I’m starting more tomatoes tonight. First batch damped off in spite of my best efforts. I’m need to get one of those heat mats. I think the issue is too cool during sprouting.
We got a great deal from the local nursery this past week. She had 7 grapefruit and navel orange trees she’d overwintered in her greenhouse that hadn’t sold last year. She let me have them all (and 6+ft they are) for $200. Now to get them containers and soil mixture. Happy happy happy. This will bring my total citrus count to 3 meyer lemons, 1 key lime (on order from gurneys), 4 washington navel orange, and 6 grapefruit.
I’ve got them grouped with 2 arbequina olive trees that are absolutely loaded with blooms this year. I’d had them for several years and they were sparse and fairly unhappy. I figured they weren’t happy in my yard or in a container but they were kind of attractive still so I left them at that. Well, last summer I started feeding them the CitrusTone stuff I feed my citrus. They filled out into 6ft shrubby trees and are literally loaded with blooms. We’ll see if any of those pollinate. Arbequina is supposed to be self pollinating but I’m planning to order a couple more different varieties just to make sure.
Little tomatoes sprouts need to be kept dry around their stems.
An easy way to keep the area dry is to use chick gravel, sold in farm stores.
Just a tiny bit will do the job.
We also bake the starter soil in baking bags for a couple hours. This kills off any unwanted critters living in the dirt.
Hubby makes paper pots for his starts and mixes seed starter mix with potting soil mix. After initial planting, he just waters the plastic tray they are sitting in - not over head watering. Has never had a problem with damping off doing it that way.
I have read that potting soil is more apt to experience damping off. Hence the reason for the mixes. I don’t really do much in the way of starting seeds.
I am jealous of your citrus orchard. My lemon tree is very small - it’s a dwarf-so more like a small bush. About 2 ft. by 2 ft. Usually get 2 harvests-around December and June.
It has dropped a lot of leaves this winter, but finally getting some nice new ones that are looking good. So what is this Citrus Tone stuff? Sounds like something I need to explore.