Posted: 2/2/2011 10:38:37 AM EDT
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Back story,
Last year I started some tomato and pepper seeds in the little cup things you get at wally world (each section was about the size of a quarter). When the seeds sprouted they were real leggy and the stems were very small. Needless to say they all fell over and eventually died. Now question is what and how do you start your seeds so they aren't so leggy. I do not have a grow light and the seeds were started in the house in front of a window (not direct sun light but plenty of light) Maybe a bigger cup for the dirt. Thanks for any help. rr |
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Your long season crops are going to be living in those little cells for a couple of months.
Light is important. You don't need "grow" lights but it sounds like you are going to need more light. Get 2 or 3 cheap flourescent fixtures, you can run standard cool white tubes. $5 timer. Drop them down to about 2" from the surface and rig something up to be able to raise them as the plants grow. 
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I don't use a heat pad but some people do for soil warming. It can help for stuff like peppers and hard starters.
Those are the standard kits sold everywhere. I have also upgraded to some commercial quality (and expense) trays and domes but those standard kits are GTG and I have been using them for years. The cell packs sit in the trays. I divide the sheet up with scissors when I first get them. 
They are commonly a 6-pack but sometimes eights and 4's, 2's, 10's and 16's are available from commercial sources. Fill the cells with media and give them a hard soak to initially saturate it. I fill the tray with water and mist the top. The media is initially hydrophobic but once it's saturated it will readily wick. Mist the tops to keep the surface from drying out until the seeds sprout. After that, just lift out a cell pack and pour water into the tray to bottom water. There isn't a pad or anything, just standing water. Two reasons: 1. Plants seek water down. That's where they want to be encouraged to send their roots. 2. The seedlings have thin tender stems. If they sit surrounded by constantly saturated media it's easy for them to get stem rot. That would be your turn black, fall over and die scenario. Bright overhead light encourages full leaf development. Weak light encourages stem elongation as the plants "strain" to grow taller towards the light. Window or other lateral lighting encourages uneven directional growth. Most plants exhibit phototropism, e.g., they grow towards light. Another trick is to use a small fan to gently stress the plants. They'll naturally develop stronger stems to resist the "wind". |
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Quoted:
The okra did very well and I ate it all Summer. I held the squash as I had Butternut dedicated to the space. Plenty of seed left from both, thanks. The Nicotiana Shirazi is Persian smoking tobacco. Wife wanted to know what the plant was...I expect now she will want to grow some.,,, 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The okra did very well and I ate it all Summer. I held the squash as I had Butternut dedicated to the space. Plenty of seed left from both, thanks. The Nicotiana Shirazi is Persian smoking tobacco. Wife wanted to know what the plant was...I expect now she will want to grow some.,,, I got plenty of seed for you... It has pretty flowers and is a great pollinator insect attractor. 
Also makes a nice diversion crop for your other Solanceae. Even if you don't try to smoke it. |
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50/50 screened peat and vermiculite. The fine vermiculite. Straight vermiculite is good too.
I use commercial mix sometimes but see if you can find some that doesn't have lime in it. I avoid Miracle Grow or brands that have fertilizer added. The seeds don't need that to germinate. Once they're up you can weakly feed them or use fert. after they are potted up. |
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Quoted:
50/50 screened peat and vermiculite. The fine vermiculite. Straight vermiculite is good too. I use commercial mix sometimes but see if you can find some that doesn't have lime in it. I avoid Miracle Grow or brands that have fertilizer added. The seeds don't need that to germinate. Once they're up you can weakly feed them or use fert. after they are potted up. Do you transfer your plants to pots or from the trays to the garden? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
50/50 screened peat and vermiculite. The fine vermiculite. Straight vermiculite is good too. I use commercial mix sometimes but see if you can find some that doesn't have lime in it. I avoid Miracle Grow or brands that have fertilizer added. The seeds don't need that to germinate. Once they're up you can weakly feed them or use fert. after they are potted up. Do you transfer your plants to pots or from the trays to the garden? Both. The Nicotiana needs thinning and potting up. The seeds are tiny and it comes up like a lawn. Most of the long season stuff gets potted up and then hardened off under cover outdoors. Some of my potting up is just to make room under the lights for short germination stuff like flowers that goes right out after frost. I get to a point where I can't raise the lights anymore and also I need them back down to tray height so I can start some more stuff. Plus the long season stuff has good root development by then and needs some dirt for nutrition but it's usually still too early to put it outside. Some of it goes straight into the ground and of course, I direct sow the obvious stuff like lettuce, radishes, etc. |
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Quoted:
My problem is I don't like thinning out plants...  ...makes me feel like I am wasteing them...when I thin out my okra I replant the ones I pull..I know that feeling. I keep some as backup but usually end up giving the rest away. For me, it just becomes a space issue. As well as crowding the plants. But those six cells of Nicotiana are hundreds of plants that will each rapidly grow to six feet. |
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Quoted:
Back story, Last year I started some tomato and pepper seeds in the little cup things you get at wally world (each section was about the size of a quarter). When the seeds sprouted they were real leggy and the stems were very small. Needless to say they all fell over and eventually died. Now question is what and how do you start your seeds so they aren't so leggy. I do not have a grow light and the seeds were started in the house in front of a window (not direct sun light but plenty of light) Maybe a bigger cup for the dirt. Thanks for any help. rr google “damping off”. It is very important to use soiless mix to start seeds or you run the risk of losing all your seedlings |