Baggy Method?

[Starlight]

I had fermented and saved bunches of tomatoes to give away and for the MMM swap. Normally to test germination rates I will replant some seeds. This time I decided to try the baggy method. The one where you put the seed on paper towel and put in a baggy. First time trying it and oh boy oh boy!

Now I have oodles of little seedlings everywhere in these baggies and they have tiny first leaves of them. They not as large as what I get when starting in soil, but they have leaves and long roots on them.

The ones I enjoyed the flavor of, can I plant in some soil and will they grow good even if first leaves are teeny tiny? Do they do good or can I expect problems trying to transplant them since they have leaves and not just tap roots? I got busy and forgot to check on them.

[AlittleSalt]

I've never tried planting them out when using the bag and paper towel way. I'll have to try it too.

[NewWestGardener]

If the roots are not all tangled up, they'll be okay, but likely the roots are grown into each other or into the paper towel. You can also just plant them with the paper towel if seperating them becomes difficult.

[ginger2778]

Yes, they will grow fine.

[Starlight]

Thanks for the help! : )

Salt... Give it a try. Working great so far and so much easier to test for germination and sprouting. I had read about it on here where somebody used this method.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Thanks for the help! : )

Salt... Give it a try. Working great so far and so much easier to test for germination and sprouting. I had read about it on here where somebody used this method.

I use this method all of the time, except I use a coffee filter. Paper towels are too porous and you'll end up loosing some of your roots when you remove the sprouted seed because they get embedded into the towel. Coffee filters also seem to hold the water better and I usually do not have to remoisten them.

[dmforcier]

I'd use coffee filters, but they're practically impossible to fold up to fit in the baggies. With a paper towel I can mark off and label quadrants where the seeds sit - generally 8 quads to a baggie.

The secret to keeping the roots from embedding into the paper towels is to check the baggies every day and plant the proto-seedlings just after the tail emerges.

If the tail (rootlet) does get fused to the paper towel, use some scissors to snip out around it and plant the plant and bit of towel all together. Never try to separate the two.

Since the bulk of the energy is being supplied by the germ, these little proto-seedlings are pretty much independent of their environment until after the cots open. If they still look good, then get them into the ground and you should be fine.

You like the baggy method? I've been using it for years.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

I'd use coffee filters, but they're practically impossible to fold up to fit in the baggies. With a paper towel I can mark off and label quadrants where the seeds sit - generally 8 quads to a baggie.

Hmmm... either you are using tiny baggies or huge coffee filters. I fold in half, then fold again - fits right into a standard sandwich Ziploc bag. I write on the outside of the baggie the type and date, never mixing up seeds in the same baggie. Not sure how you would fold a paper towel with 8 type of seed on it with them getting mixed somehow.

Originally Posted by dmforcier

The secret to keeping the roots from embedding into the paper towels is to check the baggies every day and plant the proto-seedlings just after the tail emerges.

If the tail (rootlet) does get fused to the paper towel, use some scissors to snip out around it and plant the plant and bit of towel all together. Never try to separate the two. .

That sounds like too much effort. I check every couple of days after the 1st week. Whatever sprouts gets planted until the next time I check. No worries about the tails getting caught.

Originally Posted by dmforcier

Since the bulk of the energy is being supplied by the germ, these little proto-seedlings are pretty much independent of their environment until after the cots open. If they still look good, then get them into the ground and you should be fine.

You like the baggy method? I've been using it for years.

Yep, I love it too - it's a big space saver for germinating as you can do 1000 seeds in less than a square foot of space. I place all of my open baggies in a small tray about 8" from the top of my heater (perfect 80-85F at that height).

[dmforcier]

Oh, the filter fits, but it's round. All your "quadrants" are little pie slices. Even with a half size towel, all the folds are square.

Too much effort to check the baggies? It's the highlight of my day. Let the cat out. Get coffee. Check the nursery. Yell at the cat. Plant any new babies. (Cat loves this bit; there's dirt involved.) Water whatever is in the flat and observe new loops. Record the results.

Hopefully when that's done it's time for Rush.

I have a heat mat, but the durn thing is just too hot. I find that if I keep my nursery temp below 85° I get better results, especially with the superhot C.chinense. (Toms don't seem to care much.) On top of the cable modem and router is just right when covered by a light towel.

OTOH, I'm not dealing with 1000 seeds. Maybe 100.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

Oh, the filter fits, but it's round. All your "quadrants" are little pie slices. Even with a half size towel, all the folds are square.

I don't think the seeds care what shape it is as long as they are warm and moist. The main question/concern was how do you keep the mix of seed varieties from jumping into other 'quadrants' when you fold/unfold the paper towel to check on them? Seems like a mix up waiting to happen. I plan my planting according to plant heights and space requirements, so I need to get that right at transplant time. A Poblano pepper planted to the south of my Jalapenos would cause too much shade, I guess I just like to know for sure what plants are where in my raised beds.

Originally Posted by dmforcier

Too much effort to check the baggies? It's the highlight of my day. Let the cat out. Get coffee. Check the nursery. Yell at the cat. Plant any new babies. (Cat loves this bit; there's dirt involved.) Water whatever is in the flat and observe new loops. Record the results.
Hopefully when that's done it's time for Rush.

My day is a bit busier than that, but when you started talking about snipping around roots and daily checking ... there aren't these worries to think about when using coffee filters (two minutes saved is two minutes earned ... didn't Ben Franklin say that??)

Originally Posted by dmforcier

I have a heat mat, but the durn thing is just too hot. I find that if I keep my nursery temp below 85° I get better results, especially with the superhot C.chinense. (Toms don't seem to care much.) On top of the cable modem and router is just right when covered by a light towel.

OTOH, I'm not dealing with 1000 seeds. Maybe 100.

Yep, everyone has their sweet spot in their house where the temps are in the right range - tops of stereos, cable boxes, refrigerators, etc... I don't do 1000 seeds either, but could if I wanted in very limited space. 200-300 is my limit and I am usually giving away half of those.

[dmforcier]

I almost never snip around the roots because I don't leave them long enough to bind to the towel. I was recommending to the OP how to deal.

With a square towel, keeping the seeds in their quads is pretty easy. Mark out half the towel and label. Dampen the towel to keep it from moving around. Place seeds. Fold the unmarked half over the marked half, and add more water. The two halves will adhere, holding the seeds in place firmly. Then you are free to fold a couple more times and handle the thing like a little wallet.

The tricky part is where you open the wallet, pulling the upper half away from the lower half. Separate slowly as a few seeds will always adhere to the upper half. My trusty tweezers put those back where they belong. Very rarely "lose" a seed. YMMV