Gardening Resources & Tips

[herbidacious]

More seeds are coming up.

I have a couple of questions. (This is year 5 of me sowing seeds, so still learning...)

Firstly, at what point would you give up on seeds that have not come up in a heated propagator?

I feel that if they are not up in two weeks, it's probably not going to happen, when they usually take 3-4 days. I am not sure whether to throw out, sow more on top or put them somewhere cooler just in case. I don't think the last of these strategies has ever worked...!

Secondly, I was just wondering what people did with newly germinated seedlings.

My challenge this year is to produce ones (particularly cosmos) that don't shoot up. I have blamed this on temperature in the past, and put them somewhere much cooler (kitchen windowsill, and then unheated lean to), but am wondering if it's primarily a light thing after all. So some are in an unheated propagator in a bedroom, minimum temperature 19C, with grow lights but some have still gone on the kitchen window sill. (Goes down to 10C if it's 0 outside)

I am (over)thinking about this partly because I have two long weekends coming up (first one the weekend after this) and am not sure that I should leave grow lights on while I am away. I should probably be more concerned about leaving the propagator on or not and having seeds germinate and go spindly in there...

All of the above are flowers, but I will be sowing tomatoes later this week. Now I know they need to be kept warm. I think they will just have to go on a window sill with cover for the duration. I think it will be warming up a bit by the time of the first period away.

[scullion]

Firstly, at what point would you give up on seeds that have not come up in a heated propagator?

.
if none have come up i would check online as to their expected germination period and if they need light to germinate. if it is well beyond that time etci might leave them a little longer but probably not - i would need the module tray.

Secondly, I was just wondering what people did with newly germinated seedlings.

leave them to develop. don't prick them out until they have at least two true leaves. they should have enough food in the compost for a few weeks and if you prick them out too soon you could damage neonate roots etc.
when you prick them out make sure you ease them out of the soil with something - i use a disposable wooden fork with the two outside tines cut off - and hold onto a leaf, not the stem, if the leaf breaks off you've lost a leaf - if the stem breaks you've lost the plant.
if you mean what do you do with the tray of them - once they have germinated put the tray in good light and in a place where they won't get too much of a cold shock.
at the moment most of mine (a few different cauli's, kale, leeks, onions, shallots and sweet peas) are in front of the south facing patio windows. the sweet pease have been pinched out a couple of times so they don't get too leggy before planting out next month.
i also use growing lights for a few hours in the evening.

[herbidacious]

1. Mainly calendula. Seeds within date. Many calendula have come up. Seeds that have not are from the same packets of ones that came up in 3-4 days last year.

2. Yes I meant what temperature should they be at as very young seedlings.

I am using grow lights because I only have one windowsill in the house. (Well, two but the other one has a balcony with a roof in front of it so not enough light) and the unheated lean to.

I don't usually prick out for quite some time after germination, as I don't have the space. (Possibly I leave it later than I should, but no harm done.)

Maybe I could leave the grow lights on when not there. They are not very hot. I forgot to turn them off today (I am in the office.)

I worry too much...

Thanks, Scully!

[Suffs]

Agree with Scully

Also don’t leave grow lights on 24/7 …. plants need a period of dark as well as light.
:idea Unless you use a timer I suppose.

I wouldn’t want to leave such things on while I’m
away for an extended period … I’d worry … it’s probably ok but in case of disaster insurance companies always find a way out of meeting their commitments … don’t know what others think …

[scullion]

yes, i'd not leave the lights on full time either.
could you get a smart plug (like a tapo one) for the lights? then you could turn them on and off (or schedule a time period) from anywhere as long as you had an internet connection between your home and the app on your phone. (though that may not be possible if you're in france!)
we have some for when i chose to have the dishwasher come on in the night and for turning on/off other things . they work with a google (and alexa) hub so we can voice activate them, too.

[herbidacious]

My grow lights are on from 7am till 9pm. I do indeed us tapo smart plugs

The lights are't very hot. I can touch them comfortably which is more than I can an ordinary (smart) light bulb.

If I choose not to leave them on (likely), some of the seedlings will just have to go into cooler environments i.e. hardy annuals into the lean to and HHAs onto the kitchen windowsill, which is what I usually do. Just have to hope that they don't shoot up because the light isn't as good as it could be in those locations. (The lean to has a glass roof but is between houses so I usually supplement with grow lights.) I think by the time of my Suffolk holiday the cosmos can go in there too and hopefully will not shoot up over the course of a weekend

What I need, clearly, is a heated conservatory!

I have thermometers dotted around the house and outside that record temperature all the time, which I (possibly obsessively) monitor from my phone.

btw Suffs, as you said they might, my potted tarragon seem to have revived. They were looking very dead. They have been on a shelf in the lean to all winter.

I got some seeds in the post today New to me varieties of flowers and veg to try. Also just took delivery of some pleasingly good inexpensive lids for half-sized gravel trays, which seedlings on the window sill currently live in, for use at night.