more beginner seed questions

Hi everyone!  I am so excited!  I started my very first ever seeds last
Saturday using rolling them up in wet paper towels like someone suggested. 
I hadn't checked them because my book said they all took at least 10 days
or more to germinate.  Evidently my seeds didn't read the book, because a
number of them have germinated!!!!

I'm so excited!  But since this is my first time with this, and it's so
important to me to try to do everything right, I have a few really stupid
questions for you experienced gardners:

1.  My seeds now look like long white threads with little green tops.  I
assume the green top goes up, but how deep do I plant the stem?

2.  Some of my paper towels have turned a little bit brown.  Is this just
discoloration from the seed coat, or the beginnings of damping off?

3.  A few of my statice seeds are brownish on the green top and the stems. 
Is this probably damping off?

4.  What are your best strategies for preventing damping off?  I had
planned to put the seedlings under grow lights in my unheated basement
(it's about 70 degrees outside today).  My basement has a tendancy to be
somewhat damp, but we have a dehumidifer.  Will this be okay?

I just can't believe how quickly my seeds germinated.  I have some
perennial iberis, liatris, and echinicea to name a few.

Thanks for bearing with all my questions.  With your help, I'll get the
hang of it.

Happy gardening to all and a beautiful weekend, I hope,
Amy Newkirk
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index