Germination % of Wintersown containers

I see many of you have snow covering your containers with spring only in the far distance. I'm sure we southerners still have several weeks left before the last frost day. However day time and nite temps have been mild 65+high / 37 low, there abouts.
Checking on my containers today, I do have a 57% germination rate. Went to my journal and marked these 53 containers with a milestone for "germinated" and changed the status to "germinated". Although I do have a status named "Deader than a Door Nail", I hope I don't have to use it on these containers. Three of the containers in the blanket covers were very dry. Even though we had rain and tornatos in the area, I did water all the containers for the first time day since I set most out January 14. They're on the ground under a large shady pine tree.
Who also has containers showing sprouts of life?

Deborah♥

mine are still in snow - though not as bad as some -- but being zone5
i guess it'll be a while still.

i'm also hoping for no "deader than a door nail"

terese

None here for me either...zone 5 as well. Tamara

Deborah
Love the orange juice containers in the zippered plastic. I bet that came from a quilt or duvet or something, right? Brilliant idea. And I think I tossed out a couple of those really recently. darn.

My containers (mostly milk jugs) and still sleeping under the snow, though today we have a chinook and it was quite warm and starting to melt.



Joanne

(Waving my hand in the air...) another zone 5 girl here. It's 28° right now so I think we still have a ways to go. Darn me and my impatience. I couldn't stand waiting any longer and started umpteen million seeds in the house this week. If I have even a 50% germination rate the whole neighborhood will be gardening "on La" this year.

We only have a little ice and snow left here covering my containers. No sprouts yet though...the temps been hanging around 32F the last few days. It shouldn't be too long though before I see sprouts! YAY!
Do you have any pictures of yours Deborah??

Steven

Zone 3 Joanne, Zone 5 Terese, Tamara and Lala and Zone 6 Steven still having an insulation of snow on your containers. That's a good thing. Spring for y'all will be May or late April I'm sure. Joanne, I'm racking my brain on where AB is located. Top of the world, right? Yep, those are orange juice cartons inside blanket/duvet zippered cases. I'm never original in ideas; just borrowed reading from DGers on this forum. Had to do something with all the orange juice containers around my house. DH drinks it like water.
I've noticed that our containers will hold heat, acting as mini greenhouses. Guess that's why mine sprouted so soon. They are facing south. No actual direct sunlight hits them though. Just morning sun on the right side and afternoon sun on the left. The tree trunk breaks the north wind while the many others trees in front help filter direct southern exposure. As it heats up, I'll be widening the slits for more air circulation and may have to move some around the tree .
I'll snap some pictures of the sprouts tomorrow.

Deborah♥

Deb, I have sprouts as well, I will see if I an get some pics. I didn't have that many containers, but I am hope for some plants to sow since it is my first time trying this too. I will take pictures sometime today and see what we have...mine are labeled inside the containers on most, so I may not know what they are till I open them up lol....

I haven't even been able to get to my containers to check 'em because everything is clogged up with snow in both directions, but it's melting on alternate days LOL. only 28* today and snowing again, so no go. supposed to go down to 10* by Tuesday, then back up. if I did have any sprouts, they'd be little sproutcicles. just too early here.

looking foward to seeing your though :0)

LOL Sproutcicles! Cute...I will try to get some pics in the morning...I had to go out today and it is dark now...

Oh man, I've got the bug. URI and broncitis/ I'll take pics of my sprouts when I get to feeling better. Fever giving me the chills something awful.

Deb, bless you heart! I just finished with the flu and a UTI! It was three weeks going too..

Deborah,
I am +/- 1900 miles to the north-west of you. Just a hop-skip & a jump!

LOL


Joanne

Edited to say that I hope you get feeling better real soon. I had a flu bug two weeks ago. Yuck. 'tis the season up here.

This message was edited Mar 4, 2007 5:12 PM

I have to admit that I have not even checked my containers. It has been pretty chilly (by Virginia standards) for most of 2007 and it is not supposed to get very warm this week. But now I am curious...maybe I will have to get out there and peek!

- Brent

I haven't been checking either because it has been so cold here. But yesterday I did find some germinated clarkia. First one. It's supposed to be 17 degrees tonight with a high in the 30s again tomorrow.

Karen

Deborah, I am a bit to your west, but pretty much in the same zone (we are technically on the cusp of 7b but it acts a little more like 8a here) -- anyway, I checked my records for the 80-plus containers I sowed in January and February, and I have about an 84% germination rate at the moment -- and the non-germinators include Gerber Daisy (seemingly impossible for me), Hellebore (which probably won't germinate for another year) and a small plastic container of tomatoes that I am pretty certain was kidnapped by the neighbor's dog... they may have germinated somewhere but not on my back porch! LOL

I sowed another 9 or containers and a full flat of additional seeds yesterday, and with the temps the way they have been lately, am expecting very quick germination on those. I am probably going to plant out my peas, cabbage and broccoli this week. While I know I will hate the heat in August, I am sure glad to be on the warm end of things right now... Elizabeth

I'm feeling some better and hopefully I'll get some pictures of my ws sprouts tomorrow. Thank you all for the well wishes.
It's all about the climate and possibily the location of your containers too. For the remainder of the week, we are expecting spring weather for sure.
Tue, Mar 6 Sunny
69°/41° 0%
Wed
Mar 7 Partly Cloudy
74°/44° 0%
Thu mar 8 Partly Cloudy
74°/48° 10%
Fri
Mar 9 Partly Cloudy
72°/50° 10%
Sat
Mar 10 Mostly Cloudy
73°/52° 10%
Sun
Mar 11 Showers
75°/54° 40%
Mon
Mar 12 Mostly Cloudy
73°/51° 10%
Mar 13 Showers
76°/53° 60%
Wed
Mar 14 Mostly Sunny
77°/52° 10%
However, my last frost date is March 31st so say the experts. Hopefully with this spring weather prediction, more containers will show some green by the end of the week.
Elizabeth, sorry to hear your neighbor's dog snatched your tomatoes. My neighbor's dog snatched a siberian iris completely out of the ground In the fall, he grabbed and ran off with a daffidill bulb while I was on my knees planting them.
Wow, your rate of germination is high for pre-spring. Wonderful news! Take some pictures and post for us to see.
I'm hoping to start more annuals when I'm able to stay in the wind for a longer period of time.
I know how you feel about the gerbera. I sowed a complete takeout plate filled with gerbera seeds (inside though). It was disapointing how so few seeds were viable from so many seeds in one bloom. I only got two to germinate.
Deborah

I got sprouts too..We'll see if I can take them to the next stage.

Hi,
Regarding having trouble getting Gerbera Daisy to sprout, has anyone tried germinating it thru the wet coffer filter method?Just wondering as I love Gerbera Daisy and would like to try that method for germinating. It works well for other Daisy plants. I have to find the Seeds first too...
Did you have good seeds and no luck?
Thanks
Gail

Re: Gerber Daisy germination

Check out the Canadian Forum - there is a fairly recent thread there regarding successful Gerber Daisy germination.


Joanne (Canadian, eh?)

Here it is, for people looking for it in the future or who can't find the Canadian gardening forum:


http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/689322/

Hey Deb, nice WSing containers. I just got back today from a very short trip, and had to go check all my babies. No sprouts, thank goodness, but one of dh's Lilies is already peaking thru the dirt :( and it has been snowing here this evening. I sure hope it doesn't hurt them... He has them in a barrell in front of our garage in back for a couple of years now, only time will tell.

Well off to lala land,

Nite, Connie

Connie, as much snow on your ground and you've got a lily peeking through it; Well, that lily knows something like spring is in the air..

Glad to see the info on the Gerbera seed germination.

Riverland, you're right, we gotta take'em to the next stage.

I am one of the people with the containers under the snow. I checked last years notes and I had my first sprouts on April 7th. Only a month to go.

Deborah did you get my dmail?

Yea, giggle, giggle. I'm looking to see if I can find one. I can remember what those looked like.

This is how my containers look today, I had been covering the containers with snow, but it's melting like crazy and there isn't much left. We are having a chinook, temperatures are 15C (about 62 F). Keeping my fingers crossed that the seeds stay sleeping for now because we're sure to get some more really cold weather before we get real spring.


Joanne

Hey Joanne!

How is the chinook? could you send one our way? This west-coast Canuck could sure use a warm breeze in Massachusetts . . . :-)

oh, yeah, that sounds good. let the chinook pass thru here on the way to MA.

my containers are no longer buried in snow, but still frozen solid. its 14* this a.m. here's some of them. I have to move the ones on the front porch so when it thaws they will get the rain & sun

Karen, I'm surprised to hear that your clarkia has germinated. I guess you're just that much south of me. it gives me hope.

Yeah, it's a real conundrum. I'm so tired of snow and cold weather, the warmth from the chinook feels awesome, and it's supposed to continue over the next week. But the gardener in me knows that it's not good for our plants, trees and seeds to wake up this early here...

Hi all, as soon as I can figure out the whole picture taking and posting thing, I will try to share some of my little seedlings with you all. It is going to require the intervention of my tech savvy DH. :-) I have even a few more things up today, and we are enjoying some really nice spring weather this week. There has to be a catch somewhere...

Deborah: Are you opening your containers now? At the temps in the forecast you posted they could be completely open both day and night. This is only my 2nd year WSing, but I do know that far more people seem to lose seedlings to heat than to cold. At temps in the 70s, even in shade, I suspect they could fry.

Karen

You make an excellent point. Thank you. I did walk out there this afternoon and cut a bigger slit in the blanket covers. I'll open all those that have germinated tomorrow.
All the seedlings that I started inside have been outside harding off for two weeks and now get all day sun. The only ones of those that have pouted are hardy hibsicus. Even they are starting to perk back up.

I am quite sure that at some point when I asked about this I was told that I could leave my containers open day and night, but then I could be wrong?). I am using milk jugs mostly. They also have slits cut on the shoulders but they are just a gouge, they are not really open, but when the time comes they can be enlarged easily.

Now I have seedlings coming up.

If I understand some of the earlier posts there does seem to be a question whether the jugs should be closed (when it is really cold, I guess, whatever that is, depending on where you live). Karen, you are asking Deborah whether she is opening her containers now, that implies to me that you are thinking that they are or were closed.

Could you two be so kind as to tell us/me once and for all: Should containers be
1. started out open or closed
2. should they be closed if it gets really cold (I am in zone 7a)
3. if you started out closed, when should they be opened and left open

Sorry I am so muddled about this. As I said I have left mine open all the time, even during our two weeks of daily freezes (with lowest temp at 14F one night).

Thanks for your patience. C.

Currently, all my containers are closed with the normal slits for air circulation. As the temps start to rise, the seedlings are at risk of burning with too much heat in their enclosure. Since my temps are staying around 70 degrees, Karen makes the suggestion to open the tops up now to keep them from over heating. That's what I plan to do tomorrow. If I see that the temps will fall to freezing in the forecast, I can always cover them temporarily. I'll take pictures tomorrow.
Here's a link to the weather so you can get a ten day forecast of your area too.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/31015?from=hrly_topnav_undeclared

1. mine started out closed with just slits for air circulation
2. yes, I feel they should be closed if it really gets cold, (tender seedlings)
3. someone with more experience than me should answer your 3rd question. We were discussing the containers that had already germinated. Most seeds will germinate when the soil temp gets into the 70s so until my other containers germinate, they will stay closed since the night temps are in the 40 to 50 range. I'm opening only the germinated containers tomorrow.
Hope this helps. disclaimer: this is my first year wsing

This message was edited Mar 8, 2007 9:05 PM

Clementine: 2 points here: First, this is just my second year of WSing, so maybe you shouldn't take my advice as gospel here. Second, I am most likely the source of your confusion and I apologize if I wasn't clear.

All containers need some ventilation, at least the pouring hole of the jug. I used mostly jugs, but all containers had a top or lid of some kind. When temps were consistently in the 40s to 50-ish, I started increasing airflow by enlarging and adding holes. If seeds haven't germinated, higher heat might be OK, but tiny seedlings can overheat and die off easily, and the temp in the container (mini greenhouse) will be higher than the ambient temperature. By the time daytime temps were hitting the 60s I started opening the tops, like remove tape from jug and let it just stand open in the day. Then if very cold at night, I'd flip it down and cover the seedlings up for the night. Perennials and hardy annuals might be OK uncovered, probably would in fact unless REALLY cold, but there are no guarantees on that. I think that, for the most part, if the seeds are just seeds, no germination yet, they are most likely OK as long as they don't dry out.

Is that better? But remember, this is only my 2nd year so hopefully some seasoned veterans will come along and add their 2 cents worth as well. It kind of worries me when I start spouting too many directions for this; I would feel terrible if people followed my well-intentioned suggestions and lost their babies as a result.

Karen

Deborah, do you mean you have had the screw cap on your jugs until March 3, see top of this thread with your picture? I have had mine open from the beginning. We are expecting a frost tonight and I was not planning on covering anything. After this we are also going to get nice warm weather. I guess I just have to take my chances, I could put a sheet over them.

The screw cap was off and the sides have been explosed because I used a twist tie to close the flap, not tape. They're safe from freezing the way they are with no more opening than just the cap off and the air circulation slits.
Karen's explaination is right on IMO. I'm thankful she spoke up because with the heat wave I'm starting to get, my seedlings would surely fry the way they are now without more air.

Karen, thanks, as a matter of fact, I do think also that you responded to an "open or closed" question of mine way back in January. But you are a veteran with 2 years, I am just at the beginning. I am wondering whether we have a little bit of a confusion here. When I say tops, I mean the screw caps on the jugs. And now I am beginning to think that you mean the entire top half of the jug which is attached to the lower half with tape or some other means.

I was planning on enlarging the side slits when temperatures rise, which they will beginning in the next few days, and I will also watch for possible drying, although I doubt that because all the jugs have evaporation on the inner shoulders.

So, did your jugs have their screw caps on until .... when? And how large where your ventilation slits? I should mention that my top halves are not taped solidly onto the bottom but rather with several individual small pieces, so there are some opnings at that halfway level.

Clementine: No, I throw away the screw on caps immediately and do not use them at all on a WSown jug ever. When I say open the top at temps in the 50s or 60s, I mean flip up the entire top half of the jug. Like you, I am using only 1 or 2 small vertical pieces of duct tape to close the jugs, so there are also big gaps around the sides. I believe that will be fine. I think it preferable to have more airflow all the time to avoid excess heat or moisture with seed rotting.

Do a test some time. When the outside air temp is in the low 50s and the sun is on your containers, stick your fingers as far down the hole (cap opening) as possible. You will find that the temp in your mini-greenhouse is much higher than the outside air temp. This is what can cook your seedlings when you least expect it.

Karen