Re: more beginner seed questions
Amy,
Nice to hear your excitement. I get thrilled too.
Amy Newkirk wrote:
> 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?
I plant them so that most of the stem is in the seedling mix and the green is
above the ground.
>
>
> 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?
Mine get brown too. I believe this is just heat. Watch out that your towels
don't dry out. I open them each week (sometimes sooner) to let in air and
check the moisture level. You should be able to squeeze out about 1 drop of
water.
>
>
> 3. A few of my statice seeds are brownish on the green top and the stems.
> Is this probably damping off?
When mine were brown on the stems they had germinated but then got too much
moisture and were rotting. I didn't use these seedlings- just started some
more.
>
>
> 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 haven't had experience with damping off. The air circulation is critical so
consider a small fan. I'm lucky enough to have a small greenhouse and live in
a desert area so dampness is not a problem here.I'm sure you'll get more
responses. The next step is to get those seedling planted and get them under
the lights. The lights should be about 3" above the seedlings.
Have fun,
Sheryl in Western CO
>
>
> 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
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