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Help with my first attempt with seeds, please

lovethewolflovethewolf Posts: 8
in Plants

Hello everyone, I am very excited to have found this place: I have already found tons of useful advices, so a big thank you to everyone! I am giving my very first try with growing something. I sowed Cosmos and Brachyscome multifida seeds at the very end of April and kept them indoors close to an east facing window in the beginning (first of many mistakes), then moved them to a south facing one. My Cosmos seedlings got leggy and soon begun to be very crowded. I pricked them and now I have them in single/less crowded compostable units, some small, some bigger. I have hardened them for 12 days now, they spent their first night out yesterday and I was ready this afternoon to give a try and plant out in a 30cm wide pot 2 or 3 seedlings, burying them till the fake leaves as I read here. The 30 cm terracotta pot will be their permanent house. My doubt now is that I am rushing things too much. Do you think they are ready to be planted in big pots? Also I would like to plant some of them directly in the ground. Too early also for that I am afraid. What should I do? Wait and do nothing for now or move them in new compostable pots so that I can bury the stalk and strengthen them and try to help them with the legginess? But should I bury the little compostable pot inside a bigger one? I bought these pots because there's no need to take the seedling out, but things at this point get a little bit confused.Also I would be very grateful for some advices for the Brachyscome seedlings: I feel like they are languish in those tiny cells…but I cannot imagine how to handle such tiny and fragile seedlings. Thanks a lot!



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  • mandyroberts99mandyroberts99 Posts: 235
    I'm jealous, my first seedlings have done nothing in 4 weeks. Greenhouse, pots like yours, in trays, in a clear polythene bag, in t he greenhouse, sprayed with a fine mist when there was no condensation. In the vain hope they do, I'm interested in how you handle little seedlings so watching with interest
  • lovethewolflovethewolf Posts: 8
    mandyroberts99 said:
    I'm jealous, my first seedlings have done nothing in 4 weeks. Greenhouse, pots like yours, in trays, in a clear polythene bag, in t he greenhouse, sprayed with a fine mist when there was no condensation. In the vain hope they do, I'm interested in how you handle little seedlings so watching with interest

    I cheated a bit :D . I omitted the part where I say that exactly on the same day, in the same biodegradable trays, with the same compost I sowed also Echinacea and Forget Me Not: treated them as I did with the other seeds, but NOTHING germinated, nothing at all. Tomorrow will be a month since I sowed and still I keep on watering with mist the trays feeling a little stupid...May I ask what did you sow?
  • foxwalesfoxwales Posts: 69
    They are still very young and small and agree are very leggy.  I'd wait until the stems thicken more b andcand theypthey getoget bigger.  I don't think they need bigger pots at this stage.  I'd avoid watering from above and soak the trays instead so they draw moisture, which will prevent the seedlings from falling over and resting in water.

    I prefer to sow my cosmos directly into my borders, there is always a risk of frost and not all seeds/seedlings will make it, but it saves pricking out and leggy growth.
  • mandyroberts99mandyroberts99 Posts: 235
    I planted  Berkheya purpurea and Anchusa capensis 'Blue Angel' individually into the biogradeable pots. I also planted Aubrieta (mixed hybrids) directly into the soil and there are signs of these but until they grow more I can't tell if what is growing are weeds or aubretia.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    I have found echinacea difficult to germinate too.....
  • angelique 2angelique 2 Posts: 19
    cosmos are fickle. this is the second year I have germinated from seed. The get leggy but persist and resist the urge to repot them. They will straighten, get strong and bush out. These have been growing since late March. the pots are seedling tray pots I got from aldi. I have managed to get my cosmos to self seed one year buy leaving the last seed heads on to dry out then scatter them around.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    @angelique 2 when potting on the seedlings,  bury stem up as far as the seed leaves, makes for a much sturdier plant.....
  • lovethewolflovethewolf Posts: 8
    angelique 2 said:
    cosmos are fickle. this is the second year I have germinated from seed. The get leggy but persist and resist the urge to repot them. They will straighten, get strong and bush out. These have been growing since late March. the pots are seedling tray pots I got from aldi. I have managed to get my cosmos to self seed one year buy leaving the last seed heads on to dry out then scatter them around.

    Wow, they look great! Thank you for the advices!
  • lovethewolflovethewolf Posts: 8
    Mary370 said:
    @angelique 2 when potting on the seedlings,  bury stem up as far as the seed leaves, makes for a much sturdier plant.....

    Thanks a lot, I will. So you suggest me to wait, not to repot them and to bury them when I will move them to their permanent place? Thanks!
  • lovethewolflovethewolf Posts: 8
    foxwales said:
    They are still very young and small and agree are very leggy.  I'd wait until the stems thicken more b andcand theypthey getoget bigger.  I don't think they need bigger pots at this stage.  I'd avoid watering from above and soak the trays instead so they draw moisture, which will prevent the seedlings from falling over and resting in water.

    I prefer to sow my cosmos directly into my borders, there is always a risk of frost and not all seeds/seedlings will make it, but it saves pricking out and leggy growth.

    Thank you for the advices!
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