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seeds Germination Station

C

ChileSea

Hello, I just purchased a 72 cell Germination Station with the Heated Mat. It comes with all of this;

UL listed waterproof heat mat, 17 watts, 120 volt
2" humidity dome
11" x 22" watertight base tray
72-cell seedling inserts
Seed starting booster

It's being shipped to me. So my question is, do I have to purchase a seed starter soil or just use the seedling inserts that it comes with? Will the station be complete and ready to go? What is better, soil or the seedling inserts? Thanks for you help.
 
I have the same one works well but I found the heating mat didnt get as warm as I would have liked -- I just put a heating pad under it
 
They are jiffy pots in cells. It does work well, just when the seedlings begin to appear you move the "hood" askew in order to let moisture out but it is good to start off with
 
It sounds like it's going to need a starter soil. Reading the descriptions of other seed starting kits, it seems they list the 72-cell seedling inserts separate from plugs and filler. Don't wuote me on that, but it does look like you'll need something.
 
I got the same one but with the 6" dome. Mine came with coco plugs. The heat mat keeps the soil at about 87° and I think that is enough for me. I think if your climate is cooler it will only raise temperature 10-15° higher. I planted 6 days ago and still no sign of germination.

I find that the condensation in the dome is very high and the coco plugs are drying out quite a bit, so I try to keep them moist but not wet. They do drain quite well.

I have to say I will wait for a month to see if the germination improves.
 
Thanks for the replies. So do you leave the lid on until the leaves sprout or at what point do you leave it off completely? Also did you guys use the seed starting booster it came with?
Thanks again.
 
I don't use seed boosters. I let nature take it's course.

I leave the the lid on my seedlings until they start to get tall enough to brush the lid. A lot of people here claim that causes mold or fungus problems, but I don't see those problems with my plants.
 
Pam said:
I don't use seed boosters. I let nature take it's course.

I leave the the lid on my seedlings until they start to get tall enough to brush the lid. A lot of people here claim that causes mold or fungus problems, but I don't see those problems with my plants.
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I've left the lid on as well. From time to time I'll scape off any mold/fungus. But my success rate has been pretty good...
 
Hello Pam, you were right it came with only the plastic cell tray and nothing else to plant the seeds in, bummer. So now what should I purchase to germinate the seeds in soil, coco plugs, jiffy's, rockwool, etc? If I don't plant in soil I will obviously need to purchase 72 plugs or jiffys? Also when it comes time to transplanting which is easier to remove from soil or the plugs? Anybody's help will greatly be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I used that this year and it kept the bottom of the tray at 82F for me. Worked great! I used rockwool this year, but I've had good luck with MG Cactus Mix and just regular jiffy pellets. Just scoop them out w a tablespoon when ready to transplant to a larger container. I left the lid on until I had about 90% germination, but I did take it off for a minute every day.
 
I'd go with one of the seeding mixes like Jiffy or Ferry Morse. If you decide to go with the Miracle Grow, I'd agree with bigt that the Cactus Mix is best.

If you want to go fancier you can try the hydro stores for Fox Farm or some other organic mix.
 
I am using the Ferry Morse stuff this year, aside from the fact that it is very hard to get wet to begin with, everything seems to be working great so far.
 
Chilisea,

I will use only Ferti-lome Premium potting soil. It's not expensive - about $10 for 50 quarts (you can buy it in smaller quantities also) and it has greatly helped me increase germination rates over last year. You probably will not find it at hardware or big box stores but a lot of nurseries and garden centers sell it.

Mike
 
Thank you for you help. So if I go with the seed starting soil how deep do I plant the seeds 1/4 inch or so? If using jiffy pots do you just put the seed in and cover? Is one method better than the other? Obviously, you can see I have never planted from seed before. Thanks again.
 
Okay, went to Lowe's picked up a bag of the Ferry Morse Organic Seed Starter vs their non-organic one. Really don't know if that matters one way or the other? How often should I water the seeds once a day to keep them moist? What works best as far as watering them in a closed environment, to get them to germinate? I can't wait to get these superhots started!
 
ChileSea said:
Okay, went to Lowe's picked up a bag of the Ferry Morse Organic Seed Starter vs their non-organic one. Really don't know if that matters one way or the other? How often should I water the seeds once a day to keep them moist? What works best as far as watering them in a closed environment, to get them to germinate? I can't wait to get these superhots started!
Click to expand...


Water the soil 1st and leave maybe a half inch of water in the bottom of your tray. Plant the seeds 1/8 deep - make a dent in the soil w a pencil eraser, drop in a couple of seeds and then sift some soil to cover them up. Mist the soil you covered the seeds with. You can pre moisten the seeds on a paper towel before planting. Mark each cell so you know what you planted where. Leave the dome on and and they won't need re-watering for a while. Remove the dome for a minute at least once a day to get fresh air in. Watch for hooks!
 
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