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Post by littleminnie on Feb 4, 2011 22:05:57 GMT -5
I am preparing my gardening classes for the spring. First will be a seed starting class. Is there anything people here want to remind me to include? Right now I am working on a dictionary and tip page with definitions of things like scarification and hardening off and fungus gnats.
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Post by mjc on Feb 4, 2011 22:09:00 GMT -5
How about some telltale signs of overwatering...like algae growing on the surface of the soil, etc?
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Post by robertb on Feb 5, 2011 11:39:30 GMT -5
Stratification. I pot seeds up and leave them out in the cold all winter, but I know other people sometimes use the fridge. How reliable is this, and how long do you have to leave them?
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 5, 2011 16:13:56 GMT -5
Light: window sill versus under the lights and wintersowing I guess.
Soil: soiless mixes, pasturizing your own soil, finished compost and worm casings, mixtures
Seed longevity, moist packing, things that aren't worth starting from seed
I guess it depends on how deep you want to get into it.
Pre-germination and germination tests.
Sounds fun.
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1066
gopher
Posts: 38
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Post by 1066 on Feb 23, 2011 17:23:24 GMT -5
I guess the only thing I can think of to add is seed / potting compost mixes, but maybe that comes further down your lesson plans!
Good luck with your classes!
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bertiefox
gardener
There's always tomorrow!
Posts: 236
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Post by bertiefox on Feb 24, 2011 7:31:16 GMT -5
Seed sowing mixtures: for most things, especially veg. pure vermiculite works very well as long as you transplant the seedlings at a very early stage. I use small round margarine tubs will holes drilled in base, and cover with a petri dish lid or base, as this fits exactly. A lot of seed gets lost in poor sowing mixtures or ones which dry out or get too wet. Vermiculite is excellent as it is sterile (compared to compost), drains well, retains moisture, and above all allows you to see what is happening to the seeds as it is white or pale coloured.
On seed saving, and keeping old seed, while a lot of seed will germinate after a year or two, I find the resulting seedlings are always much weaker and less vigorous, especially with brassicas. Tomatoes don't seem affected by this. My advice to a novice would be always to use fresh seed if possible. Home collected seed invariably seems more vigorous for some reason.
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