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RIP Dahlia seedlings

ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
in Fruit & veg
 :( What on earth do you all do with tender seedlings when it's really cold? I had fantastic germination from my free dahlia seeds from the magazine, pricked them all out a couple of weeks ago but then didn't have room anywhere indoors for them. My greenhouse isn't heated or insulated (not worth it as I don't grow anything through the winter or have citrus or anything that needs it) and doesn't have power so a heat mat isn't an option there. I've been tucking the seedlings under a double thickness of bubble wrap and until last night they were fine, even in the minus 3 of a couple of nights ago. But last night it went below minus five inside the greenhouse and most of them have had it this morning. I'm so sad as they were all lovely healthy looking things. Practically every seed had produced a good strong baby plant and now I've killed a load of them. I have a bit of space in my potting shed where I could plug a heat mat in, but I'm not sure that would be enough and don't have money sloshing about to buy stuff like that if it's not going to be right. What do you all do with them, if you don't have room in the house for them to grow on?   
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  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Bring them in at night put them out during the day. (out in the greenhouse)
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I grow dahlias from seed every year, but I don't sow until mid-March, and I do have a heated propagator which is a great help.
    By March the light levels are much better and it should be a bit warmer.
    It has been a very cold winter this year, so that has probably what's done for your seedlings. In a 'normal' winter they would most likely have survived.
    A heat mat would help, and if you have something you could use as a transparent cover that would keep the heat in too.

    I learned many years ago not to sow seed too early as like you I've ended up with lots of tender seedlings then there's a harsh frost. So even though I have a greenhouse and propagator I don't sow any seeds until early March. They still have plenty of time to grow well

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
    edited March 2021
    Ah, I just followed the instructions in the magazine, which were to sow as soon as they arrived. I do have a heated propagator, which is how I started them off initially, then brought them in and put them on the kitchen windowsill, while they were still all together in the seed tray, but once they're pricked out they take up so much more room, don't they, so I didn't have space for them indoors then. The propagator is only small and by the time I'd pricked the dahlias out the propagator was full of other things waiting to germinate. If I thought they would still have time to grow and flower this year I'd have waited, like you say. Lesson learned for next year. I'm still sad though... 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I don’t sow tender seedlings until mid April ... I start them in a heated windowsill propagator and as soon as they’re up I turn the heat off and remove the covers during the day putting them back at night. 

    When they’re pricked out they’re still on the windowsills if there’s space, but pretty soon there’s no room and they go into a little wooden grow house in the garden, against the house wall .... but they come back indoors onto the dining room table and sideboard (which are covered with pvc table cloths) as soon as we’ve eaten supper ... we get into a real routine with it ... and this happens until late May/early June when it should be safe for them to be outside 24/7. 🤞 

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





  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I do much the same as @Dovefromabove, except no growhouse. The outside space for young plants is the frame and shelves of a "blowaway" (plastic cover long gone and it never worked very well). It's against the wall of our single-brick uninsulated utility room  so I think it gets a bit of warmth through the wall. Slightly bigger pots sometimes go on the lid of the rotting-down-stage compost bin, which gives off a bit of heat. I have a cold frame too but I use that for overwintering some borderline-hardy things.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Instructions on packets don't help much in this respect. When they say 'sow from early March' it might suggest that this is fine if you have a heated greenhouse.
  • selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
    I have fallen foul to this following instructions too ....
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    edited March 2021
    I'm with Pete8 and Dove on this.
    Its no good sowing to early unless you have somewhere warm with 16 hours of artificial light a day to grow them on. I am in the fortunate position in that I have setup a shelving unit with 5 shelves with T5 grow lights in my inhouse office so any early seedlings I do I keep tucked up in there at about 18-20 degrees due to the warmth of the house.

    I to have grown Dahlias from seed this year and they will be coming in from the heated propagator in the garage to the warmth of the house next week which will free up space for my tomato and cucumber sowings. Roll on the summer fed up with this blasted winter and you know what... :(

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    The only thing you can do is bring them into the house at night if below say 5 degrees is forecast... not very convenient. We're starting to warm up though now, it won't be long.

    Alternatively rig up power to your greenhouse or set up UV lights in your cellar/attic.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
    Fire said:
    Instructions on packets don't help much in this respect. When they say 'sow from early March' it might suggest that this is fine if you have a heated greenhouse.
    I wouldn't mind if it was just the packet, I usually ignore those and go with my gut, but this was in the magazine itself, suggesting there really was some urgency about sowing the bloomin' things (what a sad pun - they won't be blooming) as soon as it plopped onto the doormat. I still haven't got over it, I'm so sad that what were beautiful little baby plants are all dead because of my lack of knowledge. I honestly thought they'd be okay bubble-wrapped in the greenhouse. I've got about six left, out of nearly 50 plants.
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