Seed starting chronicles 2013

[Toole]

I find the seed raising discussions on this Forum of Gene, Rick and others absolutely fascinating.

I have no experience in the use of fluorescent lights ,baggies, etc as living in a somewhat 'soft' climate i just sow seed and place it outside as soon as i receive it,regardless of the time of the year.

If i consider the pots are getting too wet i place a poly sheet over the pots .It's not a fail safe method - Sure   in an individual pot i lose a few to rot but not all however ,as a number do come up.

Following are current pics with the date of sowing --unfortunately i haven't kept records of when germination occured ,(might need to look at doing so from now on).

Some of the seed trays .

Muscari macrocarpum -- x Tasmania sown in late Nov 2012-- My thumb shows the size of the small pots that I generally use.

Clintonia udensis-- x AGC of BC sown early Feb 2010.

Lilium wigginsii --x Gene sown mid spring ,beginning of Nov 2011 .

Pulsatilla turczaninovii --x Rick sown early winter ,middle of June 2012.

Cheers Dave.

[Lori S.]

I've split this off into Seed starting chronicles 2013, Dave... even though some of your late germinators were planted well before that!  
Just hoping to encourage other seed-starters to post here if they wish to (and don't want to start separate threads)...   

[Toole]

Oops !.--Lol.

[Harold Peachey]

I am very curious about the new led grow light technology-seems to be a mixed bag of information regarding their reliability.  Does anyone have experience to share with these devices?

[Jan Jeddeloh]

Re LED lights.  I don't know much about them but I know who probably does. Marijuana growers. I've stumbled upon some of their forums by accident and it's apparent those folks really know how to grow plants. I would think LEDs would be attractive to pot farmers because they don't suck the juice like metal halide or sodium vapor lights. My guess is that if you hunt up a marijuana forum you may learn something you can apply to alpines and other legal plants.

Jan

[RickR]

Good thought, Jan.

Ether ourselves or someone we know, I think we all have stories of avid alpine seed growers being "raided" by police because of their "excessive" use of electricity for lighting.

Regarding actual marijuana growers, I see them a couple times of year at the store where I work.  They always ask for a fertilizer with an exact nutrient formulation that no one makes (or would ever make), like 12.5-11-14.  Yes, they'll do anything to maximize growth.

[GreenRoofer]

I really hope I never get raided, but I've grown under LED for a year, and recently switched to 120 watt fluorescent. Use mylar on the walls of your grow room to increase grow area. LED is garbage, sorry. I tried so hard to convince myself that it would work, looking at the decreased energy bills. A common problem is the lights start blinking on and off after a while. Since it's hard to buy just the bulbs, most units are one piece. You get leggy growth with Fluorescent, but turn the plants often when they lean, and maybe put a small fan in your room and the stems should thicken up. Plus, our plants are not illegal like marijuana, and they're going outside in the Spring anyhow.

You can buy really expensive LED setups that work well, but expect to spend way more than they $170 for a good fluorescent setup. 120 Watts is the lowest.

I want to add, that I love marijuana grow shops, I bought Greensand, glacial flour, grow lights, mylar, coco peat, and guano at a shop in Chicago. You think you can get that at Lowes or Home Depot? Where else could I buy those things in December in Chicago?!? To me, it's what a garden supply place should be. They also sell GA-3 and IBA in any formulation you desire, powders, gels, whatever. Plus, everyone there seemed really mellow...

[Gene Mirro]

My seedlings under fluorescents are nice and stocky.  I think it's because I grow at around 60F.  I find that seedlings get stretched and weak if I grow them at 70F.  Also, you have to make sure that you surround the growing area with reflective surfaces, like strips of white insulating foam.  Otherwise the plants will lean in towards the strongest light.

My plants grow so well under cheap cool white fluorescents that I see no reason to use anything else.

If you want to attract law enforcement, run halide lights indoors, especially at night.  That eerie purple glow coming through your curtains will get their attention.

[CScott]

You are right -----not every plant likes high light and heat.

I am having good success with meconopsis this year.
I started them in a south window in December when the winter sun is not strong.
I have kept the thermostat so that the area where they are is at 60º F .
They are progressing slowly, transplanted into trays of peaty soil, and kept at 60º F

I have tried them under lights,but while they germinate faster, the young plants do not like the heat under the lights.
Most poppies are cool season plants.   Now when I do petunias----it is heat and bright lights all the way.

Having my own fresh meconopsis seed also helped a lot!  Only a couple of commercial sources send viable meconopsis seed.

[Lori S.]

Got some germination now...
Oxtropis splendens started germinating in 5 days at room temp after scarification; seeds collected last summer from my old plants which are starting to decline a bit.
 
Erigeron aurantiacus started germinating in 7 days at room temp; also collected from a plant in the border - it will look a lot more interesting in the rock garden.  

Trifolium nanum started germinating in 2 days at room temp after scarification.  

Trifolium andersonii v. andersonii started germinating in 2 days at room temp after scarification.  

Gentiana erectisepala - a few germinated in 15 days at room temperature after soaking seed overnight in a few drops of GA-3 solution; seed from Pavelka order received in early 2011 ; collected at 4700m, Heizi Shan, Sichuan ,China; "similar to G.algida but broader lvs, big white to pale yellow flws with blue stripes outside, alpine meadows".

[deesen]

I've got seed of a few Dodecatheon species from the exchanges this year and would welcome advice as when is the best time to sow please?

[Lori S.]

From a quick glance at Dr. Deno's studies (see the link here in Propagation), it looks like Dodecatheon responds to cold stratification, so I'd guess that potting up the seeds now and chucking them outside should do the trick.

I really hope I never get raided, but I've grown under LED for a year, and recently switched to 120 watt fluorescent.
You get leggy growth with Fluorescent, but turn the plants often when they lean, and maybe put a small fan in your room and the stems should thicken up.

I always assumed it was the metal halide setups... the ones that suck electricity big time... that the utilities might notice (in terms of unusual energy consumption) and hence report to the cops.  When we had one, DH did take the precaution of showing the neighbors what we were growing (tropical water lilies and other tropicals)... a bit paranoid that.    (Judging from what one reads in the news about grow-ops, illegal growers are likely to be stealing power anyway... )

Leggy growth is from not enough light, rather than from the source of the light... add another bank of fluorescents for stronger plants.  I haven't found fans to be necessary.

[Gene Mirro]

Here's a pot of Dodecatheon clevelandii v. insulare seedlings:



Sown 12/23/12, germinated two weeks later at 60F (15C), and grown under lights at 60F.  D. pulchellum may also be a warm germinator, but the ones I've grown have needed cold.  Most other Dodecatheon species are cold germinators.  Dodecatheon will often not produce true leaves in the first growing season.  But they are making big roots.  I will be transplanting this group into a 6-inch deep pot in the next day or two, without separating the plants.  Keep them growing as long as possible.  Don't let the soil get too warm.  Plunge the pot if necessary to keep the roots cool.  Do not starve the plants.  When the leaves start turning yellow in midsummer, stop watering and let the soil get somewhat dry, but not completely dry.  When the plants are dormant, store the pot in a cool, dry place.  Provide a few months of chilling over the next Winter, but protect from temperatures below 25F.  As the plants begin growth the next Spring, plant the whole clump into prepared garden soil.  When they go dormant in the Summer, dig and separate and transplant the roots.

A mature plant of D. clevelandii v. insulare:



There is nothing modest or understated about this bloom.  It's the Marilyn Monroe of shooting stars.

Also see http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=1056.0

[deesen]

Many thanks Lori and Gene. Our cold spell (such as it was!) has gone, been around 12C daytime for the last couple of days with rain on and off (mostly on!) it seems like forever.

[RickR]

Gene, did you plant the seeds rather deeply?