Re: Learning seed propagation...
Hi Elle,
Are you out in that wonderful rain forest of Oregon? I have some wonderful memories
of hiking around the mountains in the lush green forest with water dripping off of
everything.... Helps if you get in touch with your duck self.. :-)))
eleanor wrote:
> ... snip
> I was never very successful with flats, pricking out was hard for me.
Separating the tangle of roots of a bunch of plants in a flat with no dividers? And
seems the plants take a week or 2 or 3 to get over the experience... Yes, I think
separating the roots is the way to go. Avoid "root trauma".
>
> With the peat pellets and a fine seed dispenser, I can control the
> quantity of seeds that go into the pot.
Then you thin to 1 plant per pot? I've had a hard time thinning as I'm so happy to
see something growing... I think I'm over this though... :-)
>
> This year I have about 25 different plants seeded out so far (in 3
> different waves) and am doing my third wave.
> The first one, long time germinating seeds and most perennials I started
> in january, the second one in mid march. The January plants are mostly
> in recycled 4"pots and are outdoors now, waiting for the garden to dry
> and for the plants to get bigger. The march plants are under the lights
> in the garden room and the just seeded ones are in a bright window,
> covered in their boxes so daylight can get in, they are warm and the
> moisture stays in.
> By the end of May I look like a nursery her and often have folks drop by
> and ask when I am going to open for sales!
Ooo, I love it..
> However, I have had new beds to plant out for the past 4 years and don't
> have much to spare. My children get what I don't plant!
I like to give things away to my neighbors (and hope they'll perhaps do likewise
someday)
Let's see... If I can throw out some ideas that are sort of working.... if anyone's
interested...
I used an old waterbed heater as a bottom heater. It has a thermostat and was free.
It gets quite warm to the touch and the soil temp is reading about 80, as
recommended for the Capsicum annuum ( ornamental Hot pepper) and Ipomoea purpurea
Morning glory. I know this isn't recommended use, might be dangerous, but I'm being
very careful and keeping a close eye on it... I put some scraps of sheet metal
under and over it to spread out the warmth better. Seems to be working OK...
I should get a seed dispenser or ask a pharmacist for a pill dispenser or something.
I'm using a clear straw from the fast food restaurant for now and it sorta works.
Better than nothing for the small seeds. Its a little hard to fill up but it lines
the seeds up in a line and I can mostly get one or two to fall where I want....
I find the Tom Clothier database in a spreadsheet is great for collecting
germination and plant care information. I did a "mail merge" to laser print a bunch
of 1" x 3" mailing labels which I put on the germination pots and I plan another
"mail merge" to generate a bunch of yard labels on a 2 x 4" piece of paper. The
local office/copy store will laminate this with heavy plastic for $1.75/page, cut
apart into 8 or 10 labels. I'm trying to figure out a mounting stake for the yard
like a wood stake with the label tacked on or a wire holder. Something inexpensive
and long lasting is the goal, not too ugly with all the plant care info in place. I
find this labeling business very helpful now that I'm messing with, like, 50
different types of seed. 5 is OK, but I need labels for 15 or more... My good
memory but short, ya know..
-Allan
--
Allan Anderson
Jardinage, Copper and Cedar Garden Art
3701 East Minnehaha Parkway
Minneapolis, MN 55417
612-729-2285
http://www.visi.com/~response/jardinage.html
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