BYC gardening thread!!

[Arielle]

YOur mention of peppers made me realize that I have never had peppers germinate. . . .so I let my son plant every seeed. About 72. And most have sprouted!! What will I do with 50 + peppers??? LOL

Thanks everyone for input on watering cans. We are tough on them, and the plastic last a few years; the metal one lasted 10 years more than my grandfather used it.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

YOur mention of peppers made me realize that I have never had peppers germinate. . . .so I let my son plant every seeed. About 72. And most have sprouted!! What will I do with 50 + peppers??? LOL

Thanks everyone for input on watering cans. We are tough on them, and the plastic last a few years; the metal one lasted 10 years more than my grandfather used it.

Haha! Start handing them out.

 

[Kraftcrazychick]

My squash, green beans and pumpkins survived being separated! I really hope the cold nights are done soon so I can get them out of the house!

Speaking of peppers, I had about a dozen habeneros sprout and now 3-4 of them are looking wilted. They are about 1 inch tall. I water them daily-at least once a day- but there is no improvement.
I have the grow lights on a timer of 14 hours during the day and they are placed about 4 inches above the seedling tray. The tray is one of those plastic hexagon ones.

Is there something else I should be doing? The only peppers I tried last year were already started plants and they never grew well. Only little nubs of peppers.

 

[vehve]

I had great success with the pepper plants this year, so far at least. I started them in peat pots and transplanted them into plastic pots once they got their first true leaves. Every since then they've been on a wick watering system, that has kept the moisture at an optimal level. I also don't think they can get too much light at this point, I'd keep the lights about an inch or two from the plants, and 16 hours of light isn't too much. Also, what kind of soil do you have them in? I don't think they need too much nutrients at the early stages.

 

[Kraftcrazychick]

This is my first time starting indoors from seed so I am learning as I go. Next time- I need more lights! Two is not enough because plants don't grow at the same rate.

I have a shelf with four metal racks on it with one grow light each on two shelves. The taller plants are on the lower level with a higher height light. The smaller plants are on the upper shelf with a lower light. I have a variety of plants set under it so I tried to pick a height that would not scorch any of them as some are taller than that. I started them in potting soil and they currently have one set of leaves.

This has also started to happen to my broccoli I started. They got about a 1/2 inch tall and starting falling over and dying.

 

[vehve]

Could you be overwatering? It's easy to do. I think that happened to mine last year, and if you're willing to try it it, I would really recommend the wick watering. Here's how I built my system.






The light here is too high, and it's a 24W light. It's enough for the beginning, but once their leaves get bigger, more light will be necessary.

 

[Kraftcrazychick]

I have considered wick watering but honestly questioned how well it would work. What did you make your wicks out of? I have seen it recommended to use natural fibers so I will decompose in the garden later on. For the squash and pumpkins I did transplant them into cut 2 liters that would work as a wicking system. I just didn't put in the wick.

I was just trying to bide my time.

The cell tray the peppers are in does have a drip catch under it but since I don't have it completely full of germinating seed I doubt it does anything. Just spread what little water came out across a long area that doesn't need it.

I am really hoping this weekend will be nice. I want my garden soil delivered and I have to get the older plants in the ground before they outgrow their containers- again.

 

[vehve]

I use a cheapo paracord string as a wick. The way it differs from real paracord is that the core is not woven, so it actually wicks better than the real stuff would. When changing pots, I just pull the cord out, so no need to worry about decomposing. You can also fabricate a wicking pot out of a soda bottle, the soil works as a wick in the designs I've seen.

I would worry about mold with natural fibers, but honestly, I doubt the material makes much difference as long as it transfers moisture well. One thing to look out for when using string as a wick, is the water level. You don't want the water level to be much further than 2 inches from the bottom of the pot, otherwise it won't pull water all that efficiently.

 

[Kraftcrazychick]

My 2 liters look like this without the cord-more or less.... http://img.thrfun.com/img/016/570/planter_l.jpg - not my photo. I drilled a hole into the cap before planting. Do you think if I fill the bottom with water to cover the cap that the soil will draw the water up?

 

[vehve]

Yeah, as long as you keep the water level high enough to keep the cork in water, but low enough to not reach above the thinnest part of the neck, I think it should work nicely. Adding a string wick to the cork and somehow working it into the soil a bit could make it even better, then you wouldn't have to watch the water level as often, as it would also pull water from lower down.