About to plant - pls confirm method...?

[huntsman]

I plan to plant some chinense seeds on Sunday and would just like to confirm that I have understood your combined suggestions...

I use a loose planting medium like potting soil or similar, and plant the seed 1cm down, planting two seeds in one plastic cup / division in my seeding trays. The soil is tamped slightly so as to not be too tight or too loose. I cover the lot with cling film or place inside a Rubbermaid bin in a room that is kept at 28 - 30C.

I keep moist, not wet or dry, and remove from the cling film or Rubbermaid when the first real leaves are formed. At this point, I believe I place fluorescent lights over, and close to, the plant tops. (How many hours are the lights on per day? 24?)

Would I add a heat pad below the plants at any point?

While the little plants are growing in the warm environment, I have a fan blowing for several hours per day to strengthen the stems and prevent legginess.

Once roots protrude from the bottom of the seeding tray / plastic cup, I transplant for the first time.

Do I start introducing the plants to the Sun at this point or do they stay indoors for longer?

If I've buggered up your instructions entirely, please weigh into me and slash and burn before I make the same mistakes in reality. Thanks!

 

[AlabamaJack]

looks pretty good to me huntsman

three comments...

one...with the closed very humid/moist environment you are going to have in the container covered with cling wrap, you may see some mold/fungus on the top of the soil...if you do see this green stuff growing on the top of the soil, use 1 Tbsp Peroxide per gallon of water to water with and it will eliminate the mold...

two...with very young transplants, they are really vunlerable to sun scald...I would wait until I have gone to my next transplant to start hardening them off...JMO here...

three...if your room is kept at 28-30C constant, there should be no need for the heating pad...

 

[Matt Berry]

One other thing you might want to consider is just planting 1 seed per cup. 2 seeds up the chances that you will have at least one plant per cup, but you will have to destroy at least one. If you have the extra space, I'd save a few seeds and just plant 1 per cup.

The chances are high with any large seed that they will sprout.

 

[Blister]

I don't have the experience most people here do, but planting seeds 1 cm down seems awfully deep to me. Most seed package instructions I've seen recommend planting the seed to a depth that's approximately twice the diameter of the seed. I usually just use a pencil to poke a shallow hole into the soil, drop the seed and gently cover it.

 

[huntsman]

Thank you very much to the three of you for your assistance!

looks pretty good to me huntsman

three comments...

one...with the closed very humid/moist environment you are going to have in the container covered with cling wrap, you may see some mold/fungus on the top of the soil...if you do see this green stuff growing on the top of the soil, use 1 Tbsp Peroxide per gallon of water to water with and it will eliminate the mold...

two...with very young transplants, they are really vunlerable to sun scald...I would wait until I have gone to my next transplant to start hardening them off...JMO here...

three...if your room is kept at 28-30C constant, there should be no need for the heating pad...

Gotcha with the peroxide and mould.
Ok, I'll transplant twice before introducing to Sun..
I'm not certain where I am going to set this up yet, but I'll only use the pad if I can't get the temps to remain constant.

Would I moisten the potting soil before planting the seed, AJ, or just water after the seed goes in?

One other thing you might want to consider is just planting 1 seed per cup. 2 seeds up the chances that you will have at least one plant per cup, but you will have to destroy at least one. If you have the extra space, I'd save a few seeds and just plant 1 per cup.

The chances are high with any large seed that they will sprout.

Ok, I have loads of plastic cups / seeding trays, so will do that.

I don't have the experience most people here do, but planting seeds 1 cm down seems awfully deep to me. Most seed package instructions I've seen recommend planting the seed to a depth that's approximately twice the diameter of the seed. I usually just use a pencil to poke a shallow hole into the soil, drop the seed and gently cover it.

Yeah, I've had a lot of contradictory advice on this subject - most folk waver between 1" (gives the seed plenty of roughage to remove the husk) and 0.5cm (prevents the seed from running out of energy before reaching the surface)

Can anyone clarify, pls?

 

[JungleRain]

I plan to plant some chinense seeds on Sunday and would just like to confirm that I have understood your combined suggestions...

I use a loose planting medium like potting soil or similar, and plant the seed 1cm down, (I'd go about 5 mm no deeper) planting two seeds in one plastic cup / division in my seeding trays. The soil is tamped slightly so as to not be too tight or too loose. I cover the lot with cling film or place inside a Rubbermaid bin in a room that is kept at 28 - 30C.

I keep moist, not wet or dry, and remove from the cling film or Rubbermaid when the first real leaves are formed. At this point, I believe I place fluorescent lights over, and close to, the plant tops. (How many hours are the lights on per day? 24?) (mine are at 18 hrs/day)

Would I add a heat pad below the plants at any point?(I have a heat pad at the start approx 27c)

While the little plants are growing in the warm environment, I have a fan blowing for several hours per day to strengthen the stems and prevent legginess.

Once roots protrude from the bottom of the seeding tray / plastic cup, I transplant for the first time.

Do I start introducing the plants to the Sun at this point or do they stay indoors for longer? ( keep inside till the weather is around 24c average, slowly introducing over about a week, each time a bit longer)

If I've buggered up your instructions entirely, please weigh into me and slash and burn before I make the same mistakes in reality. Thanks!

 

[AlabamaJack]

Would I moisten the potting soil before planting the seed, AJ, or just water after the seed goes in?

I dont' think it makes much difference, but I usually plant the seed then water...for starting seeds and young seedlings, I "bottom water"...(sit the container in a tray of water and let it soak up what it will)

as far as depth of planting goes I think if you plant between 1cm and 1/2" deep you will be fine

 

[huntsman]

Thanks, fellas!

Just awaiting one more pkt of seeds before I can plant, though I did get some C. pubescens this week and apparently they take longer to germinate than C. Chinense, so I'll get those in first.

 

[Silver_Surfer]

I keep moist, not wet or dry, and remove from the cling film or Rubbermaid when the first real leaves are formed. At this point, I believe I place fluorescent lights over, and close to, the plant tops. (How many hours are the lights on per day? 24?)

If by real leaves you mean true leaves (not seed leaves, cotyledons) I think you need to give them light when they have fully emerged and remove the film as well to avoid damping off.

If your reference is to the seed leaves displayed when the seed erupts from the soil then I agree.