Amkuska's 2025 Garden

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Ok I see tomato seedling were a test grow. I understand now. Thanks for explaining .. I have a small greenhouse growing seeds start in April in my zone. And it can be a lot of daily care to maintain seedlings in a good stage by planting time.

Lots of leaf pricking and checking them daily for any issues that pop up. Not to mention those white flies that seem to come from nowhere. But in most cases using any type of seedling soilless mixture with good drainage seems to help with white flies. Until transplanting in 2” pots , then up to 4”pots by planting time.

I have not tried hydro culture so watching your seedlings has been interesting. I have orchids and use clay pebbles for orchid keikis which are small starts or offsets from orchids. In most cases for seeds I have always used a heat mat under the flats and a fan once they are big enough usually after 3 sets of leaves have formed , helps to make the stems strong. In my zone it’s been an extra boost for healthy root systems for planting out in the garden by end of May or June.

 

[AMKuska]

Ok I see tomato seedling were a test grow. I understand now. Thanks for explaining .. I have a small greenhouse growing seeds start in April in my zone. And it can be a lot of daily care to maintain seedlings in a good stage by planting time.

Lots of leaf pricking and checking them daily for any issues that pop up. Not to mention those white flies that seem to come from nowhere. But in most cases using any type of seedling soilless mixture with good drainage seems to help with white flies. Until transplanting in 2” pots , then up to 4”pots by planting time.

I have not tried hydro culture so watching your seedlings has been interesting. I have orchids and use clay pebbles for orchid keikis which are small starts or offsets from orchids. In most cases for seeds I have always used a heat mat under the flats and a fan once they are big enough usually after 3 sets of leaves have formed , helps to make the stems strong. In my zone it’s been an extra boost for healthy root systems for planting out in the garden by end of May or June.

What does the leaf pricking do? I've not heard of that.

 

[ducks4you]

I have heard that lettuce is one of the plants that does really well grown hydroponically, along with other cool weather vegetables. Well done!

 

[Branching Out]

These tomato plants aren't for keeps. I was comparing one type of soil medium to another to see which had better results.

Isn't it fun to do seedling experiments indoors in the winter? I just love watching the seeds germinate and grow into tiny plants. And if we can improve our seed starting process at the same time that's even better. Terminating the seedlings at the end is not always easy though. I'm getting better at that aspect, but sometimes I still have a hard time letting go.

 

[AMKuska]

Isn't it fun to do seedling experiments indoors in the winter? I just love watching the seeds germinate and grow into tiny plants. And if we can improve our seed starting process at the same time that's even better. Terminating the seedlings at the end is not always easy though. I'm getting better at that aspect, but sometimes I still have a hard time letting go.

Well, since I don't plan to keep them I can put them to an awful lot of good use.

I plan to let my daughter practice potting them up without my meddling fingers getting in the way. She can practice uprooting them, putting them in the pot, and covering them up. She can practice grabbing them at the base and not the top three leaves.

If they somehow survive potting up practice, and watering practice, and get all the way to spring, they will be the first to experience the outdoors since I always manage to kill my best plants by putting them out too early or not hardening them off softly enough. These guys can be the first and let me know if it's alright to put the keeper plants out yet.

If they somehow survive my daughter gardening solo, my abrupt first-hardening-off-of-the-spring, and being put out way too early--they can live. I'll plant them somewhere. I'm not holding my breath though.

 

[AMKuska]

I have heard that lettuce is one of the plants that does really well grown hydroponically, along with other cool weather vegetables. Well done!

It was an accidental choice. I left the thing running for weeks before concluding the hydroponic pods were not pre-seeded, and just sprinkled some lettuce seeds in because I thought they'd be quick!

 

[flowerbug]

What does the leaf pricking do? I've not heard of that.

i think that is a reference to when you have a lot of seedlings started in the same cell so that you have a clump of seedlings going and you need to break them gently apart to replant them. pricking is the term i've heard for that process using something small and pointy. i hope this is what they meant...

 

[ducks4you]

I am sure that was the meaning...I have heard of this before.
I have also heard of either overloading the cell with lots of seeds OR carefully planting only one seed/cell.
Either way, separating or seeing some cells with no seedlings, and having to replant, it's a lot of work.
Mostly I have heard recommending planting 3 seeds/cell. Thinning then it minimal.
Either way, lots of work at the beginning, or lots of work later.

 

[AMKuska]

I am sure that was the meaning...I have heard of this before.
I have also heard of either overloading the cell with lots of seeds OR carefully planting only one seed/cell.
Either way, separating or seeing some cells with no seedlings, and having to replant, it's a lot of work.
Mostly I have heard recommending planting 3 seeds/cell. Thinning then it minimal.
Either way, lots of work at the beginning, or lots of work later.

Ah, thank you! I usually put them carefully in one by one and just replant the duds. I only plant multiples if I'm strapped for time. Now I have a new gardening word.

 

[AMKuska]

Did some potting up today. One of the Matt's Wild tomatoes was enterprising enough to put it's root into a neighboring pot and took up a quarter of some other tomato's space. Separating them was interesting.

We've still got the bugs from bringing pepper's inside. Blasting them with water followed by insecticidal soap helps, but they just come back after a little bit. Perhaps they've laid eggs in the soil and are hatching. I'm not quite sure what to do except keep spraying and rinsing off bugs. :-/