When do you give up waiting?

Hatgirl · January 18, 2020

Most of my tomato seedlings pop up around day five. But some can be a little longer. How long do all of you wait before you accept a seedling isn't going to sprout?

kath · January 18, 2020

At about day 9 I'll sow more tomato seeds. For peppers, I sow earlier and give them 2 weeks before resowing.

ScottinAtlanta · January 18, 2020

I just had two moonflower seeds that I planted in the germination tray last year pop up through the peppers.

But if you are planting peppers, the superhots can take two weeks.

Hatgirl · January 18, 2020

Hah! And with that, one of the batch of unsprouted tomato seeds that prompted this post pops up on day 11. It heard me!

GoDawgs · January 18, 2020

Isn't that the way it goes! Sometimes I think plants have ears... "Well, now she's talking bad about us so we'd best get it in gear!"

Glad they popped!

kath · January 18, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatgirl

Hah! And with that, one of the batch of unsprouted tomato seeds that prompted this post pops up on day 11. It heard me!

There you go! You never know.

ddsack · January 18, 2020

I'll re-sow around day 10, because I have a short window for growing out larger seedlings to set out for my shorter season, but I have had some come up - usually older seeds, after 14-19 days, so I don't throw them out. Almost always, seems like the old ones pop up right after I've sown the 2nd batch.

Tormato · January 18, 2020

I'd guess at about 40 days, but it would have to be a desperate attempt at germination of something rare or nearly impossible to find replaceable seed.

45% of my seeds germinate in 3 days, 45% in 4 days, less than 1% in 2 days, about 8% in 5-8 days. The last 1%, 9+ days, with the longest being 34 days.

Tormato

Who's in a daze, awaiting the first germinations to start in about 70 days.

kath · January 18, 2020

[QUOTE=ddsack;752614 Almost always, seems like the old ones pop up right after I've sown the 2nd batch.

[/QUOTE]

Isn't that the truth?!

slugworth · January 18, 2020

2 weeks for some of them,even out of a same batch that were 5 days.
Made that mistake last year,gave up too soon and I ended up with
mystery plants from soil I tossed aside unlabeled.

Nan_PA_6b · January 18, 2020

I re-seed long before I give up. Once I had some seeds sprout 30 days after sowing. But the process usually goes like this:
Seed, wait about 10 days (1 seed per cell)

2nd seeding, wait about a week (1-2 seed per cell)

3rd seeding, (2-3 seeds per cell) wait 5 days, and repeat every 5 days until I run out of seeds or patience.

This year I'm only waiting 7 days max before re-seeding, and upping the number of seeds per cell. I ended up planting NAR 2 months late last year because I couldn't get a viable seedling.

slugworth · January 19, 2020

I start seeds in clumps,like in nature.
As the seeds pop and get too crowded I separate, tossing the original soil aside.
I don't have the patience or space for 1 seed per cell route.
Sometimes I save seeds on a paper plate and plant the entire plate.
Then I end up with a chia pet of all tomato plants.Survival of the fittest mode.
May the best plant win.

ContainerTed · January 19, 2020

The methods and "hardware" I use (seedling tray and plastic cups and mix) are not "recoverable" so I figure I can just let it go and tend to it like any other planting. Most of the time I'll start more at about day 21 (if I have more) and keep the original in a separate grouping of starts.

Last year was a total disaster for me when I encountered a bag of mix that killed everything. Replanting was good and hope was abounding. But then I had to have surgery and after getting a small percentage of my starts into the garden, even those didn't do well.

But, I've had seeds wait until week 7 to germinate. Patience is the first skill all gardeners must possess to keep our sanity.

I always start the older seeds first to give them a chance to come up with the fresh ones.

Greatgardens · January 31, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Last year was a total disaster for me when I encountered a bag of mix that killed everything.

(snip...)

I was skeptical of "bad potting mix," (and I've heard this before, also), but then it happened to me! I planted using some very old potting mix, and only about half of the varieties I had sown came up. Some varieties germinated fine, but others -- nothing. I replanted those that didn't sprout using a "fresh" bag of potting mix, and 4-6 days later, up they came. Color me a believer!

-GG

NarnianGarden · January 20, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatgirl

Most of my tomato seedlings pop up around day five. But some can be a little longer. How long do all of you wait before you accept a seedling isn't going to sprout?

Never give up..

Some tomato seeds pop up after weeks or even months!
I get surprise babies every season..

January 18, 2020	#1
Hatgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Ireland Posts: 211	When do you give up waiting? Most of my tomato seedlings pop up around day five. But some can be a little longer. How long do all of you wait before you accept a seedling isn't going to sprout?

January 18, 2020	#2
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	At about day 9 I'll sow more tomato seeds. For peppers, I sow earlier and give them 2 weeks before resowing. Last edited by kath; January 18, 2020 at 09:21 AM.

January 18, 2020	#7
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I'll re-sow around day 10, because I have a short window for growing out larger seedlings to set out for my shorter season, but I have had some come up - usually older seeds, after 14-19 days, so I don't throw them out. Almost always, seems like the old ones pop up right after I've sown the 2nd batch. __________________ Dee **************

January 18, 2020	#9
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	[QUOTE=ddsack;752614 Almost always, seems like the old ones pop up right after I've sown the 2nd batch.[/QUOTE] Isn't that the truth?!

January 19, 2020	#13
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	The methods and "hardware" I use (seedling tray and plastic cups and mix) are not "recoverable" so I figure I can just let it go and tend to it like any other planting. Most of the time I'll start more at about day 21 (if I have more) and keep the original in a separate grouping of starts. Last year was a total disaster for me when I encountered a bag of mix that killed everything. Replanting was good and hope was abounding. But then I had to have surgery and after getting a small percentage of my starts into the garden, even those didn't do well. But, I've had seeds wait until week 7 to germinate. Patience is the first skill all gardeners must possess to keep our sanity. I always start the older seeds first to give them a chance to come up with the fresh ones. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

January 18, 2020	#3
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	I just had two moonflower seeds that I planted in the germination tray last year pop up through the peppers. But if you are planting peppers, the superhots can take two weeks.

January 18, 2020	#5
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Isn't that the way it goes! Sometimes I think plants have ears... "Well, now she's talking bad about us so we'd best get it in gear!" Glad they popped!

January 18, 2020	#8
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	I'd guess at about 40 days, but it would have to be a desperate attempt at germination of something rare or nearly impossible to find replaceable seed. 45% of my seeds germinate in 3 days, 45% in 4 days, less than 1% in 2 days, about 8% in 5-8 days. The last 1%, 9+ days, with the longest being 34 days. Tormato Who's in a daze, awaiting the first germinations to start in about 70 days.

January 18, 2020	#10
slugworth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: connecticut,usa Posts: 1,152	2 weeks for some of them,even out of a same batch that were 5 days. Made that mistake last year,gave up too soon and I ended up with mystery plants from soil I tossed aside unlabeled.

January 18, 2020	#11
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	I re-seed long before I give up. Once I had some seeds sprout 30 days after sowing. But the process usually goes like this: Seed, wait about 10 days (1 seed per cell) 2nd seeding, wait about a week (1-2 seed per cell) 3rd seeding, (2-3 seeds per cell) wait 5 days, and repeat every 5 days until I run out of seeds or patience. This year I'm only waiting 7 days max before re-seeding, and upping the number of seeds per cell. I ended up planting NAR 2 months late last year because I couldn't get a viable seedling.