Here one of my halesia diteria seedlings,sewn last June,coming up. It's got it's "head" stuck in the husk/shell/pod,whatever you may call it. Experience from the passed of trying to help get it's "head" of other seedlings,out has turned out disasterously resulting in tearing the head of newly emerged seedlings off so I watch,wringing my hands and chanting"PUSH!".
I've got fringe tree and pearl bush seedlings up too....YAY!
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I hate it when that happens. It's such a sturdy seedling too. Sometimes wetting them with a spray bottle helps. That's a lot of nice green you've got growing.
That's a lot of moss growing on the seed trays but I leave it because I'm trying to transplant any I get into my "Gnome Home" garden.
The shell it's self is soft and I used a pair of snips to crack it a little,hoping to make it easier for seedling to push on out.
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The gnome home sounds neat. Any photos of it?
I've torn seed heads off too, but the seed coat doesn't always come off and they die anyway. I hope snipping works.
maybe if we chant together..."push it out,push it out..waaaaaaay out" it'll make it...LOL
Gnome Home is a wreck right now. Under leaves and my 4 boston terrors run thru it all the time running squirrels up the tree.
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We're having a baby! :))
If you get it in order I'd like to see it. It sounds neat.
ok so we need to breathe"ha-ha...he-he" I think. I didn't do natural childbirth...I wanted drugs....LOL
I really need to get out and do some yard work but I've had the winter (or in this case NO winter) drag arounds.
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Me either. As I remember, the shots hurt, but I wanted them! I hope Ms. Seedling ''pops'' soon. LOL!
We haven't had winter yet either. It was 50* yesterday. It's been windy, not breezy, almost every day. I should have been out raking. I sent in a lot of flower orders already and I'm not done yet. I'm waiting for the rest of the catalogues to come. I can't wait to hit the ground running this spring!
Windy here too...70 predicted for today but rainy,overcast and dreary. Hard to get in gear with this weather but I am going out to sew pre-sprouted columbine seeds and sew various other seeds.
I think I've got all my first run of plant plug orders in. I'll order shrubs,trees and ferns a bit later to give me a chance to get what I've already got sewn and plugs arriving 3rd week in March taken care of.
PLEASE NO MORE CATALOGS! I have no control as is....LOL
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I just got back. I had to make a b-day cake for DD. We go to her place tonight. I went outside to see if any of my plants are growing. Only the daffodils have pushed the dirt up and I see a leaf or two, but the rest are dormant. Yay! It turned cold! The temp has dropped too!
Has the seedling pushed her way out yet?
I went out before my aerobic class arrived to sew a couple baggies of pre-sprouted columbines but forgot to look. As soon as I cool down and dry off,I'm going out to sew more seeds so I'll check then. May try cracking the shell a little more.
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It would be a shame to lose it. I looked at your threads. I think you may be the Queen of seeds! Your Bostons are adorable! I totally understand not letting them go!
DH has agreed to build me seed starting shelves. That's my biggest problem, light. I can't wait ! I do peppers and tomatoes under a small light I ordered from Park Seeds, but then I hardly have window space to put the transplants. Plus, the cats eat them! He had to cover the small one in hardware wire and will have to do the one he builds too. I'm looking forward to trying seeds. I order and save them, but never get them sown.
Do you presprout on paper towels?
A hobby gone over board,turning into a small business.
My boston terrors,I love to death but sometimes I could cheerfully choke them.
My columbine seeds were a tad old,I read to put them in a bag of moist vermucilite in the frig until they sprout. Had about 8 bags,half of which I've already sewn. The other half are being stubborn.
I've pre-sprouted tomato seeds on paper towels for a presentation to my garden club one year
Here's my light benches in the computer room. I fiannly hooked up my heat mat to try and sdtart dutchman pipe seeds. The rest are african violets,orchids,begonias and episcia.
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I have read some where that spitting on stuck seed coats will help. Apparently there is an enzyme in saliva that will help break down the seed coat. I have done it to some sunflower seeds last spring. I can't say if it worked or nature just took its course.
Jeri rigged light shelf in living room. Needs two more lights.
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Wow, that really gives you room to put a lot of trays. We live in a trailor that we built on to, but have no extra room, or a basement. Grrr. Plus, we sit cattywompus, so south for me is really southwest. I have 2 rooms that have a southern exposure. The shelves are going to make a big difference.
Edited to add, Spit. who knew? I'm going to remember that one.
The second set of shelves is what I was looking for before DH said he'd build. Nice!
This message was edited Jan 12, 2007 11:30 AM
utlucky,
these halesia are pretty special to me and I ain't lady-like anyway so I may just try it...LOL
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Last pix. My little lean-to. I mainly just use it for oevr-wintering brugs,plums and such.
Your plants look as good as storebought!
they're looking a little winter weary right now
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They look pretty good in the picture. How long have you been starting seeds?
I started sewing this years seeds Dec.26th but I've been winter sewing for about 6 years.
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Wow, that's a long time. If I need any advice I'll be sure to ask you first! :)) I filled pots in the garage and got my seed trays ready. I also ordered another tray with a higher dome. I'm still using the styrefoam ones I've had for more years than I know. I haven't broken one yet. Not even the cheap plastic lids! I cleaned the capillary mat with hot vinegar to remove any lime. I'm good to go!
Didn't do WS seriously until about 3 yrs ago. I spent the first 3 doing trail and error then I got several books on propagtion that covers seeds too. Now I grow tree and shrubs pretty easily too. Those take patients since some will take a year or better to germinate. I've been waiting 3 yrs for some dove tree seeds to germinate.
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I had one book on seed starting and just got a nicer one that covers a lot of different ways to propagate. I used it a lot when I ordered seeds and to see how to split older plants.
I got cuttings from my neighbor's Eunonymus. Not the burning bush. This is evergreen durring winter. She doesn't know the latin name, but I'm guessing fortuni. I only got one to seriously grow and be big enough to plant outside. That's when the rabbits decided it was tasty. I have hardware wire around it and it's doing well. I have another in the house that I think will grow. It was in the garage till the other day. I decided it had a long enough winter rest. That's when one of my cats decided one of the leaves were tasty. It's under the grow light with the amaryllis that just popped up a bud.
We have gold and green eunonymus(probably fortunei too) that everybody has in their yard...well,maybe not EVERYBODY but there does seem to be A LOT every where.
The are super easy to propagate. Before I even had a book I would just take about a 4 " section of the eunonymus and jam it into a 2" band pot and 95 % would root. Same with compacta holly that I perfer over boxwood with the same look but my boston terrors have "watered" everyone of those to death.
I must confess I still do the "jam it in the pot" method more than I read the book.
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I tried rooting hormones and even brought some with a dry mess of brown roots. They were tip cuttings in the spring. Only 3'' or so with a set of leaves left on. I covered with a baggie and waited. Her shrub is 12' x almot 12'. It's the only true evergreen in Iowa that I can find. I'll be happy to have one, but a couple more would be nice for the birds.
Hi everyone...
I mostly just "lurk and learn"
I had a few seedlings that got stuck last year too.
Don't mean to interupt you peeps, but Bigred could you tell me what that yellow piece of paper is next to your flowers. If it is none of my business just tell me...hahaha.,,,,
Also do you have fungus knats around your flowers? I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have tried about everything that I know to get rid of them,and I don't know what else to do.
Thanks Pauletta
Paulette,
Yup,that's a sticky trap. I put them up to catch fungus knats.Only had a few so I wanted get them before they made babies.
bp,
I think I still have a few rooted eunonymus in cell packs,leftover from last springs strikings. They weren't rooted well enough to pot up. Would you like them? Guess I better check them out before I offer them.
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Hi Bigred
Would you mind telling me what the sticky trap consists of? I read on a forum a while back that you could get them at Lowes but I forgot the name. I really need them. I am using the fly traps now. They catch a lot of them but not all. I even quit watering my plants and some of them dried up. Didn't get rid of them. Watering my plants with peroxide water. Didn't get rid of them.
Thanks Pauletta
It's called Stiky Traps. It's just a piece of yellow heavy duty card stock coated w/ a super sticky glue probably something like tangle foot or like the stuff on the mouse traps.
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Bigred
Thank you very much!!! Pauletta
Hope your seedling makes it out soon!
There's spitting involved in Carolyn's method of helping tomato seedlings out of their seed coats if need be... actually, she says to just wet your fingers and press gently on the seed coat. Me, I see you standing several feet away, with that recalcitrant seedling centered on a bull's eye target.... LOL
critter,
LOL...well,I didn't have to resort to those measure since I managed to get it's lil head out yesterday without ripping any parts off...but believe as precious as those seeds were($8 or 9 bucks for a lil handful,big seeds,maybe 10 seeds total) you could picture me doing just that...one eye squinted close and drawing a bead on it between two v-ed fingers had it not come off soon.
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What is the most unusual seeds that you plant? Fringe trees are so neat, are they hardy in zone 6? What seeds are $9?
blue,
Gosh,that's hard to say. I'd have to go look in the greenhouses....hmmm...purple pitcher plant but I lost them when I potted them up at the wrong time of year. Did it in May and I should have done it in the winter('bout now)when they were dormant but never say die,I'll try again.
The halesia were the high priced ones. They're more like a nut than a seed.
I've got witch hazel planted from last year and more in frig. They take warm spell(70-75%)then cold then warm again to germinate. I'm hoping to see them up this year but we haven't have much of a winter so probably not until next year....oh yeah,dove tree seeds...They super hard to germniate,mine have been sewn for 3 years now but I'm not giving up.
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Can you take cutting from burning bushes? I have 2 in my yard. They are about 3-4 ft tall. I would like more but hate buying them. I am a frugal gardener unless it is newer dls :)
I have hit and miss success with cuttings with the few exceptions. When in doubt,I take a lower branch ,scare the bottom side a bit then bury it in a shallow dtich then put a brick or rock on top of it so it doesn't pop up.I have to use this method for oakleif hydrangeas,gardenias,azaleas and I'm trying it w/ my banana shrub.
I find the green and gold color eunonymus shrubs easy to propagate from cuttings and that's what burning bush is,eunonymus.
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Bluegrassmom, I'd be happy to send you all the Burning Bushes you want, but it might not be a good idea. I probably have hundreds of them. It took a long time, but now that one bush has lots of babies
http://www.se-eppc.org/ky/list.htm
Bigred, I'm going to keep trying on my end. I'm kind of enjoying the challange. Someday my little one will be big enough to supply me with cuttings. Thanks tho!
I've enjoyed catching up. Been off a few days again. Being new to sowing indoors, I'm going to start with easy seeds and gradually try harder stuff. I'm excited tho!
Glad the seed head popped off. I sort of envisioned spitting rather than dabbing with the fingers too. :))
Hi, I took a picture of the evergreen Eunonymous I'm tring to grow. It's still green. but hasn't moved a muscle since I brought it in two or three weeks ago. I did read that the roots I see on the side are ariel roots. Its basically a climber, even tho hers is a 12' x 12' bush.
