Sprouts!
We kept the germination chamber dark for
sprouting, we have the heat mat set at 78 degrees and have plastic covers over
the flats which kept in the moisture and
heat.
...Now that the sprouting has begun, we will keep the plants on the heat mat while they grow, it will be crucial to keep the soil blocks damp so the delicate sprouts don’t wilt and become weak at this stage of the game.
...Now that the sprouting has begun, we will keep the plants on the heat mat while they grow, it will be crucial to keep the soil blocks damp so the delicate sprouts don’t wilt and become weak at this stage of the game.
SPROUTS!
Today we went down to check on the germination chamber and were excited to see the first little spouts peeking up through the soil. The yellow nugget cherry tomatoes from Johnnies Seeds had the most sprouts, a few brandywines tomatoes (also Johnnies) had just begun to sprout and I think I saw a couple snapdragons as well. We quickly got the grow lights lowered down to directly above the flats and set the timer so it’s on for 16 hours of the day to simulate summer time light. We don’t want the plants to get lanky because they reach for light, so the closer the lights are to the plant the better it is to prevent them from becoming long and stringy. I guess the conditions we provided for our little seeds were perfect because they decided to emerge!
We kept the germination chamber dark for sprouting, we have the heat mat set at 78 degrees and have plastic covers over the flats which kept in the moisture and heat. We have a thermometer inside the flat set in a pile of moistened soil as well as the heat mat probe in soil so it can regulate when the heat mat should turn on and off. We had foam pads over the top of those covers as extra insulation since our basement is not warm. Having the proper temperature and conditions for germination is crucial. Most seed packs say how warm to keep the soil and how many days it takes until the seeds begin to sprout.
Now that the sprouting has begun, we will keep the plants on the heat mat while they grow, it will be crucial to keep the soil blocks damp so the delicate sprouts don’t wilt and become weak at this stage of the game. We leave the plastic covers on the flats to help keep the moisture in, it acts like a mini greenhouse and condensation forms on the tops of the covers. We will start to sing to the plants tomorrow to help them on their way.
Today we went down to check on the germination chamber and were excited to see the first little spouts peeking up through the soil. The yellow nugget cherry tomatoes from Johnnies Seeds had the most sprouts, a few brandywines tomatoes (also Johnnies) had just begun to sprout and I think I saw a couple snapdragons as well. We quickly got the grow lights lowered down to directly above the flats and set the timer so it’s on for 16 hours of the day to simulate summer time light. We don’t want the plants to get lanky because they reach for light, so the closer the lights are to the plant the better it is to prevent them from becoming long and stringy. I guess the conditions we provided for our little seeds were perfect because they decided to emerge!
We kept the germination chamber dark for sprouting, we have the heat mat set at 78 degrees and have plastic covers over the flats which kept in the moisture and heat. We have a thermometer inside the flat set in a pile of moistened soil as well as the heat mat probe in soil so it can regulate when the heat mat should turn on and off. We had foam pads over the top of those covers as extra insulation since our basement is not warm. Having the proper temperature and conditions for germination is crucial. Most seed packs say how warm to keep the soil and how many days it takes until the seeds begin to sprout.
Now that the sprouting has begun, we will keep the plants on the heat mat while they grow, it will be crucial to keep the soil blocks damp so the delicate sprouts don’t wilt and become weak at this stage of the game. We leave the plastic covers on the flats to help keep the moisture in, it acts like a mini greenhouse and condensation forms on the tops of the covers. We will start to sing to the plants tomorrow to help them on their way.
Posted: Thu - March 25, 2004 at 10:26 PM
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Published On: Jun 03, 2004 09:27 PM
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Published On: Jun 03, 2004 09:27 PM