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dmforcier_gw

How deep?

DMForcier
11 years ago

I'm having some luck with germination in baggies. The Lemon Drop and Twilight popped 100% after a week. (BJ is still sitting there staring at me.)

I'm moving them into cells in a planting tray. How deep do they like to be?

Comments (10)

  • vermiman
    11 years ago

    About a quarter inch.

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    That deep, eh? Well the first few are shallower - max 1/8". I figure it's best not to dig them up and put them back down. We'll see how it goes.

    Thanks.

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    DMForcier, be careful it is tricky to move the seedlings from the baggies to the containers, recently I have lost some seedlings. I used toothpick to make a small hole to put the tender root and cover a very thin layer of soil about 3 times thick of the seed.

    Good luck and enjoy your new seedlings.

    Caelain

  • vermiman
    11 years ago

    I place them on top of the growing media in the growing containers. Then I sprinkle "about" a quarter of an inch of material over the seedlings and water them in slightly.

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'm trying something similar to 5:1:1 with bark and a peat/compost soil (no added perlite) in the starting tray, and I don't love it. With plants this tiny any disturbance of the cell can cause a chunk of bark to shift and potentially damage a seedling. I may go back to straight MGMC for starting.

  • habjolokia z 6b/7
    11 years ago

    DMForcier,

    I use MG Orchid mix, it has bark but never damaged my seedlings. I even accidentally knocked one over and some soil came out and shifted the plant a bit but no problems with the seedling. But go with what works or try 1/2 with the new mix and 1/2 with the old.

    Mark

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    > "I place them on top of the growing media in the growing containers. Then I sprinkle "about" a quarter of an inch of material over the seedlings and water them in slightly."

    I like this idea. I excavated about 1/2" from the unused cells and will be doing "set seed, cover (MCMG with barks mostly removed), sprinkle".

    Anyone use any ferts at all with new sets? I've got some Osmocote mixed in to provide nutrients once they get their little feets dug in...

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wow! The Orange Thai seeds sprouted in three days! 8 out of 9 so far. And I got a BJ from the initial batch of them started 1/13. The other are looking ... fecund.

    The secret to this success is not a heat mat, but that they live in the oven. I put the starting baggies in a casserole, put them in the oven, and turned on the interior lamps - two 15W bulbs. Keeps the interior between 82� and 85� depending on ambient. I could start a whole farm in there.

    I feel much better about transferring sprouts to the cells now that I'm using the above method. Tweezers to pop the sprouts into a shot glass of water for transferring, then tweezers (or narrow spatula to move to the cell, then cover and water.

    Now I want to see leaves!

  • kuvaszlvr
    11 years ago

    I wouldn't worry about the depth DMF. I don't remember who... Mark? told me about 1/8" depth. That's what I've been doing and it's working great. I think my biggest frustration, some that sprouted have not come up. But, while potting up seedlings yesterday I came across several sprouted seeds in the soil that didn't go past sprouting roots. So... maybe that's what happened with the ones I used the paper towel method.

    I am curious, why pop the sprouts into a shot glass of water? I am just removing them from the paper towel and putting them directly into the soil.

    Pam

  • DMForcier
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    To keep them from drying out while I handle the sprouting bags. Then I can move to the flat all at one time. Plus I have a whole bunch of shot glasses to use - the liquor store guy dumped about 30 of them on me - all frosted so I can write the variety on each.

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