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Growing Annual Seedlings
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Posted by pgilbert Sunshine Coast (My Page) on Thu, Apr 15, 04 at 3:20
I am a grower of Herbs and Annuals (Potted Colour). I produce annual bedding plants in 10 cell Packs and 100mm pots. I have a high speed seeding machine.
My problem is, I cannot grow a decent seedling. They (marigold, petunia,dianthus,etc,etc) strike and grow well, but when I take them out of the plug tray the roots seperate from the mix, and the roots and mix do not stay in a good tight ball. I can still transplant what I have but it slows me up, hence I am still purchasing plug trays of 512 seedlings from a commercial grower.
Does anyone out there have any experience doing this. Has anyone worked in a production Nursery raising these and veg seedlings in Plug Trays.
Yes, I have tried leaving them longer but they are inclined to stretch and become leggy. Any advice would be very much appreciated. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Growing Annual Seedlings
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- Posted by Liatris FraserCoast,Qld (My Page) on
Thu, Apr 15, 04 at 15:19
| This might seem obvious, but are you watering them before trying to remove them from the trays? |
RE: Growing Annual Seedlings
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| I saw Pete on gardening Australia say to get good root-growth, plant the cuttings and seedlings in impoverished potting mix. That way the roots immediately start to grow like crazy seeking nutrients. If they are fertilized, they will not have to grow a good root ball to get nutrients. Robyn |
RE: Growing Annual Seedlings
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| I was just about to say something like that Robyn. I worked on a farm once planting Broccoli (in one of those cool seedling planting machines!), they were in plugs, and the plugs were unwatered when we used them and quite dry, and they came out easily and almost never broke apart. The plugs were shallow, and the roots of the seedlings just about filled the plug completely, like a solid mass of roots! Try to use a peat-based potting mixture which sticks together, don't add sand as this will make it fall apart. Water from the bottom so the roots head down wards, and like Robyn said, starve them on nutrients, it won't affect them in the long term. Hope this helps! Lauren |
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