Compost and pot question

[IndigoElectron]

Hi everyone

I'm only in my second year of gardening, and trying to avoid some of the mistakes I made last year!

This year I bought some of those biodegradable fibre pots, so I could plant the whole thing out when the plants are big enough. I've sowed tomatoes, tomatilloes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers, courgettes, aubergines, alpine strawberries and some annual flowers. But I used John Innes seed compost for everything, and I've just realised it only has enough nutrients for 3 weeks.

Does this mean I will have to prick the seedlings out anyway, into multi purpose or John Innes no. 1, or is there some other way of feeding them? I really don't want to prick out the strawberries and flowers if I can avoid it, because the seeds are tiny!

Finally, I was planning on sowing some salad today (in modules, in the plastic greenhouse, to plant into the garden later) - should I use seed compost or something else?

Thanks for the advice.

[Kristen]

I hate those biodegradeable pots ... sorry! The "promise" is good of course, but in practice I find that they restrict the roots after planting out. At the very least make sure you tear off any part of the pot that is above-ground after planting out, otherwise it will act as a wick to dry out the part of the pot underground.

I suggest you feed them with a liquid feed. Use it very dilute, perhaps only 1/10th of the normal dose, but you could use it at every other watering (it can help to wash-through nutrients so the salts don't build up, so some plain water watering is better than even more dilute feed at every watering)

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Kristen. Would Baby Bio be okay, or do I need something like tomato feed? I think I've got some left over from last year.

Good advice about the pots, thanks. The reason I wanted to use them was because last year, when I did everything in modules, it all germinated at different rates in the heated propagator, and I ended up either having to prick out the seedlings or cut individual modules from the tray so I could move them out of the propagator. I was hoping they would develop a good root ball in the fibre pots, then I could plant them out.

Maybe I'm doing this all wrong and there's an easier way?

Finally, should I use multi purpose or John Innes no. 1 next time, perhaps with seed compost sprinkled on top?

[Kristen]

Would Baby Bio be okay, or do I need something like tomato feed? I think I've got some left over from last year.

Baby Bio should be fine. General Purpose would be better than Tomato - if there is an NPK ratio on the bottle then something with similar numbers for all three would be best, (whereas Tomato fertiliser will have a much higher figure for the "K")

Maybe I'm doing this all wrong and there's an easier way?

No, but there is a more complicated way!!

You can sow seeds direct into modules (and then thin some out to leave one). Personally I think that getting the watering right for each and every module cell is a bit inexact. Modules take up quite a bit of space ...

I sow into small (1/4 size) seed trays (but 9cm shallow pots i.e. "pans" would do) and then I prick out. I prick out into very small modules - a bit smaller than 1" square - and then I pot-on into 9cm pots, and that is what I plant out from.

I used to prick out direct to 9cm pots, but I had some losses and I came to the conclusion that a tiny seedling in a 9cm pot was probably getting more water than it could drink ... I've had very few losses since introducing the modules-first step.

But, like you have said, I don't have exactly the right number of seedlings to fill a module tray so I wind up with some-and-some and then some are ready for potting on before the rest and I then have a half filled module tray taking up space on the greenhouse bench.

My way is a lot more faff than yours

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Kristen :-)

I'll give the Baby Bio a go then, and see how I get on. We don't have much space inside, so that's something I need to consider. And I think I need to accept that I will make mistakes and that's how I'll learn! We did get some good crops last year - peas, beans and tomatoes were particularly successful - so I must be doing something right. And as I read in a magazine recently, there's always next spring :-D

[Kristen]

If you have plant failures, growing from seed, I think it is worth considering buying plants from the garden centre. They will already be, say, 6 weeks old so will save you that much time (compared to sowing-again yourself) which might be important for anything that needs a long-season, or must be done during "high summer" - if we get one!

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Kristen. I think I might need to do that with the flowers - they were a disaster last year, with the exception of the marigolds and zinnias! I remember you telling me that I shouldn't bother trying to grow lobelia from seed but it hasn't stopped me trying again. I like a challenge :-D

[Kristen]

Lobellia seed is so small ... and the seedlings too. I prick mine out, but most people / nurseries just sow a small pinch in each cell and they then sell them as a clump (i.e. not thinned at all).

I grow only the white ones, and their seed (naturally) produces a few plants with Blue flowers, so a "clump" of seedlings is not a lot of use to me - they are planted before I discover that there are some blue ones, and I have to then try to work out which ones in the clump are the culprits!!

So the ones I grow I prick out to 9cm pots and then get them to flower before planting them out. The village fete gets a few Blue ones to sell

[Jungle Jane]

last year, when I did everything in modules, it all germinated at different rates in the heated propagator, and I ended up either having to prick out the seedlings or cut individual modules from the tray so I could move them out of the propagator. I was hoping they would develop a good root ball in the fibre pots, then I could plant them out.

Maybe I'm doing this all wrong and there's an easier way?

If a few seedlings come up,just take the lid off,put the tray on the windowsill so they all get light (sometimes some sun) all the seeds would have started germinating but at a slightly slower pace. I had one sweet pepper seedling growing well for about a week before the others poked their heads up (I don't use a heated propagator,I just put the trays of tomatoes & peppers on windowsills with a plastic cover).

[weed]

The best gardeners in the world still have failures so don't let that stop you trying as for those pots i have tried them and did not like the time for them to break down as well. I also use seed compost in trays then pick out the best plants to grow on in small pots in a multi purpose compost seem's to work but still have some failures but not enough to worry about. Last year i thought i was being clever by trying to grow a pumpkin out of my compost heap chose the best looking plant made a beer trap and all kinds of slug proofing few day's later it was gone don't know if it was a mouse or rat but it was gone all bar a stump of a stem so even when you get a plant growing well something can always come along and spoil it but then something really takes of in the garden and all is well again in my case dahlia sunshine all plants sown from seed grew really well so if i can grow them they must be easy also sweet peas as cut flowers are easy and will fill your rooms with there sent. Good luck for this year