Looking after Seedlings
Friday, October 2 by Hamish Dodd
G’day green fingers,
Hamish here. Thanks for joining me again. I’ve been astounded by the amount of feedback the blog has been getting from you passionate gardeners. I enjoy logging on and reading about your progress.
My tomatoes have germinated and I will be picking them out shortly. I’ve already chosen the two seedlings that I’m going to lavish with tender loving care to produce the biggest, juiciest, reddest tomatoes to knock all others out of the Yates tomato growing competition (here’s hoping). I was very impressed to have 18 out of 20 tomato seeds that I planted germinate perfectly.
I guess now is as good a time as any, to have a chat about looking after your seedlings. I have the luxury of a fantastic Arthurs glasshouse that is protecting my seedlings from the current unsettled spring weather. Temperature and water are extremely important at this stage of the growing process.
You don’t want the soil to be too wet. Using a mister (spray bottle) is a perfect way to ensure a balanced flow of water without flooding the seeds. I’ve also found the Tuscan Self Watering pots to be excellent at maintaining an even amount of moisture in the soil. The main reason for not wanting too much excess water is that it will impede oxygen getting to the seed and stunt growth.
As your seedlings get stronger they require less frequent watering and the Yates Garden Guide recommends that this is carried out in the mornings rather than evenings. Seedlings require more sunlight as they develop, so they will adjust better to being out in the open ground. Too much shade results in lanky seedlings, prone to falling over, and this makes it much harder to transplant out later.
If seeds are too cold you could end up with slow germination and disease could take a hold. I have experienced this with my carrot growing. The seedlings I planted in the raised bed have taken two more weeks to germinate than the seedlings snug in the greenhouse.
Fertilisers can also make or break the early life of a seedling. Black Magic Seedling Fertiliser is a liquid breakfast that will set your seedlings up for a busy day of growing. This product is high in many trace elements needed for cell development, including phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Fertilisers like this stimulate stem, leaf and root growth.
To make my tomatoes award-winning knock outs I will be using Nitrosol Liquid Tomato Food. Why is it good? It contains natural occurring growth aids and can be applied as a foliar food (sprayed onto the leaves) or through the roots. It improves earth worm activity, soil structure and disease resistance. It can also be used on all your plants.
Don’t forget about protecting seedlings from those darn slugs and snails. Your seedlings are meant to provide you with a scrumptious meal not them! To combat these pesky critters remember to use Blitzem or Baysol on or around your seed beds or trays. They are easy to use slug bait. I prefer the Blitzem granules because I like the shaker pack. Please read the instructions before using these products.
Check out chapter three in the Yates Gardening Guide for more information about propagating plants and raising your seedlings.
I’m converted. My new favourite gardening experience is the Yates seed tapes. These are particularly good when you are trying to sow very small seeds. Don’t be daunted by them, there is nothing tricky to it. Seed tape takes all of the guess work out of spacing your seedlings. If you are fussy like me and like straight rows, this really is the only way to go.
Make a small trench in the soil the full length of your growing area. Lay the seed tape out in the bottom of this trench and lightly cover over with soil. Of course, water just as you would any other seedling. Now watch it grow. The paper rots away leaving your seedlings perfectly spaced.
Next week we talk more in detail about transplanting and troubleshooting with your seedlings. If you are new to this blog make sure you buy a Give it a Grow kit and join in the fun.
Don’t forget to enter the Tomato growing competition.
Happy growing! Catch ya next week,
Hamish
“Back to blog >”:/hamish-dodd/
Comments (7)
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This area is for general comments from the Yates Garden Club community. Questions posted here will not receive a reply from Yates. For specific product advice Contact Us
sylvia
Yates site member
11:52, 07 October 2009
bought a two tiered greenhouse but forgot to take into consideration the infamous wellington wind, even tho i tried to place it with protection. any suggestions what can be done if anything with a sorry looking greenhouse?
Lorna
Yates site member
15:11, 07 October 2009
I have just sown my tomatoes, finally! I could have done it a lot earlier as I'm in Auckland. I'm trying out some seeds given to me, a small sweet orangey red one, I'm told. By the way, I love the new website!
Deb
Yates site member
12:39, 07 October 2009
I have been away and came back to my seed s have grown I must move them after reading your comments about sun I think mine are in the shade too much Dont want Lanky ones! cause I want to give you a run for your money. I think you are safe Hamish Im only a beginner . So how does the competition work is it the most fruit or what??
Joanne
Yates Garden Expert
06:06, 12 October 2009
Hi Deb, The Tomato competition is judged on the biggest weight - 'The winner will be the person who grows the greatest quantity of tomatoes by weight from a single Grosse Lisse tomato plant grown from a seed from the Tomato Grosse Lisse seed packet provided in the Yates Starter Pack' See the terms and conditions for all the details. Good luck!!
Peter
Yates site member
20:13, 07 October 2009
Last year we grew a total of 27 tomato plants in our small Papamoa vegetable garden,(far too many). we grew from Yatesseeds Beefstaek,Moneymaket and the small Cocktail variety. Altough we did have a very good supply of tomatoes we became overloaded towards the end of the summer season with the horrible green bettle. It was a bit like a plague & difficult to contol. Any good ideas out there as what is the best spray to use and when to start spraying with this horrible pest. Happy tomato growing this year!
Hamish
Yates Garden Expert
13:50, 09 October 2009
Hi Peter Wow! how fantastic to get such a great excess of tomatoes - you can never have too many. When winter comes and the wonderful flavours of summer have gone it is great to go to the freezer or pantry and bring out those yummy frozen pasta sauces and soups and jars of chutney. Some special tomato recipes might be great to share as the tomato season gets into gear. As for the nastie green beetles that get into the tomatoe's - well I'm going to grab my books over the weekend and do some research into that particular nasty and get back to you next week.Keep up the great gardening!
Hamish
Yates Garden Expert
13:58, 09 October 2009
Hi Sylvia I have heard Wellington's wind is something else - how disappointing! I've only ever been there in a sunny calm southerly- lucky eh? Can you give me some more details about the type of greenhouse you purchased - is it one of the free standing ones from Mitre 10 - does it have pegs to hold it down? You could try weighing it down with tiles laid across the pipe frame in the front - maybe there is someone else out there who has had a similar experience and would be happy to share what they did. I'll give it some more thought and see what else I can come up with. Don't let this put you off though - that's the fun of getting out there and "doing it"!
Ann
Yates site member
14:03, 09 October 2009
Hi Syivia, I live in Papamoa and have had the same trouble your having with wind. I got some extra long tent pegs from Kayemart to help my situation and I have used a full bag of compost on the windy side to keep that side well weighted down. So far so good.
Denys
Yates site member
18:44, 10 November 2009
my cabbage seedlings are up and now are 9 days old I need to prick them out as they are all in a large container and put them into individual pots prior to planting them out but I have never done this before. At what stage should the seedlings be prior to pricking out and exactly how do you do it.
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