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#421 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Posts: 2,466
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Wait for the second set of true leaves to emerge and then think of fertilizing very mildly with your MG. The cotyledons supply all the nutrients the seedling needs until the roots have matured enough to be able to take up nutrients from the water in the medium. Fertilizing too early with a synthetic can damage the young roots, you want healthy white roots, not dead brown roots. |
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#422 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Posts: 1,332
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Levent, just wanted to say your photos are just incredible.
I perk up every time I see your purple flower avatar! ![]() |
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#423 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Texas Coastal Bend
Posts: 3,205
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I didn't realize I was editing my post so I am bumping it here with new photos attached here as well as the other post. Sorry for any confusion this might cause, I just wanted you to see the pics in an update.
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In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~ ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Last edited by Rockporter; February 19, 2013 at 08:27 AM. |
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#424 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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I don't have a hard and fast rule about adding a bit of fertilizer to the water but I know with DE you need to do it sooner than with other seeding mediums I have used. I generally give them about two weeks after they emerge and then use a very dilute dose of MG to the watering tray. Since I use egg cartons for starting seed I will have different sizes and sometimes even a few seed that are just breaking ground when I start fertilizing. I have had no problems except when I didn't start giving them a bit of fertilizer soon enough. I am giving them a dose no greater than 1/4 of the recommended until they get potted up into larger containers. I tried a couple of organic liquid fertilizers but had terrible algae growth so I'm sticking to the Miracle Grow for now. A big problem with the algae growth on the surface is that you can't tell when they need watering because the color doesn't change. I have to reach in and disturb the surface so I can see how dry the DE is under the green algae. I nearly lost some of my peppers planted in December because I thought the DE was wet and barely watered them in time. So if you get an algae covering over the surface make sure to check under it to determine if they need water.
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#425 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Posts: 2,466
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Rockporter, how close are you keeping those seedlings to the lights? They look like a little leggy from the pics.
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#426 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 637
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What about mixing it and keeping it in a 1 gallon milk container, will that work? Or does some of the potency go away when it just sits mixed up and ready to use? Another poster asked, and I don't know if anyone answered that question. |
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#427 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Posts: 2,466
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I haven't used egg cartons but I guess it is because there is less volume of medium holding water that they dry out faster. Because the DE wicks water so well, the moisture is pretty consistently distributed through the medium, so if it is dry at the top then you can bet it is almost just as dry deeper down. Also as the seedlings grow, there is more water loss through leaf transpiration as well as evaporation from the medium. |
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#428 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Texas Coastal Bend
Posts: 3,205
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The instructions for the light I bought is to keep them 6-24 inches from the tops so I am keeping them about 5" actually. That light fixture is 20,000 Lumens in a 24" square setup so it is really strong. Those plants came out like gang busters when I seeded them and straight up they all shot. I didn't get the fixture hung up before I seeded because the one I ordered came damaged and I had to wait on another so I had to reseed everything. The seedlings were up about three days before I got the light on them. I have the fixture on a set of easy up/down light hangers so all I have to do is lift it up out of the way so I can work on the tray and then just pull it back down over the tray. the fixture weighs 24 lbs.
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In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~ ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#429 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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I tried using larger cups for starting bean seed but did not like how long it took to bottom water them and when watering from above the DE is too easily disturbed before it is held in place by a good root ball. I am going to try starting my beans in the egg cartons and as soon as they sprout moisten the DE and move to larger cups with potting soil. I don't know how this will work or even if it will work but I won't know til I try. My favorite bean is Maxibel but the last two batches of seed have had no more than 40% germination so I thought instead of starting so many in larger cups I would try this instead. I started my fall beans in cups and they did good but I wasted so much space with all of the cups that had no germination. When I sow them directly in the garden I have so many gaps that it is really frustrating. I loved just transplanting them 6 or 7 inches apart and having nice rows with no gaps. Bill |
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#430 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Posts: 2,466
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#431 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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Bill |
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#432 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: California
Posts: 942
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Very pleased with the DE results.
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#433 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MA/NH Border
Posts: 4,919
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The first of the eggplant seeds I started in DE sprouted in less than six days! These were seeds I saved myself for the first time and I was really unsure about whether they would even sprout.
What I'm really loving about it is that It's so much easier to work with than seed starting mix. I use a Dixie cup to fill the pot right from the bag, put the pots in a tray and bottom water until the DE changes color to let me know it's wet. Then I drop in the seed, use the Dixie cup to sprinkle on a top layer of DE, make sure it soaks up enough water, put some plastic over them, and I'm done with no mess in my kitchen to clean up! |
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#434 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Turkey
Posts: 393
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Litchi tomato (Solanum sisymbriifolium) seedlings are still under lights.I plan to transfer them to final subirrigation pots next week.I'll keep them in garage till the night temp. is above 10 C.
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#435 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Turkey
Posts: 393
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An experimental/fun project, S. lycopersicum 'Micro Tom' in a 800 cc plastic cup without holes.I had planted it to this final mini subirrigation pot just 2 weeks ago, 10cm tall mini dwarf tomato plant has recently budded under lights.Through the transparent side walls it's possible to examine how the tomato roots penetrate into the medium.
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