Propagating bedding plants for pots

Hi guys I am new to propagation and i'm looking for some tips. I have really got ahead of myself and have propagator trays all over the house (husband is not at all pleased)! I've bought a couple of books and now just want to grow everything. I have made a few early mistakes like randomly sewing very fine seed without sand so I expect if they do germinate I will have a nightmare picking out individual plants.

So far I'm just using cheap plastic propagators though I have a Super 7 heated one on order.

I have maybe been a bit previous with some of them (especially the french marigolds which have already germinated) and the busy lizzies. And a bit too ambitious with others - begonias from seed. I am not too sure how I am going to grow them on (if)when they do germinate. I have bought a four tier mini greenhouse which will hopefully help.

A couple of questions for starters:

*When should I take the lids off my propagator trays?
*When can I put the plants out in the mini greenhouse.
* When should I water (I have been using a fine mist if the soil has felt dry?
*When should I feed
*how should I pick out and pot on the lobelias - is it several plants in a clump?

I suspect some of the plants will need potting on in a few weeks and I'm not sure if it will be warm enough outside to put them in the greenhouse

Plants I have already sown include (most haven't germinated yet or are just showing first signs):

Begonia
Impatients
French Marigolds
Lobelia
Three fushias (by cuttings)
1 geranium cutting (just an experiment!)

I intend to do the following in a couple of weeks.

Tag? Lemon Gem
Begonia (tubors)
Geraniums
Petunias

And there are a few more I have ordered which I have forgotten!

I would appreciate any advice from you experts out there!

Thanks

 

I am no expert ellie - but I enjoy growing things from seed. I sow everything in the same mix of 70% Focus multipurpose compost and 30% sharp sand. Like you I mist rather than water. I often mist with a dilute Cheshunt compound to help prevent damping off. I use the cheapest plastic covers, which don't have any ventilation. It never seems to be a problem, as long as you inspect everyday, making sure that the moisture thats collected inside the cover doesn't drip or drain into the seed trays. If it did it would create very wet patches which would encourage rotting.

I have about 25 or 30 packets of seed to sow, but haven't sown any yet. I am about to start but I also read and accept that there is no point in sowing too early. Plant growth is related to light levels, and the light level in say March and April is so much higher than now that later sowings catch up very quickly with earlier sowings. Like you my fear is that if I sow now inside the house, the seedlings will have to remain inside because it is too cold outside. If they remain inside in the heat with the low light levels they tend to go spindley. Its just their way of saying its warm, so the season must be well advanced, but there is little light so I must be under a big plant and must grow taller to reach the light.

Going back to specifics, I leave the plastic tops on until the seedlings are an inch or even two inches high. Each day I rotate the seed trays to counter their desire to lean towards the light. The reason for leaving the tops on is to prevent water loss. When seedlings are so small they can die quite easily if they get dry. There is no need to feed them as seedlings - there will be feed in the compost and they will be using very little of it. When you pot them on they will be in fresh compost with fresh feed.

 

Peter,

Thanks for your reply. Urm I have been tapping the water back down on to the seedlings - assuming they needed it! I will stop doing that now! I'll make sure they are all in the lightest place possible and just hope that it is mild enough in a few weeks to put them out. I guess I'll learn from my mistakes for next year - it is all about learning at the moment, hopefully I will have some successes to put in my pots and next year I'll fair much better. If these ones don't work out I can always sow some more in March & April!

 

I would have left sowing ipatiens and marigolds untill march as you may find as Peter says they will become splindly and not make a strong enough plant to take the drop in temperature once out of the propagator unless your mini greenhouse is heated. Lobelia is always sown and pricked out in groups usually about 6 to 10 seeds per cell( cells rather than small pots as they are easier to plant in baskets) which can only be done acurately in commercial nurseries and as the seed is minute. The best way is to sow in drills i.e in lines along the seed tray making it easier to lift a few together rather than random sowing across the tray. I hope this has been some help.

 

Thanks Strongy,

My impatiens are just starting to germinate. I'll keep them in the house as long as possible and try to get them as much light as possible. They are not in a heated prop so hopefully the shock won't be too great! I will sow some more in March to make sure I have a few healthy plants if these fail. I will have a go at picking my lobelias out into cells - hey you never know I may get one or two plants! I might as well give it a try!

 

That's what gardening is all about, a lot of trial and hopefully not too much error.

 

Ellie, one suggestion. Why not keep a record of what you sowed and when, along with any comments. So if something went very spindley and did badly, you will have a reminder for next year to try it differently. It is awfully easy to forget otherwise.

 

Good idea Peter, I had already thought I might do this and will go out and buy some sort of journal this afternoon.

My electrc propagator and the rests of my seeds have arrived. I will have to sit on my hands to stop myself planting anything else for a couple of weeks when the light is better! I had thought I might try with my Begonias and Geraniums now as the packets say sow from Jan onwards.

 

Ellie, why not experiment. Just sow part of a packet now and part later. See how they compare. The great strenght of this forum is that we all learn. And a lot of learning is just trial and error.

 

Hi Ellie,

I remember vividly, sowing my first packets of seeds and like you, I was very enthusiastic about it having watched an episode or two of Gardeners World on TV. I must admit that I got a bit carried away with it and in hindsight, I sowed too many packets of seeds too early and didn't have enough suitable room indoors to grow them on before the weather was warm enough to harden them off. I agree wholeheartedly with PeterS about keeping a record of what you sow and what happens afterwards as this info is definately useful for future years. I also learned a lot from reading gardening books and magazines and watching gardening programmes on TV, but I found that you can't do better than learning from other gardeners. Best of all is getting tips from experienced gardening neighbours as they can tell you what will and won't grow well in your type of soil and you may even get some practical help. I have found that neighbours who share my passion for plants and gardening are invaluable and I have often swapped plants with my neighbours which has saved me money. You may even become good friends with your neighbours which can only be a good thing. I have always sown Geraniums in January because they are fairly easy to germinate and grow on indoors and you can get them to grow to a decent size and to flower by the end of June if you sow them early. Then you can take cuttings from them in July and August and they will have plenty of time to root and can be overwintered indoors in pots. Good luck with all of your many plants, I'm sure they will keep you occupied for the next few months at least.