Just checking I have done this right...seeds

handymanni

Hi guys, long time lurker here


Been growing veg and stuff for a couple of years but always fom plug plants and stuff, this year have decided to go from seed.

So I planted stuff up in cells on Sunday, aubs, peppers and toms.

Put them in my heated prop after adding a bit of water and placed on my kitchen window cill.

I assume all what I done is correct? Havent missed anything out?

What kind of germination time do people normally get before they start seeing the little hooks appear? Should I take them out of the prop as soon I see a couple come through?

Also how do you water seeds without flooding them? Currently using an old spray bottle and pumping away at them.

Sorry for the q's but just dont wanna mess up as I am worried I am a bit late with the sowing, seen some on here starting as early as January!

gillian62

I usually start off in a heated prop and then put in an unheated one once seedings start popping through.

The best thing I have learned is, don't expect everything to come up perfectly first time - and remember you can always sow more again (I am doing so with my peppers which haven't popped up after 2 weeks).

handymanni

So what kind of time should I be looking for thing to "pop up" before I replant?

Farway

handymanni wrote: »

So what kind of time should I be looking for thing to "pop up" before I replant?

3 weeks, especially the peppers

valk_scot

handymanni wrote: »

I am worried I am a bit late with the sowing, seen some on here starting as early as January!

Yes, and 90% of the January sown seedlings will be far too tall and leggy by the time hardening off season comes, or they'll get planted out to early, or they'll die. Depending on where you are in the country March is about the right time to get started with the propagator and if you live as far north as I do (by Edinburgh) then waiting till the start of April would be beetter still.

handymanni

Well all my toms are through, is that record time or what?

Just waiting on peppers and aubs now. Be interesting to see how long they take.

Farway

handymanni wrote: »

Well all my toms are through, is that record time or what?

Just waiting on peppers and aubs now. Be interesting to see how long they take.

Do let us know, it will help others as a guide

handymanni

Farway wrote: »

Do let us know, it will help others as a guide

Well the aubs are up now and the toms are over an inche tall, double this morning. Now I am getting worried if they are getting leggy, but rhey are only 2 days old!

sammyjammy

My understanding is that the propagator is just to get your seeds to germinate and that you should remove the lid once this has happened, if you don't they grow too quickly and that casues the legginess.

Linda32

handymanni wrote: »

Well the aubs are up now and the toms are over an inche tall, double this morning. Now I am getting worried if they are getting leggy, but rhey are only 2 days old!

Hi, I can help with the Tomatoes, (I havn't grown the other two). Don't worry too much about the tomatoes. There not getting leggy yet Leave them alone to grow some more leaves, you want four, two sets of two, you'll be able to see what I mean when you see them.

When you have got these, you pri-ck them out. This means you hold one of the leaves with your thumb and fore finger and will a pencil or similar you ease the pencil underneath the little seedling and ease it our of the soil, with the roots attached. Try not to pull with your fingers just hold the leaf.

Then you re-plant each seedling in a new plant pot, filled with seed and cutting compost. Easily found so don't worry about this, most supermarkets, B&Q, Homebase - whereever.

Now with pencil which you have eased the seedling out of the soil with. Make an hole in the compost in the plant pot. Then place the seedling into that hole right upto the leaves. This isn't too deep so don't worry. It encourages more roots to grow.

And repeat with all your seedlings, each seedling is a plant. Make sure you have room for all the plants you grow, allowing for some losses. It dosn't matter how accurately you grow them, you are bound to loose some, it just happens and dosn't mean you have done anything wrong.

Now after about two weeks you need to harden them off. This means that they need to get used to the outside temperature. This means placing them outside on nice days, not frosty days.

What I do is set a tray up by the backdoor the night before, then just pop it outside in the morning before I go off to work. If you can't get them all in one tray, which I doubt, just swop them around that night for others and so on.

Do this for two to three weeks then you get plant them out, but only after all risk of frost as passed. I'm in Leicester and wouldn't risk it until at least the middle of May, add a week or month onto this depending on how father north you are from me. If your south then I can't help with that.

HTH