Seed Tape Experiment Poll

[lottie dolly]

BM when you did seed tape last year,did the seed grow ok,i presume this experiment is to purely see if germination is any quicker other ways,

given the root grows first,i go with no 2,as the root should go down,and the green top should bypass the tape on top of it should the tape not degrade enough for it to come straight up,plus the tape maybe help keep the seed moist until it ready to go for it,

[Bigmallly]

BTW, why is there no control sowing of seed on masking tape but not covered over with tape or KR?

That's an interesting thought MH...........you could only do that at the time of sowing as I can't think of a way to store the tape until required.

[Bigmallly]

BM when you did seed tape last year,did the seed grow ok,i presume this experiment is to purely see if germination is any quicker other ways,

Yes Lottie, I had some brilliant Parsnips. Bearing in mind last year, the tape was newspaper strips glued together with flour & water.

[veggiechicken]

Have they grown yet BM? No pressure - just curious

[Jay-ell]

I've went for kitchen roll down based purely on the fact that I have fat thumbs and could have hit any of them when voting.

[Nicos]

I know making tape is paper, but I wonder about how the adhesive might interfere with the growth?
Presumably that won't break down in the same way as the flour and water did?

Just a thought.

[Bigmallly]

I know making tape is paper, but I wonder about how the adhesive might interfere with the growth?
Presumably that won't break down in the same way as the flour and water did?

Just a thought.

Just to put your mind at rest Nic, I have sown Parsnip Masking Tape this year & they are coming through lovely.

[weed]

if you have a look on flea bay you can get very very narrow masking tape so i would have thought that would break down faster in the soil

[lottie dolly]

Yes Lottie, I had some brilliant Parsnips. Bearing in mind last year, the tape was newspaper strips glued together with flour & water.

aha,i thought it was masking tape,i had a google about masking tape degrading,and came across your method with the kr and paste,would be good for snips and beetroot,also thinking small circles to fit pots,to start of toms,chillies,peppers,aubs,lettuce,brassica,it would be 3 fold...1 keep fingers busy when they get itchy 2 easier and quicker to sow when the time comes to prick out,3 they will have set spaces between making easier for the roots,write your label at the same time as tape prep,place in separate cheap onvelopes.

[Zelenina]

I voted for masking tape folded in half, just because no-one else did. It's also a proven method while none of the others are. I guess really the seeds will all start germinating at the same time. What we're actually voting on is how quickly they free themselves from the tape and poke their heads up. It's possible they'll break through the kitchen roll faster than the tape because it seems softer, but we don't know yet. Did you cover them with compost Mallly, or leave them bare as in the photo?

When I read your original seed tape thread I goggled masking tape to find out what it's made of. And it seems there are many different kinds, with different strengths of paper and degrees of stickiness of the adhesive. For our purpose I should think low strength and low stickiness would be best.

Then when I was buying some in a DIY/Garden centre place there were several different ones available, but not much info about how they were different, and it was all in a foreign language anyway. So I just bought an ordinary looking cheap one, hoping it would do the job. Haven't tried it with seeds yet, but I left a strip folded in half in water overnight and it didn't seem to soften up at all. I think I'll test some with turnip seeds, which are about the fastest to germinate, before I risk anything precious. Because I don't know if mine is the same kind as Mallly's.

[Bigmallly]

Did you cover them with compost Mallly, or leave them bare as in the photo?

I'm glad you are giving it a bash Zelenina, let us know how it goes. The tapes are covered with compost, nothing showing yet but it's early days............

[Bigmallly]

Ok Guysygals, we have lift off...........& the first one up is............................Masking Tape Down - Kitchen Roll Up................You clever lot..........

[lottie dolly]

do they all have the same seed on,if so what,and what route have the roots taken,sideways to miss the tape,or straight down,i am a curious young bunny hehe

[muddled]

We find this out today

The very day that I 'planted' yard after yard after yard of 'masking tape folded in half'

[Bigmallly]

do they all have the same seed on,if so what,and what route have the roots taken,sideways to miss the tape,or straight down,i am a curious young bunny hehe

Hi Lottie, yes they all have seeds from the same packet. At the risk of spoiling the experiment, it would have been rude of me not to answer your second question so I gently had a peek, I was surprised to see no roots which tells me that the roots must be living in the moisture between the Tape & Kitchen Roll as they would when chitting seeds.