Topic: Having problems growing form seed

[Garden Manager]

Been having more and more problems with my seed sowing and i dont understand whats going wrong.

I haven't changed either equipment or technique, i am particular about hygiene and so on (fresh compost, same brand) but my first efforts this year have proving to be very disappointing. Despite using seeds from a fresh/unopened packet many have gone mouldy/fuzzy within a week of sowing so haven even had the chance to germinate or grow  before apparently damping off. I use a heated propagator for those seeds that need it and an unheated propagator in a warm spot for those that just need ambient warmth. I have been careful not to let the heated propagator get too hot and 'cook' the seeds. The only thing i can think of is the seeds have been too moist and lacked ventilation but i am wary of opening the vents too much as i have had losses to drying out this way in the past.

The only other thing might be bad seed but many of the packets sown were freshly opened (but admittedly not brand new packets) but i cant believe all the seeds in such a packet were duds! Oh the seeds involved are mostly half hardy annuals and tender veg (tomatoes and peppers), although the worst problems have been with the ornamentals rather than veg, mostly those fine seeds that cant be covered up when sowing (Antirrhinums etc)

Any thoughts or advice please?

[alkanet]

use a copper fungicide to try to stop damping off

but maybe your compost is too wet also

[Robert_Brenchley]

What are you sowing?

[Garden Manager]

Compost doesn't look that wet now. Was soaked well and drained well prior to sowing. Had lots of condensation on the propagator lid though.

Sown antirrhinum, laurentia/solenopsis, lobelia, petunia (OK) rudbekia in addition to tomatoes and sweet peppers

Sown in 3" pots of John innes seed compost of a brand I have used successfully before. Fine seeds notcovered, larger seed covered with vermiculite.

[Digeroo]

Suggest you get some new compost.   Maybe the shop had had it hanging around too long.  Sometimes they change the formula.   There have been previous thread in the past where others have had similar problems.  I have a problem bag a couple of years ago and nothing grew.

[PAULW]

Leave the lid off the propagator you only need bottom heat and it prevents condensation causing the damping off

[Tee Gee]

Had  look at my sowings today and this is what I saw:

Tray with four punnets in it (6 varieties) from the front ty are: Petunia,Antirrhinum, Pansy & aubergine which have not germinated yet.




A closer look at the Petunia,Antirrhinum and Pansy



Petunia surface sown;



Pansy seed lightly covered when sown.



Antirrhinum surface sown.



These were all sown on the 5th March.

My compost was sieved Humax MP with added silver sand (3 compost + 1 sand)

When sowing my surface sown stuff I add a half teaspoonful of silver sand to the packet prior to sowing then I can see where my seeds are going.

These seeds are in one of the covered trays at the back of my hotbed.



These are my pricked out Lobelia;



While I was out I noticed my Mahonia was in flower so a snapped it too!

[ACE]

Are they under that bench? When I grew for show plants we had to get them up earlier than they should have been.  I grew on A shaped shelves so there was never a tray under another blocking the light which was crucial in forcing them on, plus the air could move freely around the seedings. Re-arrange the non growing trays and see if that makes a difference.

[Garden Manager]

Thanks for replies. Some interesting stuff there.

Seem to be overcoming the problem somewhat now. Warmer/better weather has helped. One particular sowing has baffled me though. Nearly a month ago i sowed a pot of nicotiana sylvestris, something that i have grown before and they have germinated like weeds. This time with fairly fresh seed and my usual compost they were surface sown without covering. within 2 weeks they started to germinate as usual but then just seemed to stop rather than romping away like usual and even now they are barely big enough to handle to transplant.

Can't work out what has happened. They were heated until germination then only to keep warm overnight. Did my best to keep moisturize and temperature constant but not to extreme. Heat isnt that easy as i only have a basic heated propagator situated in a double glazed conservatory that is again only heated lightly at night so that temperatures dont go to low. Did feel the propagator had started to dry out too much at one point so did damp it down to increase humidity. Didnt make much difference. No damping off though. Stopped heating the propagator about a week ago as i felt it was a waste of electric. I suppose i need to try to prick them out and see what happens.

Any thoughts as to what might have happened/gone wrong?

[Tee Gee]

Are they under that bench?

They are until they germinate then they go on top of that shelf where they get maximum light