Here is a picture I took today of the sweet peas. I have 41 germinated so far (about 60 still to go).
The old fashioned sweet peas are clearly easier to germinate. The Winter Elegance ones are really holding out - especially the white ones.
Anyway, it was warm enough today to place them outside in the sun. I will take upstairs to an unheated room on the third floor when it cools down this afternoon.
Very sweet babies! I am going to start my sweet peas in another 2-3 weeks I think. I can't wait. This will be the first time ever that I will be starting some plants indoors. Any advice for a first timer??
Good job Seandor!
Dawn - do not overwater. More plants are lost to overwatering than anything else.
Seandor - please be careful about putting the babies out in the sun. They can burn easier than you think.
Good advice - I have about 50 sweet pea seeds that have not germinated - I opened some of the little pots and some seeds had rotted. Others . . . I am not sure. I put some of them in a damp coffee filter to see what happens. They have been planted for three weeks so I presume they should have emerged by now.
Any suggestions as to what I should do? I could break open each little pot I suppose . . .
I have a large front veranda which gets morning sun, then shade. I will use that to harden off the little blighters.
Right now it is raining hard . . . the germinated ones are upstairs in an unheated room on the third floor - temperature about 54 degrees.
The only way you can tell what's happening is to open the pots and investigate. On the outside chance that they're a bit slow you just might want to segregate the non-performers from the others to keep your mood lifted.
Just a question here...when my sweet peas start sprouting (I planted 2 seeds to a pot) do I only keep the strong one and pull the other one out???
I read somewhere that if you can very gently separate their roots and transplant them to other pots, you can save both. do you want both?
My seeds that didn't germinate had rotted -probably because they were Winter Elegance seeds and needed more heat (and less water) than I provided. I still ended up with 45 sweet peas, which I have replanted yet again into larger paper pots. In three more weeks I should be able to plant them in the garden.
Dawn, Yes, unless as Seandor noted you want to try to save more.
Dawn - try going to Gardener's Supply (online) and do a search for seedlings or seeds. They have great photos and great advice and show using scissors to remove the extra seedling. Many seeds don't want any root disturbance.
This seed planting is such a science and obviously one I haven't mastered LOL. Seandor I don't really care if I get all the plants I planted from seed I just want to be sure I have a few good ones kwim?
Thanks for your help.
You will! Don't worry so much. We all learn every step of the way on our gardening journey and none of us were born knowing these things.
LOL good point Pirl! I know I can always count on you to give me some confidence! :)
I have years where I kill (one way or the other) seedlings and then the years when 95% grows and I wonder what to do with all of them.
I sure do hope I have beginner luck because it sure would save me a lot of money on buying annuals LOL. Not just that but I want to feel proud of something "I" did.
Have no fear - you will get plants. In the meantime keep a photo of your little adorable girls and be proud that YOU have such sweethearts.
I know I have to be very careful not to keep the seedlings wet. Is it already to spray with a spray bottle from the top or how exactly do I water them???
I think bottom watering is best.
Only bottom - Dave is right. We've probably all lost plants and blamed the seed company but top watering can be deadly. What you want is for the plants to establish a good set of roots and go deep - not surface roots.
Alright that makes a LOT of sense. Thanks again.
Now how would I bottom water my peat pots?
"There's the rub".
Only from the bottom: put them on an old (or thrift shop) cookie sheet, with sides. You want to give them enough water that the whole pot is damp - definitely not wet. They're the hardest to keep damp since the peat wants to take up all the moisture. The roots have to search for the water and go to the dampest spot (my opinion), which is the peat structure. That's why it's possible for the roots to penetrate the peat. My DH, who raises thousands of seeds, only uses the plastic (sterilized) cell packs.
Don't you increase our chances of damping off by top watering (not that it stops me)?
Dave - we only bottom water. Jack knew it (and told me) but I decided they looked thirsty and top watered. Damping off! Now we just bottom water.
How often should someone typically water?
I doubt if there's a one-size-fits-all answer for this one. So much depends on your soil mix and any additives (water absorbers) that you've used. Instead of giving generalities I'd probably be best off by just writing about how we do it:
We use dampened (not "wet" or "soggy") Pro Mix, in sterlized cell packs, plant according to directions, cover each tray with clear plastic wrap* and do not give any more water until we see the first seeds sprouting. The exceptions would be those seeds needing extended time to germinate - check the seed package. Some that require heat go on heating mats and others (most) do not. When about 1/4 of each tray has germinated it's time to roll back the plastic wrap to let them breathe. Simply lifting the cell pack will give a good clue as to how damp the medium is: light weight needs a drink but not the ones that feel heavy.
*The lights are lowered (they're on chains) to within 2" of the plastic wrap and, no, we've never had a fire. Lights are on 16 hours a day.
Another method I haven't tried and just read about is the popsicle stick. Gently push it in the cell pack (not peat pots - it could puncture the peat) to the depth of an inch and see if it comes out wet or dry. People who use this method dip the stick in bleach in between each individual use and that sounds way too time consuming when doing many seeds.
I find that I need to "water" more often if I drink a lot of coffee or beer... Oh! that's probably not what you meant!
Nevermind.
Hahaha Dave...no but a beer sounds good about now. LOL
