Susan, albeit the weather 😂 You always manage to make me smile - such cheerful delivery linguistically - 😊 anyone needing cold stratification- head to Washington 😅
I did this method for my butterfly weed. But I put it in the freezer for 24 hours then put the damp paper towel filled with seeds on my heat mat under the grow light and they all sprouted! Now I just have to plant them:)
Hey, I figured out why the non stop begonias were not growing- they were too cold 🥶 I tried everything I could think of and then realized with the oscillating fan that maybe they were too cold. I couldn’t find the info Anywhere! Then I thought about the guy that raises them and his whole operation is in a greenhouse. The only thing I could figure was I’m missing Heat! I moved them to the top shelf of seed rack and lightly domes them. Within 1 day I seen a difference!! They were a smidge bigger and more vibrant green not with red tinge. Then I thought about blueberries and how their leaves turn red if cold. So happy to have figured it out as this seedling aftercare for non stop begonias is Not found Anywhere! They were just too cold 🥶
I've never heard the term scarification before. I know parsnips take a long time to germinate. I've seen where a board is placed over the direct sown seeds & the soil kept moist until germination. So I'm going to try that. But I have to know from the packet how long germination will take so I can remove the board when I see a plant start to emerge. Lorraine
Hi, Lorraine. Yes, I do use the "board" method and leave them in place for about 7-10 days before removing them. A friend of mine uses a layer of burlap on the surface of his carrot and parsnip beds, rather than boards, so I'm going to try that this spring. It would be easier to check on them!
First time for artichokes and they look like your starts. I need to put them out in the cold? How cold? For how long? Having some issues this year with seedlings I never had before. Aphids! Some mildew and of course gnats. I tried the peroxide drench and has corrected most of gnat problems and waiting for Mosquito Bits and more sticky traps to be delivered. Manually removing any more aphids. They attacked basil, marjoram, artichokes And celery. They don’t touch rosemary, thyme or oregano. I’m using new air root pruning cell packs, have a fan. I think the main cause of these problems is that I used an open bag of potting soil without sterilizing it. So much for being frugal.🥴 The watering has been tricky. I top watered to start as I didn’t want them to be too wet below because of mildew. I think having shorter sides on drain tray could be beneficial. I’ve been propping every other cell pack on the edge to allow more air below. I’m winter sowing saved seed from echinacea and butterfly weed. Lol, I tried scarifying the 5 precious hibiscus seeds and one flew clear over to the sink and down the drain. I put them in a baggie with damp paper towel and inside tray on heat and they germinated in 2 days-much easier. It’s easy to ruin a seed by nicking them also. So if you have any advice about controlling aphids, mildew, fungus gnats and how cold and long for artichokes I’d be glad to learn. We are expecting 4-7” Again this Thursday-Spring can’t be far off. Thanks Susan!
Hi there. Re: the chilling of your artichoke seedlings, I would do this 2-3 weeks before it's time to plant them in the garden. Temperature-wise, you don't want them to get frosted so you'll have to act accordingly, based on your temperatures. The Mosquito Bits work well for fungus gnats (they are so annoying!). Re: aphids, are you having them indoors? Really all you can do for that is to squish them with your fingers, since spraying them off with a strong jet of water would be too much for seedlings. I'm just puzzled as to how the aphids got indoors, though! The best antidote to mildew is good air circulation. You might try a small fan blowing lightly across the seedling flats. And be careful not to overwater. It is snowing here, too. Sigh.
Thank you for this video. I’m in the process of seed starting in z4b. My question is.. which is more effective for scarification? Soaking or knicking? I have some gourds to plant this year and not quite sure. Thanks for what you do❤
Hi 2 Gals👋🏻. Im not Susan, but my story of nicking hibiscus seeds wasn’t good. I only had 5 seeds and one flew over to the drain😕. Have to be careful not to ruin a seed with nicking. I didn’t know if I scratched the surface enough with sand paper and didn’t want to lose anymore to the drain so I put them in a baggie with damp paper towel and in a heated domes tray at 79*F and they germinated in 2 days. 😃 I think of gourd seeds like pumpkins and if they aren’t hard super hard shelled then they should germinate easy without scarification. Soaking would jump start them. I’m going to use the baggie trick for pepper seeds this year as I’m starting tomatoes and peppers later so I don’t have a jungle and know the peppers especially hot ones can take a bit. Hopefully they will both grow evenly that way. Z5a.
@@dustyflats3832 Hi Dusty! Thanks for that info. Last year I just plopped birdhouse gourd seeds in the seed starting mix and only 1 came up. So.. looking for a better way. Soaking seems like a plan. I’m starting my hot peppers soon as well. Never used the baggie trick before. I still have 2’ of snow and more coming! I need to get outside soon. Good to see you here!🤗
Hi there. I feel more comfortable with the soaking method, to be honest. You have to be careful not to damage the inner part of the seeds when you're either nicking them or using sandpaper. (and thanks so much for your kind comments!)
Hi Susan. Thank you for this series. This is my first time sowing indoor seeds. I’ve only done beans outside. My lettuce look like the first example you showed. Kinda straggly, thin and 1/2 to 1” tall. Every variety. I don’t know if this is good or should I start over.? Please advise!
Hi, Christy. How recently they did come up and how close is your grow light? You're welcome to send me a photo of them at my email address, Susan@SusansintheGarden.com, so I can give you more suggestions, etc.
@@SusansInTheGarden I planted last weekend and I don’t have a grow light. They are next to a south facing window. I live in Indianapolis. I can’t figure out how to send you pictures either.😔
Nice video Susan. Good information! For the last several years, I have been trying to figure out how long pepper seeds are viable. Many websites say 2-5 years, but in my experience, the germination rate starting with the third season and beyond goes WAY down. I store my seeds very carefully in zip lock bags in a airtight container. Do you have much luck after that second year?
Oh 😍I'm so envious of your Amaralys ♡♡♡
I agree! The snow is getting old! I can't wait for spring 🌱🌸💐🌞
Snow again. Weather everywhere is crazy.
Great results on the seeds. Good video.
Love your amaryllis.
Stay warm.
Susan, albeit the weather 😂 You always manage to make me smile - such cheerful delivery linguistically - 😊 anyone needing cold stratification- head to Washington 😅
LOL!
I did this method for my butterfly weed. But I put it in the freezer for 24 hours then put the damp paper towel filled with seeds on my heat mat under the grow light and they all sprouted! Now I just have to plant them:)
Hey, I figured out why the non stop begonias were not growing- they were too cold 🥶
I tried everything I could think of and then realized with the oscillating fan that maybe they were too cold. I couldn’t find the info Anywhere! Then I thought about the guy that raises them and his whole operation is in a greenhouse. The only thing I could figure was I’m missing Heat! I moved them to the top shelf of seed rack and lightly domes them. Within 1 day I seen a difference!! They were a smidge bigger and more vibrant green not with red tinge. Then I thought about blueberries and how their leaves turn red if cold.
So happy to have figured it out as this seedling aftercare for non stop begonias is Not found Anywhere! They were just too cold 🥶
Way to go! I would assume that begonias really want some warmth and babying! ;o)
I see very tiny salpiglossis seedlings. They look super thin and weak but are in a few cells.
Yes, they are absolutely tiny!
I've never heard the term scarification before. I know parsnips take a long time to germinate. I've seen where a board is placed over the direct sown seeds & the soil kept moist until germination. So I'm going to try that. But I have to know from the packet how long germination will take so I can remove the board when I see a plant start to emerge. Lorraine
Hi, Lorraine. Yes, I do use the "board" method and leave them in place for about 7-10 days before removing them. A friend of mine uses a layer of burlap on the surface of his carrot and parsnip beds, rather than boards, so I'm going to try that this spring. It would be easier to check on them!
First time for artichokes and they look like your starts. I need to put them out in the cold? How cold? For how long?
Having some issues this year with seedlings I never had before. Aphids! Some mildew and of course gnats.
I tried the peroxide drench and has corrected most of gnat problems and waiting for Mosquito Bits and more sticky traps to be delivered. Manually removing any more aphids. They attacked basil, marjoram, artichokes And celery. They don’t touch rosemary, thyme or oregano. I’m using new air root pruning cell packs, have a fan.
I think the main cause of these problems is that I used an open bag of potting soil without sterilizing it. So much for being frugal.🥴
The watering has been tricky. I top watered to start as I didn’t want them to be too wet below because of mildew. I think having shorter sides on drain tray could be beneficial. I’ve been propping every other cell pack on the edge to allow more air below.
I’m winter sowing saved seed from echinacea and butterfly weed. Lol, I tried scarifying the 5 precious hibiscus seeds and one flew clear over to the sink and down the drain. I put them in a baggie with damp paper towel and inside tray on heat and they germinated in 2 days-much easier. It’s easy to ruin a seed by nicking them also.
So if you have any advice about controlling aphids, mildew, fungus gnats and how cold and long for artichokes I’d be glad to learn. We are expecting 4-7” Again this Thursday-Spring can’t be far off. Thanks Susan!
Hi there. Re: the chilling of your artichoke seedlings, I would do this 2-3 weeks before it's time to plant them in the garden. Temperature-wise, you don't want them to get frosted so you'll have to act accordingly, based on your temperatures. The Mosquito Bits work well for fungus gnats (they are so annoying!). Re: aphids, are you having them indoors? Really all you can do for that is to squish them with your fingers, since spraying them off with a strong jet of water would be too much for seedlings. I'm just puzzled as to how the aphids got indoors, though! The best antidote to mildew is good air circulation. You might try a small fan blowing lightly across the seedling flats. And be careful not to overwater. It is snowing here, too. Sigh.
Thank you for this video. I’m in the process of seed starting in z4b. My question is.. which is more effective for scarification? Soaking or knicking? I have some gourds to plant this year and not quite sure. Thanks for what you do❤
Hi 2 Gals👋🏻. Im not Susan, but my story of nicking hibiscus seeds wasn’t good. I only had 5 seeds and one flew over to the drain😕. Have to be careful not to ruin a seed with nicking. I didn’t know if I scratched the surface enough with sand paper and didn’t want to lose anymore to the drain so I put them in a baggie with damp paper towel and in a heated domes tray at 79*F and they germinated in 2 days. 😃
I think of gourd seeds like pumpkins and if they aren’t hard super hard shelled then they should germinate easy without scarification. Soaking would jump start them.
I’m going to use the baggie trick for pepper seeds this year as I’m starting tomatoes and peppers later so I don’t have a jungle and know the peppers especially hot ones can take a bit. Hopefully they will both grow evenly that way. Z5a.
@@dustyflats3832 Hi Dusty! Thanks for that info. Last year I just plopped birdhouse gourd seeds in the seed starting mix and only 1 came up. So.. looking for a better way. Soaking seems like a plan. I’m starting my hot peppers soon as well. Never used the baggie trick before. I still have 2’ of snow and more coming! I need to get outside soon. Good to see you here!🤗
Hi there. I feel more comfortable with the soaking method, to be honest. You have to be careful not to damage the inner part of the seeds when you're either nicking them or using sandpaper. (and thanks so much for your kind comments!)
@@SusansInTheGarden 😊 Thank you.
Hi Susan. Thank you for this series. This is my first time sowing indoor seeds. I’ve only done beans outside. My lettuce look like the first example you showed. Kinda straggly, thin and 1/2 to 1” tall. Every variety. I don’t know if this is good or should I start over.? Please advise!
Hi, Christy. How recently they did come up and how close is your grow light? You're welcome to send me a photo of them at my email address, Susan@SusansintheGarden.com, so I can give you more suggestions, etc.
@@SusansInTheGarden I planted last weekend and I don’t have a grow light. They are next to a south facing window. I live in Indianapolis. I can’t figure out how to send you pictures either.😔
@@christykulwicki4323 I received your email and photos. Will respond there.
@@SusansInTheGarden thank you
Nice video Susan. Good information! For the last several years, I have been trying to figure out how long pepper seeds are viable. Many websites say 2-5 years, but in my experience, the germination rate starting with the third season and beyond goes WAY down. I store my seeds very carefully in zip lock bags in a airtight container. Do you have much luck after that second year?
I agree with you. We have found they're at their best for 1, maybe 2 years.