NT Gardeners Thread

[cs02132]

I got a little overzealous and fed my seedlings too early
Most of them wilted and died but I managed to save a few and I started over again

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Man, I had 32 cells worth of seeds and NONE of them have sprouted yet.

That was 2 weeks ago.

I don't know WHAT they hell is going on.

It is cool though. It is warming up outside and I can just direct sow stuff.

 

[cs02132]

I think the heating pad really helps
I planted my stuff on a Monday and they sprouted by Thursday. I was surprised

 

[DCAllAfrican]

I have a Ring Doorbell system and, as part of that, you can get alerts from other Ring users in the area about stuff going on. One complaint that I’ve seen repeatedly on the Ring alerts since the pandemic started is people going on to other people’s property uninvited to pick fruit off their trees.

I’m sure a lot of that fruit goes to waste anyway, so in away is seems kind of petty, but trespassing is trespassing I guess.

That is funny/sad/upsetting.


HOw many heating pads did you buy?
Wondering if I should get two.

cs02132

 

[DCAllAfrican]

This is one of my favorite follows.

They just recently moved but their space/area is so ideal.

I'm in the process of re-doing my backyard so they always give me ideas.

BUt in this video, I can definitely say I didn't start my seeds right. I didn't take out the air in the cells. So the stuff I planted like 3 weeks ago need redoing. (Wasted time )

 

[cs02132]

That is funny/sad/upsetting.


HOw many heating pads did you buy?
Wondering if I should get two.

cs02132

I only have space for 1 but i would have liked to get 2

 

[DCAllAfrican]

DCAllAfrican

how’s the garden going? Soon you’ll be able to defeat lunch thieves too.

Man, The herbs are straight. Basil, Cilanto, Thyme are all fine.

I started some seeds inside damn near 3 weeks ago and they aren't cooperating. I don't think I packed the soil into the cells enough as this was my first time doing this inside.

So I bought the heating pad and will restart the process.

 

[mplsdunk]

I don’t know anything about gardening but they are dehydrated. Would have have messed up the seeds?

 

[DCAllAfrican]

I don’t know anything about gardening but they are dehydrated. Would have have messed up the seeds?

The seeds of the Reapers were dehydrated? Not sure that matters. (Not an expert)

I have grown Guajillo Chilis before and those were dehydrated. (Did it outside and not inside cells)

 

[mplsdunk]

Yeah my buddy dehydrated them because he had so many. I just took the seeds out of there.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[cs02132]

Man same thing that happened last year is happening with my spinach
A whole bunch sprout then they get to a certain point and just stop growing and wilt away
I know certain nutrients are good for helping produce leaves so maybe that’s it. I gotta figure it out

 

[ASE]

Have you tried fertilizer? Prepared the bed with nutrient rich top soil? I haven’t personally grown lettuce but those would be my two ideas.

Fertilizing and Watering Lettuce

Need information about fertilizing and watering lettuce? You've come to the right place. Lettuce has a very high water content and needs a steady water supply...

www.backyard-vegetable-gardening.com

 

[DCAllAfrican]

I think since it is during the seedling stage, nutrients aren't necessary. Unless he is direct sowing, those things just make the soil heavier for the seedlings to flourish.

That is why you never see compost in seed starting mixes.

But anything is worth looking into. Thanks for the link.

 

[cs02132]

Im gonna pick my best seedlings and switch to fresh soil today and see what happens

I did what this guy did and just spread a bunch of seeds in the same pot. Maybe I overloaded it
Everywhere else I see it says to spread them out but I def ignored that

 

[cs02132]

Just replanted my best seedlings in some fresh soil, spaced a few inches apart. So let’s see what happens

my succulents are doing good, need to get a few more to fill this out

these guys are growing nicely

my bonsais not doing good tho, leave are crisping up and falling off.. I don’t want my lil guy to die
Gonna get some bonsai soil maybe and some fertilizer

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Man cs02132 thanks for telling me to buy this heating pad.

I swear to you my seedlings have been on the pad since 8 this morning and one of them have already started to do something.

3 weeks ago I put the old seeds down man.

I put down some new ones after "packing down" the soil and I am in business.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[hennessy]

For those having problems with seedlings:

Heat mat will help also. Humidity needs to be 60-70RH for seedlings and you can easily stunt their growth or kill them by overwatering. The humidity domes with slots for the plant starter cubes is the way to go. You water the tray not the soil, so you have less chance of overwatering. Get a temp/humidity probe for inside the dome. If your RH is getting too high you can vent the top of the dome. A small grow light 2-3 feet above the humidity dome is ideal. 75-80F during the day, no lower than 70F at night.

Cannot emphasize this enough. Let your soil dry out COMPLETELY between watering. That is when roots grow as they are searching for more water. And then the next watering they will uptake more and grow faster. You should go first line of index finger deep and it should be completely dry before watering again.

 

[hennessy]

DCAllAfrican i read a couple pages back you are using the water from your sink? DC Water is cleaning their systems now and are using chlorine in the water for a couple months. Any tap water used to water seedlings needs to left out for a day without a cover to allow chlorine to evaporate. Also DC water is around 7.8PH. Seedlings need 5.8-6.4 PH. You need to get a PH meter and adjust with liquid ph down solution to get the right ph levels. You may also have nutrient lockout due to hard mineral build up from tap water in your soil. You can use bottled spring water if you don’t have time to let your water sit for a day.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

DCAllAfrican i read a couple pages back you are using the water from your sink? DC Water is cleaning their systems now and are using chlorine in the water for a couple months. Any tap water used to water seedlings needs to left out for a day without a cover to allow chlorine to evaporate. Also DC water is around 7.8PH. Seedlings need 5.8-6.4 PH. You need to get a PH meter and adjust with liquid ph down solution to get the right ph levels. You may also have nutrient lockout due to hard mineral build up from tap water in your soil. You can use bottled spring water if you don’t have time to let your water sit for a day.

Honestly, I never even thought about any of this. Thanks for bringing this to my attention man.

Anything outside gets my water from the rain barrel, so they are a little more protected but for anything inside, I will adjust.

I will say the seedlings have been doing much better now that I have the Heat Mat but I will do as you said with leaving the water out.

In terms of the PH Meter, which one do you suggest?

 

[hennessy]

Ph meter

^This is the one I have. You’ll need to get ph down/up to to make adjustments. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll probably never use the ph up (since you’ll always be going down from 7.8 to 6.0). A few drops in a gallon of water is all it takes.

there is also a garden hose/sink attachment you can get that will filter out the hard minerals in the water. I have one I’ll take a pic of and post when I get home.

I too had seedlings a month or two ago that suffered and ultimately died I couldn’t figure out why. Switched to spring water and I was fine. DC tap is not ideal at the moment unless it’s treated first.

 

[cs02132]

Man
All my seedlings are dying. At this point I’m ready to o just wait until I can keep them outside 24/7. I had better luck with that last year

I was thinking I might have over watered them or they got too cold by the window
Maybe they need sun now idk. I brought them outside for a few hours the other day, prob should have followed a “hardening” guide
The ones in the big containers are almost a month old, maybe need to fertilize them
In the little containers they’ve been there since 4/5

 

[verdenuggets]

Man
All my seedlings are dying. At this point I’m ready to o just wait until I can keep them outside 24/7. I had better luck with that last year

I was thinking I might have over watered them or they got too cold by the window
Maybe they need sun now idk. I brought them outside for a few hours the other day, prob should have followed a “hardening” guide
The ones in the big containers are almost a month old, maybe need to fertilize them
In the little containers they’ve been there since 4/5

Do you have a lamp for the seedlings? That works wonders.

 

[cs02132]

Do you have a lamp for the seedlings? That works wonders.

No I have them by the window so they get indirect light but I don’t think it’s enough
That’s what I’m saying tho, I’m kinda ready to just wait until I can leave them outside