Germination Help Needed

[jcr1709]

Been starting tomatoes from seed for 4 years now, always with great success, but this year I'm at about 11 days since I started the seeds and only have 8 or my 80 plants that have germinated. I've read that sometimes seeds can take 14 to 20 day sometimes, but if I wait that long before I start more I'll have to buy plants...dread. Here's what I've done in the past.

Moistened soil blocks made with seed starting soil with 1/4" deep divot in the top for the seeds. I top the seeds with sifted stand (heard this lessens possibility of stem rot rather than the soil)

Add seed (this year I did about 4 per block because some of my seeds are 3-4 years old now, wanted to lessen the possibility of no plants.

I place them in a seed tray with drainage, cover with plastic wrap and put them in a consistent 75 degree environment (an old wall oven with a small buffet warmer in it . All the blocks are about 70-75 degrees soil temp.

The only thing I did different this year was I moistened the soil a little more than usual since I went away for about 5 days after starting the seed and I didn't want them to dry out. Can you destroy them if they are too wet?

Also, some of the seed I saved in the last few years I did something different I read here. After fermentation, I did soak them for about a minute in a very light bleach/h20 solution (heard this lessens the possibility of mold. Dried them properly and store them in small containers in a cool dry place.

The seeds that did germinate so far did so after about 5 days. Any great advice would be appreciated. Ifi I start more seeds (with bought seed can I expedite the process a little faster so I will have healthy plants when I put them out around the middle to end of May? I am dreading the possibility of buying plants, not to mention the terrible selection of what's available and the cost.

Thanks,

Jamie

[ireilly]

Hi Jamie. I'll take a whack at the questions and then the real experts will start chiming in.

>> Can you destroy them if they are too wet?

Well, you can drown the plant, not sure about the seed, but I tend to doubt it because I have had seeds sprout in filters in baggies and they were in quite a bit of water. For a seed, being completely dry is dead, but they need water and that's why so many soak them, sometimes with nitrates or kelp, etc. They will need to transpire soon enough though.

>> Also, some of the seed I saved in the last few years I did something different I read here. After fermentation, I did soak them for about a minute in a very light bleach/h20 solution (heard this lessens the possibility of mold. Dried them properly and store them in small containers in a cool dry place.

I know some people use bleach and some use H202. I have tried a very weak bleach solution and I had very bad results with the older seed. That's all I'll say about that.

>> If I start more seeds (with bought seed can I expedite the process a little faster so I will have healthy plants when I put them out around the middle to end of May?

I don't know of any way to expedite them, other than using heat to germinate, artifical light if required or desired, hardening off properly and getting them out in the sun. And putting them in a medium that will support good growth.

I hope they do come up for you. It is unusual to have so many fail at once, so I'm sure you will be forensically covering this again and again to reason it out. if you're going to start seeds I would do it soon. And if I were you I would use a method like the coffee filter method just so you can evaluate your success as early as possible, since now you are faced with delay anyway.

Personally - I grow more seeds than I will plant just to have some in case of whatever. It isn't all that much more work for me to tend more, and I can always give them away or sell them if I choose when I don't require them.

Good luck with this,
Walter

[jcr1709]

Thanks Walter from Dallas. That's good reasoning with the very moist paper towel method, would be similar to my very moist soil blocks. That good comparison does comfort me some. Who says you're not an expert!!

[jcr1709]

Also, some of my seeds were these "Pelletized" versions by Ferry-Morse with a white coating on the outside...any opinions on those?

[RayR]

Pelletized seed is primed to supposedly improve germination but pelleted seed may not be viable past their first year. So it is best to use them this year if you can.

[dustdevil]

Water passes through sand rather quickly, so I'd skip topping off your seed that way. The seed needs to stay moist for germination. Going away for five days probably let them dry out too much or they may have suffered from damping off if you waterlogged them. Seedlings really need daily watching and care.

I'd sow some more seeds right now.

[semi_lucid]

I started some Ferry Morse "Early Girl" seeds that were pelletized. I took so long for them to germinate that I gave up on them completely.

But then after four or five weeks, they germinated. They were kept warm, and all my other seeds germinated much quicker.

I should have made a better choice in choosing varieties.

John

[KevinCT]

Originally Posted by jcr1709

Also, some of my seeds were these "Pelletized" versions by Ferry-Morse with a white coating on the outside...any opinions on those?

Originally Posted by semi_lucid

I started some Ferry Morse "Early Girl" seeds that were pelletized. I took so long for them to germinate that I gave up on them completely.

But then after four or five weeks, they germinated. They were kept warm, and all my other seeds germinated much quicker.

I should have made a better choice in choosing varieties.

John

add me to the list of not so happy Ferry Morse pellet seed buyers.
I picked mine up at Lowes or Home Depot when I was getting some drywall.
I grab some Romas, Early girl and some Juliet grapes, along with a non treated Box Car willies (which are doing well).

My (not so )early girls are struggling a bit, but 2 out of 4 plants have emerged and are slowly growing. 3 weeks so far
Roma- I got possibly one coming up
Juilets grape- nothing

Last week, I shoved a couple more pellets in each peat pod to see if I could get those going. We'll see how it goes this week, but most of my other plants are cranking along and I'm about to give up on these.