Beautiful Geraniums and Coleus

I am pleased with the progress of the geraniums and coleus.  They have been relatively easy to grow.

There is a flower bud in the middle of the tray.

I love the variations in coloring: pink, burghundy, yellow and white. 

I transplanted soapwort seedlings into sixteen individual containers. I pulled out two that had "kinked" stems. The stems of the seedlings are very fragile.

Four Syrian eggplants have looked pretty sad the past week.  I threw away the first three and repotted this one into a deeper container. All other varieties look much better although some leaves look pale and stressed.

Before

After

Then I up-potted five Independence Day Tomatoes to six-inch plastic containers. They don't look like they have taken the transplanting very well. Keeping fingers crossed for a potential July 4th tomato!

Postscript #1 - There was germination of a Thai peppers and Tiny Tim tomato. Yahoo!!
Postscript #2 - I added potting soil to the Italian Roma tomato containers to cover more of the stems.

Monday's Odds 'n Ends #3

The geraniums have been potted up!

Following are the tasks I finished today that were carried over from this weekend:

1. Watered as needed. 
2. Fertilized as needed. 
3. Moved geraniums from 3" pots to 4 1/2" pots. 
4. Transplanted delphiniums. 
5. Transplanted black-eyed susans. 
6. Moved asparagus from 4-packs to 4" pots. 

The asparagus seedlings were buried two inches deep into bigger pots.

Postscript #1 -  No evidence of germination from the foxglove and coreopsis (full moon and early sunrise) seeds planted on February 28.  Research suggests up to a 30 day germination; I will wait until March 31 before declaring them not viariable (seeds were at six years old).

Postscript #2 - The first sowing of black-eyed susans (February 25) looks far less robust than the second sowing (February 28).  I will transplant the February 25 seedlings to individual 3" pots and toss the February 28 seedlings growing in the 4"x8" container. 

Always Something To Do

What I love about seed starting is that there is always something to fuss over and tinker with. And what is even better is that there is no urgency with any of these tasks.  There is always some flexibility as to when they need to be done, give or take a few days and sometimes a few weeks. The tasks can be squeezed in here or there, dedicating 15 minutes or up to a couple of hours depending on whatever else is on the day's agend. Today I woke up at 6:00 am eager to fit in two hours of transplanting seedlings and sowing more flower seeds.

Today's projects:

• Transplanted geraniums from 4-packs to their own 3" pots. I will give them a day's reprieve from growlights to adjust to the transplant. 

• Transplanted Sweet Williams to twenty-five 2" pots; will not put under lights today to allow recovery from the transplant.  The remaining Sweet William seedlings (7) have been potted in two 3" pots to grow on as extras. 

• It was also time to give the rosemary seedlings more "leg room", splitting up the seedlings into their own cells. 

• Eight seedlings from the pansy container sown on February 3 were ready to be transplanted into two 4-packs.  I thought I would l leave the remaining seedlings in the 4"x8" container for a few more weeks but instead transplanted them into a 6-pack.  Similarly, I won't put the pansies back under growlights until tomorrow.

• I have had difficulty in past years germinating lavender seeds.  This year I ran an experiment to see which of three methods (traditional, pre-chilling, pressing seeds into mix) would yield the greatest number of seedlings. As of this date, the most effective was the traditional planting of seeds sown 1/4" deep.  I transplanted those eight seedlings from container #1 and one seedling from container #2 into a 3" pot, leaving the remaining seedlings to grow on.  The winner will be declared in a few weeks. 

• The delphiniums looks a bit ill with blotchy leaves that are slightly yellowing.  I hesitate to transplant them in this condition but decided a bit of "tough love" was in order.  I moved the six largest seedlings to their own 3" pots and the remaining seedlings will carry on in the original container for a few more weeks. 

The following seeds were sowed today:

Coleus (Rainbow Mix): Livingston Seeds, 2014.  Planted seeds 1/4" deep in one 4"x8" container. Expected germination time, 7-14 days.  Characteristics: annual, shade, 12-18" tall, blooms in summer. Used as a backdrop or centerpiece in pots or in a mass.  Shades of kelly green, royal burgundy and lemon yellow.  For bushier growth, pinch center stem when plants are 4" to 6" tall.
See: http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/coleus/coleus-rainbow-mix.html

Impatiens (Flavours Hybrid Mix): Burpee, 2015. Sowed seeds in 4"x8" container shallowly. Expected germination date: 18-28 days. Days to maturity, 55-60.  Characteristics: annual, large 2" flowers, white, red, pink, lavender, 8" tall. Space 10" apart.
See: http://www.almanac.com/plant/impatiens

Lupines (Russell's Prize Mix, Lupinus polyphyllus): Livingston Seeds, 2014. Expected germination time, 25-30 days. I did not soak the seeds overnight as recommended on the packet. Planted seeds 1/4" deep in one 4"x8" container. Characteristics: Perennial, sun, 2' to 4' tall, tall stalks bearing large flowers in shades of pink, yellow, rose, red and blue, use as cut flowers or in garden bed, low maintenance, mulch summer and winter.
See: http://www.burpee.com/perennials/lupine/lupine-russell-hybrid-mixed-colors-prod000077.html

Potentilla (Trailing Cinquefoil, tonguei): Harvested, 2014. The seeds were originally received through a seed swap, 2009.  Planted seeds 1/8" deep in one 4"x8" container. Not 100% sure of variety, but most resembles a tonguei by Internet search.  One of my favorite perennial flowers. Over the past five years there has been a decline in the number of plants in the perennial bed.  I hope to add dozen or so more plants to the garden. Characteristics:  perennial, full sun, hybrid, low clump-forming for edging or massing as ground cover. trailing stems, 4-6" tall, small, single apricot-yellow buttercup flowers, bright-red eye, blooms all summer, pinch back spent blooms.
See: http://www.perennials.com/plants/potentilla-tonguei.html

Postscript #1 - Salvia, Scarlett has germinated (seeds sowed February 25, 7 days).
Postscript #2 - I am stratifying Bouncing Bet/Saponaria officinalis seeds for one week in the refrigerator. They will be ready to sow on or after March 11.

Saturday's Play Time!

It's early Saturday morning and there is "no better way to start the day" than to play with seedlings! 

Today I need to give the geraniums some attention. The seedlings that did germinate are now at a good size to transplant, having two sets of true leaves. I plan to separate the two seedlings that occupy some cells and move them into open cells in the 4-packs as well as into three 3" pots. I probably should give the remaining non-germinated seeds extra time to germinate but, as is often the case, I am impatient and want to do the job now.

First time growing geraniums!

To transplant, I give the seedlings a good watering an hour or so beforehand to reduce the risk of shock. Using a small butter knife or craft stick, I gently dig below the seedling to prick it out, working carefully to not disturb the roots. It's important to hold the seedling by its leaves, never its delicate stem, for fear of crushing it or perhaps injuring the growing tip. Poking a hole with a pencil into the new growing medium, I plant the seedling at the same depth, gently firming the soil with my finger tips and watering well.

I use a very crumbly and multi-textured mix, Metromix 830, and it makes easy work of transplanting. I don't expect these small seedlings to skip a beat.

Nice and orderly now!

It was also time for the Sweet William container to be thinned. As you can see, the seedlings are very crowded and many should be removed.

Before the thinning

Drum roll, please! This is what the container looks like now.  I always feel badly when I thin my seedlings; it's like being forced to choose a favorite child.  Unfortunately, I don't need all those seedlings and they would compete for space and nutrients needed by the seedlings earmarked for the garden. 

After the thinning

In a few weeks time, I'll thin the container again and let the remaining seedlings grow on for a while until they get transplanted to their own pots. I would like to end up with twenty-five new plants to move into the perennial garden bed. 

TIP OF THE DAY!!  I use an old pair of cuticle scissors to thin out small, densely-packed seedlings. After making a clean cut at the base of the stem, I throw those seedlings into a compost pile. 

Postscript #1 - I'm now certain I placed the sweet potato upside down into the water.  More shoots are growing into the water and the roots are stunted. Count this as the first failure of the season.  I'm confident the four remaining sweet potatoes will provide all the sweet potato slips I need. 

Two-Week Checkup

Time for a two-week checkup!

I'm happy to report that many more geraniums, delphiniums, pansies, lavender, rosemary and Sweet William seedlings have emerged! Also four varieties of onions show signs of germination: Walla Walla, Copra, Ringmaster and Toyko Long White Bunching. These seedlings germinated early, in six days (maybe 5 since I didn't look closely yesterday), and now they join other containers on the kitchen table under growlights.

Nineteen geraniums - almost ready to separate the seedlings into their own cells.

Nine delphiniums slowing making their way into this world.

Eight pansies looking pretty!

Surprised myself by how many rosemary seedlings emerged - 27!

Sweet William seedlings need to be thinned soon, over 100 and counting!

Wet wipe containers come in handy!  Recycle and reuse, I say!

Throwing Darts at a Moving Target

I lack confident in my seed starting schedule this year.  Firstly, we are currently buried under five feet of snow and expecting another foot tonight into tomorrow. Secondly, there are conflicting seed starting dates for the vegetables, herbs and flowers that I want to grow. I generally rely on the seed packet for guidance, but it often differs from the online resources. In addition, I lack confidence in determining a start date for spring planting in the hoophouse. I want to better utilize the hoophouse for early spring greens and peas. Oh well, this is my best effort, but I feel like I am throwing darts at a moving target.

                                                   Seeds to be sowed 12 weeks (w/o February 16) before the last frost:

Asparagus

White onions
Red Onions

Leeks

Verbena

Vinca
Hibiscus
Lobelia 

Impatiens

Celery

                                                  Seeds to be sowed 11 weeks (w/o February 23) before the last frost:

Snapdragons

Black-Eyed Susan
Foxglove

Echinacaea
Grecian Rose
Chamomile
Coreopsis
Gypsophilia

          Seeds to be sowed 10 weeks (w/o March 2) before the last frost:

Petunia

Potentilla
Coleus
Lupine

Seeds to be sowed 9 weeks (w/o March 9) before the last frost:
Independence Day Tomato (for hoophouse)
Peas, Super Sugar (for hoophouse)
Lemongrass
Rock Soapwort
Columbine, Tequila Sunrise
Ageratum, Dondo Blue
Hollyhocks, Nigra
Chinese Forget-Me-Nots
Alyssum, Basket of Gold
Artichoke
Lettuce

Arugula

Spinach

Kale, Blue Vates (for hoophouse)
Kale, Winterbor (for hoophouse)
Broccoli (for hoophouse)
Thyme

Seeds to be sowed 8 weeks (w/o March 16) before the last frost:
Lemon Balm
Portulaca
Eggplant
Evergreen Bunching Onions
Alyssum, annual

Seeds to be sowed 7 weeks (w/o March 23) before the last frost:
Peppers
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cabbage

Seeds to be sowed 6 weeks (w/o March 30) before the last frost:

Tomatoes
Dahlia

Seeds to be sowed  4-5 weeks (w/o April 6, 13, 20 or 27) before the last frost:
Alliums - since crop failure
Naturtiums
Zinnias
Shasta Daisy
Calendula
Cleome

Postscript #1 -  Nineteen geranium seedlings have germinated; three cells show no sign of germination.

And the Seeding Continues...

I only sowed one pack of seeds today:

Geranium Border Mix (unknown):  Livingston Seeds, 2014. Planted all twenty-six seeds 13 weeks before last frost; 10-12 were were recommended.  Seeds were sowed 1/4" deep in four 4-cell packs. Two and a half packs received two seeds each and the other cells, just one each.  I've since learned that the these seeds have a good germination rate and now wish I put only one seed in each cell.  I may try to transplant the second seedling in the cell although it is not advised.   Expected germination time: 7-21 days.  Characteristics: annual, full sun, compact, bushy plants that grow 15" in height, with 5" flowers in colors of rose, cherry, scarlet and white. Hoping to grow enough geraniums to fill my front window boxes and a few containers. Variety, N/A.
See: http://www.burpee.com/flowers/geraniums-annuals/geranium-border-mix-prod001041.html