My seedlings are dying

Not only have I drown my first lot of seeds.
My Husband as now booked a weeks holiday in mid April.
So I won't be here to look after them anyway.
I think I might just give up. :D

 

'Give up! is not a gardening word (or two actually - before someone else gets in). An open tray of seedlings loses a lot of moisture and needs watering. But if it is covered by a propagator lid, and out of direct sunlight, they should go for a week or more without watering.

If you are concerned you could put a glass of water in the propagator with them to keep the humidity level up without drowning them. The key is to keep them covered to reduce evaporation.

Its even easier once they have been potted up, because the volume of compost (holding water) to plant is even higher. The problem then lies in covering them.

 

O'K I'll give it a go.
I would like to grow my own.

 

LOL John :D Exactly why should she?!

I suppose what I meant was I personally find sweet peas easy to grow not that I am implying that Lyn needs something easy...Think I'd better shut up before it's too late

 

lyn, don't give up. take the advice on here. You wait till you get your first seeds up, i used to look at mine about 5 times a day :D probably will this year too.

Stingo - that lot of seeds i lost were ..... yes you've guessed it. never mind got plenty left.

cheers

 

Lyn, if we all gave up when we hit a snag, this site wouldn`t exist. :D Stingo, too late. :D

 

Peter. You are right about putting a glass of water in the prop. Mrs S. often puts me to bed with a glass of whisky. If the glass is large enough she needn't bother with me for a week. :D

Seriously Lyn. I defy any experienced gardener to honestly state that they haven't had the odd disaster. Even after e few years experience we all like to try something new.

 

Well the seedlings have picked up since I stopped trying to drown them.
I'll do the plastic cover with water and see how they go while I'm away.
I've been shopping and brought A salad seed collection. Cucumber, spring onions, radish,tomato,lettuce and cress seeds.
:D :D :D
I no I can grow cress I did that when I was 5.
As for the rest you might just be hearing from me again. :D

 

Right Lyn. We'll all be round for egg and cress sarnies. :D

 

Lyn, just so that you know that you're not alone in this, I've decided to 'fess up to a problem that I've got.

I don't think that I have been overwatering, but I admit we used general allpurpose compost. I was only growing cosmos, lupins and hollyhocks so I could 'afford' to loss a few. Well The seeds have mostly germinated, but theres 'white fluff' on the bit where the plant touches the soil and by the roots. It has not spread, and the plants seem unaffected. Is this what they call 'damping off' ?

Thanks.
Tracy

 

Tracy, that sounds like botrytis, which is a form of mould, treat with Cheshunt compound. With damping off, the stem goes black and the seedling falls over, treating with Cheshunt compound will prevent this.

 

Ah, I see. I'm going to the GC tomorrow so I'll pick some up. Thanks for that. I'm glad that I'm learning about these things with an experimental batch. So by the time I get round to sowing my 'specials' I should be an expert LOL! (Only Joking)

 

I can`t believe your just plain Tracy. :D

 

hi lyn

i grow all mine in my conservatory and they are all fine its warm during the day and goes cold at night but they grow great.

i stared all my flowers seeds off last yr on the 1st of feb and although i had alot of plants i did loose alot too through dampening off

i figured out that i had started too early

im not sowing any plants untill the beginning of april this yr apart from my marigolds & dianthus which i did last sunday and they have all come up and are doing well

give your conservatory a try

 

John, I am glad the Mrs treats you well with a glass of the right stuff. I just hope she dusts you down occasionally with sulphur and copper compound to keep you in good running order. :D

I gather cardiologists are now recommending chocolate as the answer to everything.