Seed starting rookie question, remove saran wrap? - Page 2

BigVanVader · February 19, 2016

Remove it, I follow Craig's method as well. Peppers like some bottom heat after germination but IMO it makes tomatoes get to leggy. Many of you are more seasoned than me, but here are few tips I have learned over the years that I recommend.

1. Glad Press and Seal is much better than saran wrap IMO. Sticks to plastic and is easy to reapply after checking for germination.

2. After you place under lights spray the top of the soil with warm water every 2 days or so, to make sure the seedlings that haven't poked through don't dry out.

3. If you can, get a fan blowing on them ASAP, it really helps get them ready for real weather and also helps prevent fungus/damping off issues.

Good luck with everything!

Worth1 · February 19, 2016

I would have to conduct my own experiments to see what the results were.

Things like room temperature soil temperature amount of light and so on.
I really do think things get blamed on things that weren't the cause it just looks like the cause.

I have seen way too much misinformation to take everything as gospel.

I do know one thing for sure.
A clothes dryer will wear out clothes.

Worth

JerryHaskins · February 20, 2016

How are you folks doing the fan thing on sprouted seedlings?

Set it to oscillate or not?

On a timer for how long each day?

How far from the plants?

I have heard of it but never tried it. Sounds like a good idea.

Many thanks.

encore · February 21, 2016

depends on how big an area all the plants take up, as far as oscillating or not, lenght of time depends on how cold it is i'd guess, mine are in the basement, so i do it a couple of time a day, for an hour , i put the fan far enough away as to just move the seedlings a little, when the get a bit bigger i move it closer, if that's the right way or not i don't know but that's how i do it. ---tom

JerryHaskins · February 21, 2016

Super!

Many thanks.

flyfiishn · February 22, 2016

Great stuff. Thanks all. I have mine all off the mat now under lights with one exception.

Of 18 varieties, I cannot get my coyote seeds to germ. Even planted a second cell with a dense seeding of probably 25 seeds. We'll see.

What I found useful was I used small disposable type cheap plastic seed cells. When i had germination on one cell and not the others, I simply cut that cell off of the block and put it under lights. It allowed me to keep the non germed seeds on the mat and get the others lights.

Fan has been going for about an hour a day. For my first effort, i am pretty happy with them.

BigVanVader · February 22, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyfiishn

Great stuff. Thanks all. I have mine all off the mat now under lights with one exception.

Of 18 varieties, I cannot get my coyote seeds to germ. Even planted a second cell with a dense seeding of probably 25 seeds. We'll see.

What I found useful was I used small disposable type cheap plastic seed cells. When i had germination on one cell and not the others, I simply cut that cell off of the block and put it under lights. It allowed me to keep the non germed seeds on the mat and get the others lights.

Fan has been going for about an hour a day. For my first effort, i am pretty happy with them.

That is what I do, and for the OP, I just use a tall floor fan a few feet away from mine so I can get the whole rack at one time. I leave mine on for several hours but I doubt it matters much. I just had fungus gnats one year so I'd rather water everyday than have wet soil for days.

encore · April 1, 2016

here are a couple of plants i started a few weeks ago as a test sort of, as soon as they sprouted i took away the heat mat and had the fan blow on them (from a distance) 4 times a day for 1/2 an hour, just to see if they would'nt get so leggy, seems to have worked, what do you think?---tom

BigVanVader · April 1, 2016

Looking good!

oakley · April 1, 2016

I leave my fan on 24/7. Like the air flow on a low setting and move it around a bit as to who might need it. My lights are on 24/7 as well but i'm moving trays around constantly.

But i'm starting in a cool basement workroom at 60-65 temp. My trays get moved under light at the first sign and covers off. Probably stupid, but if a cell or two have not sprouted i top with a bit of dry peat to give them some darkness.

Everyones environment is a bit different as well as the start soil. When i moved i had a completely different experience and adjusted as i saw it. And grow more than i have room for....insurance.

February 19, 2016	#16
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Remove it, I follow Craig's method as well. Peppers like some bottom heat after germination but IMO it makes tomatoes get to leggy. Many of you are more seasoned than me, but here are few tips I have learned over the years that I recommend. 1. Glad Press and Seal is much better than saran wrap IMO. Sticks to plastic and is easy to reapply after checking for germination. 2. After you place under lights spray the top of the soil with warm water every 2 days or so, to make sure the seedlings that haven't poked through don't dry out. 3. If you can, get a fan blowing on them ASAP, it really helps get them ready for real weather and also helps prevent fungus/damping off issues. Good luck with everything!

February 19, 2016	#17
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I would have to conduct my own experiments to see what the results were. Things like room temperature soil temperature amount of light and so on. I really do think things get blamed on things that weren't the cause it just looks like the cause. I have seen way too much misinformation to take everything as gospel. I do know one thing for sure. A clothes dryer will wear out clothes. Worth

February 20, 2016	#18
JerryHaskins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mississippi Posts: 166	How are you folks doing the fan thing on sprouted seedlings? Set it to oscillate or not? On a timer for how long each day? How far from the plants? I have heard of it but never tried it. Sounds like a good idea. Many thanks.

February 21, 2016	#19
encore Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: wisconsin Posts: 536	depends on how big an area all the plants take up, as far as oscillating or not, lenght of time depends on how cold it is i'd guess, mine are in the basement, so i do it a couple of time a day, for an hour , i put the fan far enough away as to just move the seedlings a little, when the get a bit bigger i move it closer, if that's the right way or not i don't know but that's how i do it. ---tom

February 22, 2016	#21
flyfiishn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Northern CA Posts: 80	Great stuff. Thanks all. I have mine all off the mat now under lights with one exception. Of 18 varieties, I cannot get my coyote seeds to germ. Even planted a second cell with a dense seeding of probably 25 seeds. We'll see. What I found useful was I used small disposable type cheap plastic seed cells. When i had germination on one cell and not the others, I simply cut that cell off of the block and put it under lights. It allowed me to keep the non germed seeds on the mat and get the others lights. Fan has been going for about an hour a day. For my first effort, i am pretty happy with them.

April 1, 2016	#24
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Looking good!

April 1, 2016	#25
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I leave my fan on 24/7. Like the air flow on a low setting and move it around a bit as to who might need it. My lights are on 24/7 as well but i'm moving trays around constantly. But i'm starting in a cool basement workroom at 60-65 temp. My trays get moved under light at the first sign and covers off. Probably stupid, but if a cell or two have not sprouted i top with a bit of dry peat to give them some darkness. Everyones environment is a bit different as well as the start soil. When i moved i had a completely different experience and adjusted as i saw it. And grow more than i have room for....insurance.