today i took a chance...

[galaxytrash]

normally i use the paper towel method, and move the seedlings once the first tiny leaves have formed. but i usually end up damaging some of the longer roots no matter how careful i try to be.
so this time, i transplanted a couple days earlier....i did about 40, 90% of them were just showing a tiny root forming, some 1/16" long, some up to 3/4' long.
is it okay to do it like this? or is it better to wait until the stem/leaves form.

thnx in advance for any help given.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by galaxytrash

normally i use the paper towel method, and move the seedlings once the first tiny leaves have formed. but i usually end up damaging some of the longer roots no matter how careful i try to be.
so this time, i transplanted a couple days earlier....i did about 40, 90% of them were just showing a tiny root forming, some 1/16" long, some up to 3/4' long.
is it okay to do it like this? or is it better to wait until the stem/leaves form.

thnx in advance for any help given.

You should be fine. I have done it this way many times, it works great, just as well as waiting for first tiny leaves, and better because you don't break the root. Just be sure they aren't more than 1/2 inch deep or so.

Marsha

[Labradors2]

I find it's a balancing act. If I do it too soon, before the seedlings have fully emerged from the seed, I sometimes lose them (if I bury them too deeply) or they run the risk of getting stuck in their helmets. Therefore, I try to catch them as the cotyledons are half out of the seed cap. If the root is stuck in the paper towel, I cut around it and plant it with the little piece of towel still attached.

HTH,
Linda

[KarenO]

Curious why this pre sprouting method would be used with easy to germinate seed such as tomato. Interested to know your opinion regarding the advantage over seeding in the normal way (directly into growing media)
KarenO

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Curious why this pre sprouting method would be used with easy to germinate seed such as tomato. Interested to know your opinion regarding the advantage over seeding in the normal way (directly into growing media)
KarenO

My question as well.

I used to transplant tomato seedlings grown in artificial mix when there were two sets of leaves. But after I got to know Charlie better, he who I thanked in my book b'c without him I never would have been able to grow as much as I did at the farm, since he was using all the land there since my father had Parkinsons disease and had to stop, I saw that in Charlie's greenhouses he transplanted newly germinated seeds at about only one inch or a bit less.

So I started doing that and never looked back.

I just cannot understand pre-germinating tomato seeds, I mean, what the advantages are, when so many folks have trouble with it. And as I've said before, that becomes very clear when folks post in my germination threads for my seed offers over the many years I've been doing those seed offers here.

Carolyn

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by KarenO

Curious why this pre sprouting method would be used with easy to germinate seed such as tomato. Interested to know your opinion regarding the advantage over seeding in the normal way (directly into growing media)
KarenO

I dont get it either.

I have never done it nor will I ever do it.
The only reason a person might do it would be to check an see if old seeds will germinate.
(In soil would do just as well.)
As for the original question.
Waiting for the leaf stem to come out is waiting way too long.
As soon as you can tell it germinates plant it.

Just plant the seeds about 1/6 to 3/32 deep in the soil and keep moist.
When the seedlings start to emerge allow ventilation.
Spray the soil with 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 10 parts water to prevent damping off.
Only water when the top of the soil starts to dry.
I start to use a dilute solution of fertilizer after the first true leaves emerge.
After plant is around 5 inches tall (not spindly tall) I transplant to a 3 inch or so pot.
(I do this due to my work situation)

Worth

[Labradors2]

My reasons for using the paper towel method:

- It's so EASY!
I write the variety on the paper towel, damp it down, fold it in half and put 6 seeds in. I put a few of the paper towels into a baggie and leave them on top of the fridge, checking on them daily after a couple of days.

While they are germinating, I can organize my pots and labels and get my (often dried out) soil mix re-hydrated.

- I can pick the first 4 seeds to germinate and toss the rest.

- If there are duds, I can find out about it without wasting time and effort on pots/soil/windowsill space.

- I LIKE germinating on paper towel and spying on them with my magnifying glass. I cannot do this when they are hiding beneath the soil.

I know we are discussing tomatoes here, but MY GOODNESS I would have gone mad had I planted my garlic chives in little pots. Two of them were slow to germinate - taking two weeks. The rest just sat there. It has now been a month and they have only just decided to germinate.....

Linda

[amideutch]

Definitely more room for problems with all the handling that's done with the sprouts.
Ever since I started using Jump Start peat pellets I never looked back. You can get a 81 pellet unit with plastic tray and dome for $12.00. Once sprouted you bottom water the seedlings until ready to transplant. Then again there may be other reasons why some folks choose this method to sprout there seeds.

Ami

I was interrupted doing my reply as Linda posted her reply before I and didn't see it till after I posted mine.

[Cheryl2017]

I did this with some old ghost peppers I couldn't get to sprout to save my life. So I used a paper towel method and within a week I had more ghost pepper babies than I wanted. Never needed to do that to my tomato seed though.

[pondgardener]

I became a convert to nctomatoman's dense planting techniques over the last few years. And like Carolyn discussed above, I start the first transplanting at about an inch or so, and have had fantastic results with tomatoes and peppers. But after reading Cheryl2017's post about her ghost peppers, I may try the paper towel for ghost pepper seeds…mine took over 7 weeks to come up even with bottom heat!

George

[Cheryl2017]

Originally Posted by pondgardener

I became a convert to nctomatoman's dense planting techniques over the last few years. And like Carolyn discussed above, I start the first transplanting at about an inch or so, and have had fantastic results with tomatoes and peppers. But after reading Cheryl2017's post about her ghost peppers, I may try the paper towel for ghost pepper seeds…mine took over 7 weeks to come up even with bottom heat!

George

I tried since January to germinate those stinkers. Heating mats, hot texas heat,etc. So figuring that this was a bad package of seed, I dumped all the rest in a paper towel, soaked it and enclosed in a plastic bag and left it on the window seal. Chose 5 to work with-need one. So now its not quite December and I"ve got 5 2 foot ghost peppers to tend to inside for the next three months

I transplant all seedlings up when they are about an inch also. Never had a problem with the up transplanting.

[galaxytrash]

thanks to everyone who replied.
you can google all you want, but nothing beats honest replies from real people.

[MrBig46]

Some pictures from my growing (there are pekingese cabbage, broccoli and kohlrabi). I always cover in the seeds when I see the germ.
Vladimír

[NarnianGarden]

This conversation - and Vladimir's pictures - make me hope it was February already. That's when I'll start with the first tomato seeds (mini varities that can be grown indoors) and perhaps Physalis.
Only two more months to go - yay - and it's gardening season again!!

PS. The whole idea of paper towel sprouting method seems so messy and complicated compared to direct sowing - can't really see any benefits... but I might try with a few seeds just for a learning experience and see if there are any results.. I wonder if seedlings started that way are weaker?

[galaxytrash]

Originally Posted by galaxytrash

normally i use the paper towel method, and move the seedlings once the first tiny leaves have formed. but i usually end up damaging some of the longer roots no matter how careful i try to be.
so this time, i transplanted a couple days earlier....i did about 40, 90% of them were just showing a tiny root forming, some 1/16" long, some up to 3/4' long.
is it okay to do it like this? or is it better to wait until the stem/leaves form.

thnx in advance for any help given.

to answer my own question...the results were very favorable, i think moreso than if you wait and plant once the first leaves emerge. less chance of damaging the root.
the only problem i had was the seed cap not coming off the leaf part on a few. i lost a few plants trying to "worry" the cap off, in hindsight i should have waited a couple more days.

but all in all it was a success.

my thnx again to those who replied.