7  western NC

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index