Re: Starting seeds indoor
Miller, Devon wrote:
>
> Does this paper-towl method work for ulta-tiny seeds? If not, what
> does? I never manage to disburse them well over the growing medium, so
> even if they sprout, they call come up in one clump. I've read you can
> mix the seeds w/ sand before sowing them, but I'm dubious.
> ----------
> From: Screamn5
> To: perennials@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: Starting seeds indoor
> Date: Sunday, January 18, 1998 4:05PM
>
> *Welcome to the list. What works for me is the following method of
> germinating
> seeds. I cut paper towels into four squares. I wet the squares and
> squeeze out
> the excess water so that they are damp, not soggy. I spread out a square
> on my
> counter and place a number of seeds on the paper towel making sure they
> are
> not touching each other. I then take a second square of dampened paper
> towel
> and place it squarelyl over the first sandwiching the seeds between the
> two
> towels. I press down lightly with my hand to make sure the seeds have
> good
> contact with the paper towels and lightly roll the paper towels into a
> roll
> and place the roll into a plastic ziplock bag. Be certain the paper
> towels
> don't dry out but they can't be too wet either. I don't zip up the bag
> as I
> think that would promote fungus. I put the bag on top of the fridge for
> the
> warmth. I usually tuck a small slip of paper into the paper towel as I
> roll it
> identifying the name of the seed with a pencil as I'm usually
> germinating a
> dozen different types of seeds. I have used this method for the last
> four
> years and have almost a 100% germination rate. Marigolds germinate
> within one
> to two days. The secret is to check on the seeds almost daily (i've
> missed a
> day and have some pretty leggy seedlings but they work out OK too. When
> you
> see your seeds have sprouted, sometimes you'll just see a tiny tip of
> white
> peeking out from the seed other times you'll see the two little leaves
> attached to a tiny stem, prepare your pots or flats or whatever you are
> going
> to use to grow your seedlings. I use Hoffman's Seed Starter which is a
> mix of
> Canadian Spaghnum Peat Moss, Vermiculite and Lime. Don't have too much
> trouble
> with damping off as the acid of the peat moss helps. To move the
> seedlings
> from the paper towels to the pots I use a tiny screwdriver. I use the
> blade to
> poke two small holes in the seed mix in the pot and gently use the blade
> to
> pick up the seed off the paper towel and put it in the hole.(sometimes I
> wet
> the blade and then the seed just sticks to the blade) If you waited too
> long
> and the seed sprouted through the paper towel, just gently rip the towel
> around the seed and put the paper towel bit and seed in the hole. I put
> two
> seeds in each pot. (If you have a pair of tweezers this would work too
> just
> don't squeeze too hard ;-) ) This may seem like a lot of work but since
> I've
> been doing this method, each seed that I place in the pot grows into an
> adult
> and I've not had any problems with damping off as long as I don't wet
> down the
> pots too much and allow plenty of ventilation. Once I've moved my seeds
> to
> pots, I put covers over them to provide a humid environment until I see
> the
> leaves poke out of the holes. Then I vent the pots keeping the top on
> but
> opened at one end so it's not total humidity. The whole lot goes down
> the
> basement under shop lites placed one inch from the pots. Using this
> method,
> I've grown all sorts of perennials, annuals, vegetables and feel this
> gives me
> the best return for my time and money. When I used to just put seeds in
> pots
> to germinate the standard way, I found 50% of the time, they didn't
> germinate,
> or they got a fungus. Good luck ! If you try my method, let me know how
> it
> works for you. And feel free to send me a personal email if you have any
> questions.
> Karen SE MA Z6
I saw this big bag in the walmart store. Looked to be about a five lb.
bag of seeds mixed with what looked like a paper product.
It has the name of things like marigolds, I can't remember the other
kinds. Anyway the seed is supposedly already mixed into this medium and
ready to put on the ground. I couldn't see one seed in the bag where the
plastic was see through. It supposedly has hundreds of seeds in there.
This is the first time I saw anything like this. I might just buy a bag
just to examine it and try it out. I think it was about six dollars.
Anyone else see these?
Rita
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