More advice on propagation please!

Hi Guys,

Total novice here again seeking your words of wisdom!

Well I have a few little plants coming up (all of which I have probably sown to early!) Busy Lizzies, Tagettes, lobelias & French Marigolds. They are still very small however when will it be warm enough to put them outside in the mini greenhouse and what is the best way to do this? Do I need to bring them in on a night for a few days?

In addition I am trying to grow some petunias & geraniums in a super 7 heated propagtor. The soil feels pretty warm, should I have it on all the time and is it OK to spray the soil if it feels dry?

Any tips would be much appreciated

Ellie-Green-Wellie

 

ege, its still far too early to put seedlings out in an unheated green house/minigreenhouse. Even the current daytime temperatures are not warm enough to get the seedlings growing, I would sow another batch in a week or so just in case you loose the first ones.
Most seeds require a constant temperature to germinate equally otherwise it could be very erratic so don't switch it off. If it has a closed lid the soil should remain damp. A light spray on the soil surface would be ok but not on seedlings. Too much moisture could start fungal infections. Geraniums would be best sown in individual cells (plantpaks)as it minimises root disturbance.
Don't worry if you loose a few seedlings we all do.
I have to grow 160,000 plants for the Parks Dept here and I don't always get it right, when you're working with nature she sometimes gets the better of you. After forty odd years of growing I'm still learning and yes I have sown too early on occassions. :D

 

Thanks Strongy.

I will persevere with the ones I have and will sow a few more in a couple of weeks. Out of interest what temporature does it need to be outside before I can put my plants in the mini greenhouse, should I leave it another month?

I have sown the geraniums in a mini super 7 tray, (5 in each) so I will have to re-pot as soon as they are big enough - it's sounds as though they are not going to like this? I have also one this with petunias and they have come up tiny so it ay be difficult to sort seperate plants. Oh well it is a learning experience and I am enjoying it all, I know I'll have some losses but hope I'll have something to show for it in the end.

It would be great to have a few pots with plants that I'd solely grown from seed in them - I think I would get a real sense of acheivement from that when I looked at the patio, though it is starting to look more difficult than I thought!

Thanks again EGW

 

EGW, the trouble with non heated greenhouses is the fluctuation in temperature, particularly on a sunny day as it can go up into the eighties(f)and then drop to near the outside temperature which like tonight could be around the forties(f). This is not conducive to even plant growth so you can see that it can be a problem when sowing early. The alternative is to put them out daytime and bring in at night,again if we have a cold spell and the daytime temp is very low you would have to keep them indoors.
I can imagine you pulling your hair out now but you have avoid extremes whatever. keep young seedlings out of direct sun. The geranium seedlings should transplant ok just don't keep them wet but moist.
Petunias do not require as high temperatures as geraniums, marigolds, salvias etc as they can become extremely leggy.
I hope this hasn't cofused you too much. :D

 

Thanks Strongy,

The petunias are still tiny, I will take them off the heat. It looks like I will be sowing them all again at this rate!

I will keep them all inside for another month and will position the mini greenhouse in an area which is shaded, I will bring them in on a night for a week or so when I first put them out.
(My husband is gonna love the dining room table covered in plants every night!)I will definately sow a few more in a few weeks, If I can find any room for them!

I don't really mind if I lose a few or have to start again, it is all a learning experience - I will be better next year