16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
John, AGG is one of my most favorite varieties and I've not had problems with my saved seed and germination.
Have you saved you own seed before and had problems with any other varieties?
How did you process the seeds, via fermentation or one of the oxidative methods, or some other way?
Or is the problem one of your seed starting mix? Did all the other varieties you saved and sowed this year in that same mix come up as expected?
So many variables to look at.
Carolyn, who prefers being called Carolyn, not Dr. Carolyn, which is that variety that was named for me by Steve Draper all those many years ago. I've signed off as Carolyn on every post I've done starting back in 1983. ( smile)
Thanks Carolyn.
My method of seed saving is to squeeze the seeds & pulp into a cup and let it rest a few days with a little water. A little mold will grow on the top. I guess you could call that fermentation. I then rinse the seeds several times until I get rid of the pulp and lay them out to dry.
This is the method I've used for several years and the first time I've had a problem with AGG. I use the standard Pro Mix for starting and most of my other varieties germinated well this year.
I hope I get good seed from one of my 2 plants this year and will throw away the 2011 seed.
Thanks again,
John A
"...gallon pots with 90% potting soil 10% compost"
The soil is probably responsible for your issues. You should never use potting soil in a container. It's too heavy and does not drain well enough for containers. Always look for a soilless potting mix. The ones that say soil on them are usually labeled that they are not for use in containers.
"...gallon pots"
Are you potting up again, or is that the final home for your tomatoes? Most growers recommend a minimum of a 5 gallon container for growing tomatoes in containers.
All in all, I think if you get them into larger containers (if they are to be container plants) with a quality growing medium they will snap out of it. They have been badly stressed, especially if they were not hardened off.
I hope that helps.
Betsy
Pretty much as sconticut outlined above. There are many discussions about how to re-use potting mix in containers available for all the details. Check the container gardening forum.
Standard recharge approach is to dump all the containers out on a tarp or such, let it air dry, mix well together, sift or sort out any weird stuff, add in some fresh mix, fresh fertilizer of your choice, maybe some lime, maybe some fresh bark fines depending on mix you are using, etc. and refill the containers ready for planting.
Personally I don't use compost or manures in my containers. I keep them soil-less.
Dave
Here you go.
Here is a link that might be useful: re-using potting mix discussions
Thanks Marullo! I will take good care of them, and in fact I do use my seeds to help out world hunger. I grow alot of starts and give them to folks in my neighborhood who don't have the funds to buy seedlings from the local nursury. I also encourage and teach a lot of folks to grow home gardens.
ljbrandt: How did you make out?
My pepper and tomato flats were getting too big for my lights, so I brought them upstairs to put outside in greenhouse during the warm weather. Got them out for several days, and they grew a lot. Last three days though, they've been stuck inside, no surprise, however waking up to a couple of inches of snow this morning was quite a surprise. Hope to see it warm up soon and get them back out in the green house.
If you're not planting them out soon - and at your zone, I assume you are not - I think you want to pot them up. They look like they have grown out of their starting cells. I think you will see improvement when they are in larger containers.
Yes, what you see is due to a mutation and isn't all that rare.
Another common mutation is when the seedling first puts out the cotyledons what appears is not true leaves on a leader stem but a nub of green in the center. Most of the time that nub of green sits there and doesn't do anything and sometimes, but rarely, a side shoot will comeout of that nub.
I call them blind plants as do some others but others call them something else that I can't remember right now.
Carolyn
When "bottom watering" you want to put plenty of water in the tray and allow the pots to soak for 30 minutes or so, and remove any remaining water. With some practice you get a feel for how much you need to add for the plants to get as much as they need without leaving them standing in water. (Which is not good as it can drown the roots.) Then don't water again until the pots get pretty light. One of the most common problems we see is over watering. Along with several of the other "overs".
Betsy
Just make sure you don't over do it. Let's be real, the nurseries do it. They don't get that dark green by magic. Just use a weak solution somewhere between 1/8 and 1/2 strength. I've killed smaller seedlings than that by eyeballing, and overdoing the amount. Those look well established though. I would also pot them up to about a 4" pot at least.
Another possibility, if the stakes you need are for tying up
tomato plants, is T-posts. The original poster didn't say
what the purpose is but T-posts can be found up to 8 feet
long. For those who are unfamiliar, they are what farmers
use to string barbed wire fence. The standard length, of
course is 6 feet, for a fence 4 feet high. A good farm
supply store will have them. Yes, I know, not everybody
has access to such a store but, again, just a suggestion.
I have seen 6 ft. T-posts at Lowe's, next to the cheapo
U-bent sheet metal posts. Come to think of it, those might
not be so bad if a little short. Anyway, the last time I
bought T-posts they were about $3 each.
Thanks for the responses!
How are you all having the seeds germinate? Do campari seeds germinate by putting them in the small containers with potting soil and water in depth about 3 times their size ? Any special needs for them? ferment? dry and wait one year? etc
In the winter, do you bring them indoors or grow plants each spring time? Do they survive below 50 degrees?
thanks!
Yes, I start them in styrofoam cup I pick up off the ground. Then I advance to a 44oz cup from the convenience stores that I pick up off the ground. Then I put it in its final pot or in the ground. I just give it a little water every day.
As for the seeds, there is nothing special. You can stick them right into the ground from out of the tomato although it is probably better to let them dry. Fermenting is not necessary unless you want to get fancy.
You can grow them in winter if you are so inclined if you bring them indoors and have enough light. Most people just grow in the spring and keep them around until the cold kills them off or the heat in the summer.
No special needs except for a little fertilizer every now and again. That can be fertilizer you buy at the store. Compost tea you brew up with a bag of compost or composted manure. If you want to get cheap and really radical and give them a top-notch fertilizer, you can even use your own pee if you dilute it down to 10% or so.
Comparis can get really big so you will need a big pot to grow it in. At least a 5-gallon bucket.