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Seedling Care after Germination - night-time temps might be too low?

UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
in Tools and techniques
Specifically, does anyone have any experience of seedlings sprouting, then moving into a cooler environment quite soon?   A bit of googling suggests maybe 5 degree lower would be okay....but that was just a single/random source!  struggle to find much on seed packets/websites/books. 

On a practical level, what i'm looking at is getting germination done 18-20 degree on a few window cills, then moving into an unheated north facing conservatory where i have lots of space and finally at this time of year, indirect sun light.

will the night temps be too low for recently sprouted seedlings?   I suspect this isn't much different from unheated greenhouses/lean-to types.  i can monitor max/min temps on a simple digital thermometer.

by and large, i'm looking at perrenials...Echinacea, campanula, achillea, cerastium, candytuft, Aruncus (Goats beard)....for the OH's developing white garden.   will also be some annuals...cosmos and foxgloves.

Any ideas welcome, except turning the radiators on in that conservatory, which would cost a fortune to run!     Thanks.


Posts

  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    Hi UpNorth.  I start all my seeds off in the conservatory. I think it's probably a little bit warmer than using an unheated greenhouse due to double glazing.
    To give extra protection overnight I use plastic lids on my propagation trays.

    The only things that get a heat boost for germination are my chillies, toms and half-hardy seeds. Once they've sprouted up in the heated propagator and have a good pair of leaves they get shifted onto a shelf with the rest.
    Works well for me in Manchester 😊.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    When they're in the conservatory, move them away from the windows before nightfall ... that's where the temperatures will be lowest.  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • paul_in_surreypaul_in_surrey Posts: 239
    Of your list the only ones I've started so far this year are achillea. I started the seeds at home and a week or so after germination moved them to my unheated greenhouse at the allotment. I got a little bit of anxious parent syndrome on Friday and brought them home again to sit out Son of the Beast, but to be honest I went and checked the greenhouse this morning and everyone in there seemed quite happy regardless. These are my achillea seedlings on the right, next to the salvias which I was more worried about.
    But the greenhouse seems OK, the sweet peas I sowed in the autumn are still happy, though I forgot to take a picture until I was leaving and had closed it all up, which is why the picture's from the outside.


    Just one other thing - aren't foxgloves generally biennial, and therefore if you're short of space can't they wait until later?
    “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
  • UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
    Thanks everyone, I feel more confident the conservatory should be fine for them post-germinating.  I don't think they will get sufficient temps to germinate there yet but i might start some off in heated rooms and in a propagator. 

    @Paul_in_surrey Thanks for the pics.  Yes Biennial... good point i will be keeping the foxgloves and also some Honesty until mid June.  Unless anyone thinks Honesty best started now? 

    I've also got a few more seeds to do but in smaller volumes so they can go on kitchen window cill. 
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