Posted on 05/09/2020 7:08:22 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
Probably hopeless, but I’ll ask.
Anybody know of an online source for garden seedlings?
Everywhere I’ve looked online is sold out or worse.
we had new wood floors put in and from that we got a tremendous number of long cardboard conveniently the width between my garden boxes....I've been using grass clippings, old wood chips, and even left over leaves to cover them....
in my garden beds, I've used bark but also sometimes I just put newspapers down and cover with some peat moss....
Yummm!!! Nice fish! I haven’t had walleye since my teens...
IL has stocked unusually large put and take trout in their trout ponds this spring, as I discovered when their State parks were reopened (May 1). My 1st outing there was a few days later: Bites were slow, but I ended up with 3 rainbows from 15” to 16-1/2”. Those were 3 of the 5 largest trout I’ve ever caught. By comparison, just across the river in KY, a 12” this spring is a “monster”. (Troubles at the fish farm / hatchery that KY is supplied by, evidently, but, even so, even in IL in the past, a 12” rainbow has been a darn nice fish.)
I have a couple 2020 fish tales to tell, already, but first I have a real garden question (my next post.)
Rather, has man and May been informed it is not God? Maybe God wanted to show man his predictions are specious, and show NE liberals they need some Global Warming. After all, we were told:
above average.
The two do not go together. Maybe call God effect, which the goldfinches also are.
My 1st gardening question this week is:
Does anybody have a guess as to why my tomato seedlings that I have started in small pots or other containers always seem to start off ok, shoot up a 2-4 inches but are very “spindly”, then fall over and die. I’ve tried varying light, and water to no successful effect. These are usually but not always started indoors, in April-early May to avoid frost worries. Volunteers out in the garden seem to do ok (if frost or cutworms don’t get ‘em) but their quality & flavor is hit and miss.
PH is ok (usually around 6.5), I’ve tried potting soil(s), bagged garden soils, and composted soil of my own.
My best guess is “too moist”, but that is tough because often I’m gone for 2-3 days, so sometimes I have to overwater them a bit so they don’t dry up B4 I return. (I have had that happen in the past, too.)
Never can I seem to get to healthy, slightly bushy plants 5-6” tall, like one sees in the “4 packs” or “6 packs” one can find @ Lowes and so on.
Anyone have any ideas?
I'm in Upstate, very close to Lake Ontario. Usually grow tomatoes inside until June 1.
I bought a second meat thermometer to test the soil temp. Very accurate and at the right depth.
Sounds like you have a real soil problem. What are you using for potting soil? How much sun are the plants getting? Any problems with your water? How many worms do you see in your garden soil? Since you are near Lowes (and if they actually have it, as they do not online), I would recommend Black Kow 1-cu ft Organic Compost and Manure (50lbs $5:26) or Hapi-Gro Timberline 40-lb Organic Compost and Manure (1.88) and Peat Humus40-lb $2.28) And if you have acidic soil Espoma Garden 6.75-lb Organic Lime PH Balancer ($4.98)
10 Easy Soil Tests That Pinpoint Your Garden's Problems
Hope this helps. PeaceByJesus .
I’ve noticed that tomatoes do NOT like temps below 50.
I have my seedlings in 6 packs that I keep in a dishpan.
The sides of the dishpan are high enough to block a lot of the cold wind and when I put them on my sheltered south facing porch, it’s like moving them up a couple climate zones.
However, I ALWAYS bring them in at night until it’s warm enough to actually plant them outdoors.
It’s light.
When the tomato seeds first sprout, if they don’t have enough light, they grow very quickly and become tall and spindly, and are very light green in color.
To prevent that you need a grow light and I put a small fan on the plants to simulate winds and the harsher conditions of being outside.
Thanks for all the good info. I’d always heard that planting tomatoes is best when nighttime temps are not dropping below the 50’s.
The 4 tomatoes I planted were probably a good 6-8” tall, not new seedlings. They got sun scald (my fault) the first day they were outside. One tomato plant is still looking alive - I covered it with a 5-gallon bucket Fri/Sat nights when we set a new record low (33F) for this time of year.
Previously, when I planted tomatoes early, they didn’t do much growing until temps were staying in the 50’s at night, then they started “taking off”.
It looks like I’ll have to replace the 3 tomato plants that died - fingers crossed my one remaining plant makes it because it is a “Celebrity”, my very favorite tomato. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find Celebrities when I start looking again.
The sunflowers/tithonia did great under the plastic. The radishes could probably survive a nuclear event. My peppers (bell & jalapeno - fresh seeds for both) have not come up from seeds & it’s been at least 2 weeks. The “old” seed (lettuces, scallions, onions) also do not look like they’re coming up. IF I can find bell/jalapeno plants at a reasonable price, I will buys some 4-packs & give up on the ‘from seed’ idea. The cucumber seeds have germinated - noticed some 2-leaf plants emerging from the soil Friday - covered them with clay pots & as of yesterday,they looked like they made it through the cold temps.
The birds are feeding heavily again at the feeders - the cold mornings have them fueling up early/late. I put out Nyger thistle for the first time & the Goldfinches have been coming in droves - like rays of sunshine with their bright gold coats! I spent some birthday money on a thistle feeder - money well-spent & I’ll be feeding thistle seed for sure in the future.
Good point. Living downwind from the Great Lakes has both pros and cons. My choice to live here is my own responsibility (free will and all that), but the conditions in which I find myself are undoubtedly part of God's magnificent Creation and I should give credit where credit is due.
Especially for the goldfinches. :-)
That is true, however, I assume the poster knows that basic truth, and has a problem with growth even outside.
To prevent that you need a grow light and I put a small fan on the plants to simulate winds and the harsher conditions of being outside.
Yes, I have about 70 plants started from seeds, some 2 months old, 6'' high in 20oz cups (and that much need to get planted, once weather allows), that I placed in Windows near the back of the house that see little sun, using grow lights. However, I later moved some to windows that get more sun and in a cooler room and have no grow lights and the plants grow more, if slowly. Glory to God. The fan is a good idea, but what I do is have them in together in a box and put them outside on the porch on warmer sunny days, and which are often very windy, and put tape lines across the rows so that the wind does not push them over to breaking. It is after planting that the chances of that occurring is a bigger problem, and thus using rocks or stakes and string is necessary.
and at least 60's in the day, with sun. Which is close to June at the earliest here, but some need to go infirst unless I transfer them to larger containers. Watching the forecast.
Well, a goldfinch does not fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.
From the symptoms you describe, your issue is most likely light. Are you using a grow light or even flourescent bulbs? Light from a window, even a southern one, is not enough light in late Winter/early Spring.
16 hours ON, 8 hours OFF after germination with the bulbs 2” above the top leaves, so you need to be able to adjust the lighting up as the plants grow. They need HEAT to germinate, not necessarily light, so someplace warm (the top of the fridge is a good choice) or set them on a heat mat or an electric blanket.
If they are getting dark on the stem where the stem comes out of the soil and THEN falling over, that’s a product of too much water. It’s called ‘damping off.’
They also need to be man-handled a bit when they get their first set of adult leaves (the first leaves are called ‘seed leaves’). You can do this by lightly brushing your hand over them a few times a day, or setting up a fan to GENTLY blow them around. This strengthens their stems as they grow.
They don’t need any fertilizer until they have TWO sets of adult leaves - and then, a VERY weak solution (read the package) because, well, they’re babies! ;)
Also, using a true ‘seed starting mix’ versus potting soil or dirt from the garden will help with the damping off and water retention problems.
That’s a nice graphic! I live right at the line in SW Wisconsin between colder than normal and warmer than normal!
And that’s been the case, for sure! In December we had 50 degree days, now in May we’re having some freezing overnight temps.
It all averages out, but we certainly have to pay attention every DAY to the weather this season!
The part about not enough light is not intuitive.
I had to learn that the hard way. I didn’t know it for a few years and could not figure out what I was having so much trouble starting them.
You can also bury the stems and they will root, so when you transplant them, transplant them deep enough so that the plants don’t tip over and break.
Where is that? It looks great.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.