Forum home Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

When to give up on seedlings?

debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
If you have 12 little pots and seeds coming up beautifully in 9 of them how long do you give the other 3? Just wondering what other gardeners do. Bearing in mind that space in propogator or on windowsill may be limited. 
«1

Posts

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    😂 @pansyface
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    If they haven't shown their faces by the time the others are ready to pot on, they go on the compost heap
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Depends what they are, I sow some seeds that I know won’t germinate until autumn or even next Spring. 
    Some seeds need an outside winter before they’ll germinate. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • If at first you don't succeed, read the instructions. They might be slow to germinate, or they might need stratification, or the might need darkness.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    If 9 out of 12 germinate that’s a pretty good success rate I just wondered how long other people gave their seedlings before giving up. Like to give them every chance but obviously space is limited. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    As said before, depends what they are some can take up to two years to germinate some in 2 days. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Mine get till I pot them on, like you limited space, so if 9 are up and that is enough then tip out the rest. I usually do it somewhere that if one suddenly appears it could be salvaged. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I  thought the OP was talking about other pots not germinated, not seeds in the same pots, so yes I agree, if nine seeds out of twelve  in the same pot have germinated I’d through away the rest. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    Sorry I wasn’t more clear I just think it’s strange, I have about 180 sweet peas all sown at the same time in the same way about 10 different varieties and it’s amazing how some are really tall then in the next tube exactly the same variety is only just poking through. About 40 tubes are showing nothing at all, different types. I may give them another week then empty them into a big pot and see if anything happens. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Ah sweet peas,  this year, only for the reason that people were raving over buying seed compost, I bought some and  sowed my sweet peas in it,  hopeless!  Never again, they are just about showing, been in there since the 7th. March, I’ve never had such a wait for seeds. 
    I also sowed a tray of Lobelia, very slow, yet the tray I sowed 14th March is well up and overtaken the tray in the seed compost sowed on the 19th February.  

    So, could be the compost, could be the seeds as they are different varieties, but if mine are anything to go by, I wouldn’t give up just yet. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

Sign In or Register to comment.