Starting from Seed using sphagnum moss? I cannot win....?? - Page 3

Father'sDaughter · September 6, 2017

I don't see spindly plants. I see healthy looking seedlings. In my pre-grafting days, I would take off the lowest leaves and bury them deep.

Worth1 · September 6, 2017

You need to check the pH before you add anything not after.
That would be like salting food you dont know what tastes like.

murihikukid · September 11, 2017

Hi...Yes...I think they are both two spindly ....I hope I am not putting people out but I have 3 other things I want an opinion on and I do not want to put them all over the place in separate threads..as I am sure I have raised something similar previously....
https://www.yates.co.nz/products/org...ic-plant-food/

http://www.tuigarden.co.nz/products/...-veges-flowers

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=...rewritten=true

The first two links are fertilizers (dynamic Lifter and Novatec Premium ..I wonder if Patti or somebody could give me an opinion as an additive to invigorate the soil..
....the third link is Mycorrihzae....Now I found out this for sale on tradeMe is a powder mixed with pumice ???? see In Questions?....I wonder if he has bought Mycorrihzae...mixed it with Pumice and selling it on??? I wonder what you think....would it be any good?? I spent $150 on a Mycorrhizae mix earlier this year and it was a waste of money cause the plants I applied it to all failed ..whereas the matured plants about 1 metre high I bought from the Grower via the garden centre were great ...So will do the same this season but I need something for my own seeds ???

Now Worth 1........Stainless Steel as a reflector and self watering my drums....I have attached some photos.....

First the self watering....the rope in my photo is damp so the water has got down into the rope... BUT do I need a second rope ....cause its not exactly dripping with water ....I also thought of putting some fertilizer with the water held in the "Blue Reservoir"....it holds 2 litres so I am hoping this will be a time saver.....

Finally Stainless steel as a reflector ...i put white bubble wrap on the south side of my greenhouse as Insulation before winter came but I do not think its as good as a reflector for getting sun to the northern side of my greenhouse ...which suffers from a lack of sunshine..It does get the sun at a height of round 2 meters..Sorry about the mess ..I am putting a sliding front door on....and I have to get into my seeds...Thanks Ron

zipcode · September 11, 2017

150 for Mycorrihzae sounds insane. How many plants do you have?
I only used whatever cheap micos were included in my not particularly expensive organic fertilizer and it worked just fine.
Dynamic lifter doesn't sound all that good. N-K ratio is pretty pad, however low NPK fertilizers such as this have their role, they contain high amount of organic matter and humic acids (relative to their strength), I personally use some horse based 2-2-2 as an additive.
The Tui sounds better but the Tui tomato sounds better still.

RayR · September 11, 2017

Dry mycorrihzal inoculum is sold in a inert powdered carrier, usually a clay but powered pumice I suppose would serve the same purpose. The problem I see is there is no description of the manufacturer, species or spore count, a reputable manufacturer would guarantee these things as well as an expiration date that would indicate the freshness of the product.

murihikukid · September 12, 2017

Just transferred $236.47 for 2kg of Mycorrmax ??? Cheers

GrowingCoastal · September 12, 2017

Wow! 236 dollars is going to make for very expensive tomatoes! I hope it makes the difference for you.

Here is a link to one fertilizer with mycorrhizea in it. Under 20 dollars.
Perhaps you can find something similar.

http://www.promixgardening.com/en/pr...den-fertilizer

murihikukid · September 12, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayR

Dry mycorrihzal inoculum is sold in a inert powdered carrier, usually a clay but powered pumice I suppose would serve the same purpose. The problem I see is there is no description of the manufacturer, species or spore count, a reputable manufacturer would guarantee these things as well as an expiration date that would indicate the freshness of the product.

Hi..Thanks for your comment ..Exactly my thoughts ...How do you know what your buying....I was stupid last season buying $150 of stuff that as far as I could ascertain did nothing ....so I buy $237 worth this season from another source which I am sure is the proper Mycorrhizae product with the trade name Mycorrmax...
Why $237...Well before I get all sorts of remarks thrown at me ....I should explain that this place sells sachets and $2kg bags ..but take note??? A sachet at just over $11 plus 15% GST ....has a $20 Shipping tag on it ....buy 2 x Sachets one is up for $40 shipping and so on ($20 a sachet...no combined shipping....Where are you Amazon???) ....the 2kg bag has GST and yes $20 shipping....Because I am now able to advertise on a local neighbourly website ...I will break it into small amounts for local growers...not to make a profit but to use it and get rid of the rest of the 2kg and yes to get my money back and also to meet other growers...maybe I will get reports back on what they thought of it....

Maybe I should see If I can get soil analized and see what the growing company is actually using......The two products I sought an opinion on were recommended to me by garden centres......Thats what happens here...

The fans arrived from China today for my growth Chamber So I can now start germinating my seeds ..I am hoping for great results with this.especially for my Black from tula seeds which are not Black from tula????.I was in a Garden centre yesterday looking at their first young plants supplied by two companies...one companies plants looked absolutely terrible
...There is no way I would buy any of them..they looked like plants from the end of the season that are flogged off by the garden centres for 50c or a $1..

Regards Ron

murihikukid · September 12, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

You need to check the pH before you add anything not after.
That would be like salting food you dont know what tastes like.

Yes...I am not that silly....but I am losing it ...I recall 12 months ago I had done nothing to my greenhouse then decided belatedly to make massive changes to it...I have just finally put a sliding glass door on the entrance and I could feel what its like as age takes over from what I was 12 months ago..
....I have started cleaning the glass then everything will be fumigated ......Hopefully killing all trace of spiders so bumble bees can buzz round inside...Regards Ron

murihikukid · September 12, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrowingCoastal

Wow! 236 dollars is going to make for very expensive tomatoes! I hope it makes the difference for you.

Here is a link to one fertilizer with mycorrhizea in it. Under 20 dollars.
Perhaps you can find something similar.

http://www.promixgardening.com/en/pr...den-fertilizer

Hi..I do not know if its regulated or what but I have searched everywhere ...Trichaderma is sold here but is it Mycorrihzae ..and there is some back yard sellers trying to sell stuff....with similar names......I would be surprised if I never got some Strawberry and Tomato Growers coming round to get some of the Mycromax ...I like the recipe of that product ..Shame its not sold here...Thanks

murihikukid · September 20, 2017

Hi..My first customer took 500g which leaves a kilo left after I take 500g for myself...so my instinct was right The fact that I was open about the cost etc and that I was making no profit would count in my favour...Amazing that I included the PDF file with my offer on the internet yet it was overlooked by by first customer....Never mind ....I am pretty sure this is top Mycorrhizae and will bring growers here into the 21st century ..thanks to Patti...Now all i need is a good soil mix...I found out today that the soil I have been buying whether in bags or by scoopful all comes from the same place???One presumes its not ethical to seek out an ex employee of the grower here to try and find out the secret formula they use??
Cheers Ron

beefyboy · September 20, 2017

I am jumping in on this party a little late but have experience blowing up tomatoes with just a simple procedure. I know we all have different methods but we can all agree is starts with proper soil but just as important, you have to have the right lights. I used to use T12 lights a decade ago and it took 7-8 weeks to get a tomato plant ready to set out. I now use a Hydrofarm with T5 bulbs. I started my seed on the 26 and 27th of Aug in Jiffy commercial size 50 mm x 95 mm seed starters. I buy them on amazon or e- bay. they blow up to 2 inches x 3 3/4 inches tall and as many know, it has a netting to keep the starter in one piece. It is now the 19th of Sept. and I have already set out one plant on Sunday which was the 16th. I went from setting seed in there Jiffy cells and putting on a heating pad to transplanting in the earth box in less than 3 weeks. 6 more are ready to set out now and still in 3 weeks time from setting seed. All will be transplanted in their spots within 4 weeks of seed set. Total cost is 30 cents per plant plus electric for lighting.

**carolyn137** · September 20, 2017

(I am jumping in on this party a little late but have experience blowing up tomatoes with just a simple procedure. I know we all have different methods but we can all agree is starts with proper soil)

Just one initial question for now.

What do you mean when you refer to proper soil, and I ask since I would never start tomato seeds in real dirt.

Back on our farm many decades ago my father did and doing so can lead to many problems, but there were no other alternatives back then in the 40's and 50's.I'm talking here of starting seeds in a greenhouse.

For late tomatoes he would use a drill and sow seeds in real dirt in a field next to the top greenhouse. The we'd spend a lot of time pulling the plants, packing them in a 3 peck bushels and covering those with wet burlap, taking them out to the already prepared field, loading the trays in front of us on the plant setter, and away we'd go.

Carolyn

beefyboy · September 26, 2017

as you should have noticed Carolyn, I said I use the commercial Jiffy 7's, simply peat not soil. I just used the word soil when I should have said growing medium but all should be able to figure it out I think. Anyway my Ambrosia Orange cherry tomato plant has two sets of flower trusses at just under 4 weeks, and that is from seed not plant set out.

September 12, 2017	#37
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	Wow! 236 dollars is going to make for very expensive tomatoes! I hope it makes the difference for you. Here is a link to one fertilizer with mycorrhizea in it. Under 20 dollars. Perhaps you can find something similar. http://www.promixgardening.com/en/pr...den-fertilizer Last edited by GrowingCoastal; September 12, 2017 at 09:51 AM. Reason: sp

September 20, 2017	#41
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	My first customer ?? Hi..My first customer took 500g which leaves a kilo left after I take 500g for myself...so my instinct was right The fact that I was open about the cost etc and that I was making no profit would count in my favour...Amazing that I included the PDF file with my offer on the internet yet it was overlooked by by first customer....Never mind ....I am pretty sure this is top Mycorrhizae and will bring growers here into the 21st century ..thanks to Patti...Now all i need is a good soil mix...I found out today that the soil I have been buying whether in bags or by scoopful all comes from the same place???One presumes its not ethical to seek out an ex employee of the grower here to try and find out the secret formula they use?? Cheers Ron

September 20, 2017	#43
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	(I am jumping in on this party a little late but have experience blowing up tomatoes with just a simple procedure. I know we all have different methods but we can all agree is starts with proper soil) Just one initial question for now. What do you mean when you refer to proper soil, and I ask since I would never start tomato seeds in real dirt. Back on our farm many decades ago my father did and doing so can lead to many problems, but there were no other alternatives back then in the 40's and 50's.I'm talking here of starting seeds in a greenhouse. For late tomatoes he would use a drill and sow seeds in real dirt in a field next to the top greenhouse. The we'd spend a lot of time pulling the plants, packing them in a 3 peck bushels and covering those with wet burlap, taking them out to the already prepared field, loading the trays in front of us on the plant setter, and away we'd go. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

September 6, 2017	#31
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I don't see spindly plants. I see healthy looking seedlings. In my pre-grafting days, I would take off the lowest leaves and bury them deep.

September 6, 2017	#32
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	You need to check the pH before you add anything not after. That would be like salting food you dont know what tastes like.

September 11, 2017	#34
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	150 for Mycorrihzae sounds insane. How many plants do you have? I only used whatever cheap micos were included in my not particularly expensive organic fertilizer and it worked just fine. Dynamic lifter doesn't sound all that good. N-K ratio is pretty pad, however low NPK fertilizers such as this have their role, they contain high amount of organic matter and humic acids (relative to their strength), I personally use some horse based 2-2-2 as an additive. The Tui sounds better but the Tui tomato sounds better still.

September 11, 2017	#35
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Dry mycorrihzal inoculum is sold in a inert powdered carrier, usually a clay but powered pumice I suppose would serve the same purpose. The problem I see is there is no description of the manufacturer, species or spore count, a reputable manufacturer would guarantee these things as well as an expiration date that would indicate the freshness of the product.

September 20, 2017	#42
beefyboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pt. Charlotte fl Posts: 330	I am jumping in on this party a little late but have experience blowing up tomatoes with just a simple procedure. I know we all have different methods but we can all agree is starts with proper soil but just as important, you have to have the right lights. I used to use T12 lights a decade ago and it took 7-8 weeks to get a tomato plant ready to set out. I now use a Hydrofarm with T5 bulbs. I started my seed on the 26 and 27th of Aug in Jiffy commercial size 50 mm x 95 mm seed starters. I buy them on amazon or e- bay. they blow up to 2 inches x 3 3/4 inches tall and as many know, it has a netting to keep the starter in one piece. It is now the 19th of Sept. and I have already set out one plant on Sunday which was the 16th. I went from setting seed in there Jiffy cells and putting on a heating pad to transplanting in the earth box in less than 3 weeks. 6 more are ready to set out now and still in 3 weeks time from setting seed. All will be transplanted in their spots within 4 weeks of seed set. Total cost is 30 cents per plant plus electric for lighting.

September 26, 2017	#44
beefyboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pt. Charlotte fl Posts: 330	as you should have noticed Carolyn, I said I use the commercial Jiffy 7's, simply peat not soil. I just used the word soil when I should have said growing medium but all should be able to figure it out I think. Anyway my Ambrosia Orange cherry tomato plant has two sets of flower trusses at just under 4 weeks, and that is from seed not plant set out.