Hi Folks,
is anyone experiencing 'erratic' germination with Tomato seed this year ?
In past years my 'Alicante' and Gardener's Delight' have raced away from a mid March sowing, usually less than five days for two seedling leaves to appear. I use an electric propagator which is powered only at night +/- 18 C, and off during the day. The propagator sits in an unheated South facing Conservatory which, with even weak sunshine is usually warmish at 14/16 C even on a cold day. Right now we have snow flurries, intermittent Sun and outside temp of 3 C, inside Conservatory is 14C.
Other Toms are doing fine 'Black Plum', 'Principie Borghese', 'Sungold' and (new to me) 'Blaby Special'
The 'Alicante' and 'Gardener's Delight' are my own saved seed from 2006, germination test in October 06 gave +/- 80% success ???
any thoughts welcome
Mikey
QuoteThe 'Alicante' and 'Gardener's Delight' are my own saved seed from 2006
When you did your October tests the seed was fresh!! they are now nearly six months old so I would not necessarily expect the same results.
I don't know how you stored them but the fact the you are getting some germination suggests this was OK.
To be honest when I am sowing self saved seed I work on around a 25% less germination rate than fresh, and they generally take longer to germinate for some reason or another ???
The other thing I noticed is you switch off your propagator ?? I respect the need to economise but in my opinion fluctuating temperatures are not a good thing.
I leave my power on at all times but then again my propagator at this time of the year is always full.
Sorry I couldn't be any more helpful!
How long is it since you sowed them? Mine are Gardeners Delight, Marmande and Tigerella, sown in similar conditions to yours (except not heated at night). They are just coming up after about 2 and a half weeks - the Marmande was quickest and the GD is still loitering.
Keep the faith...I'm sure they'll appear soon! If the others have come up then the conditions must be about right.
PS I'm fairly new to all this so everything's erratic with me ;)
Hi Mikey
Cannot help you with this because I have not even started mine off yet. But last year I started them off in a heated propogator and left it on day and night until germination.
I have been very good this year and will only start my tomatoes off this week-end. I also saved some Harbinger seeds so will keep my fingers crossed and sow a couple of extras.
Good luck anyway.
Jitterbug
Quote from: Tee Gee on March 20, 2007, 13:52:58
QuoteThe 'Alicante' and 'Gardener's Delight' are my own saved seed from 2006
When you did your October tests the seed was fresh!! they are now nearly six months old so I would not necessarily expect the same results.
I don't know how you stored them but the fact the you are getting some germination suggests this was OK.
To be honest when I am sowing self saved seed I work on around a 25% less germination rate than fresh, and they generally take longer to germinate for some reason or another ???
The other thing I noticed is you switch off your propagator ?? I respect the need to economise but in my opinion fluctuating temperatures are not a good thing.
I leave my power on at all times but then again my propagator at this time of the year is always full.
Sorry I couldn't be any more helpful!
Tee Gee, thanks for comments,
I am surprised that seed viability would drop off so quickly with freshly saved seed, but am not disagreeing with you, I have learned that nothing is 'cast in concrete' in the world of plant life. My limited experience with saving and storing Tomato seed is that most are good for 2/3 years and some have performed for me after 10 years (e.g. Cyril's Choice originally from HDRA)
The point of switching off the power during the day ... not a cost saving exercise at all ... the ambient temp in the Conservatory can climb very rapidly even on a supposedly cold day. For example this morning at 11:00 hrs we had a heavy snowfall, flakes the size of 10p coins, but did not settle. Outside air temp was 4C, inside Conservatory was 14C with a weak Sun shining between Snow flurries, inside the propagator (with lid on) it was 18C, so power was switched off.
I do not have a thermostat, maybe I should save up and invest in one, but growing results in the past have always been reliable (or at least acceptable ;))
Electric Lady
sowed Toms on 11 March (Blaby Special on 15 March) all doing well except 'Alicante' and 'GD' maybe I am being a smidge impatient if yours have taken 2 weeks +
Jitterbug
you might be doing the smart thing ... waiting to see when and if Spring arrives ;D
will wait another week/10 days and if no show, sow some more
thanks all
Cheers
Mikey
QuoteI do not have a thermostat, maybe I should save up and invest in one,
This is what I thought!
Quotebut growing results in the past have always been reliable (or at least acceptable Wink)
I got this impression too!
But I based on my reply to suit all who are reading the article/s
I try to avoid making assumptions when replying to queries in case I am away out!
If I am I soon get to know ;)
Hi Mikey
I'm just posting this so I can feel smug for once (it doesn't happen very often on here!). I sowed Tigerella, black cherry and supersweet a week ago and have 100% germination. I don't even have a propagator, just did it on the windowsill in plastic bags. To take Tee Gee's point on board, they were all brand new seed stock (and all free as well!) so that might have something to do with it.
OK, smug time over now. There's a lot that can go wrong between now and eating them. :-\
:)
I've also had 100% germination, (black krim,cherokee purple,blue ridge mountain ,first in the field ,harbinger and m&s pizza tomato seeds!)but the seeds were new,my old seed is being sown later when I have more room.
I also grew on a very sunny windowsill but without the plastic bags, I've given up on propagators, my seeds germinated in a week as well.
as greenstar says alot can go wrong between now and planting them so fingers crossed :)/ shades x
Hello to all, I'm a newbie here. I have sowed various tomato seeds in the airing cupboard, kept propped open to give an 70-75 degree temp) over the last 3 weeks and all have germinated except for a new variety called Floridity (an F1 hybrid sold by Suttons). Neither of the 2 seeds I sowed came up. Only 8 seeds in the packet so am trying again with another 2 seeds (with even less compost over the top in case it was me planting them a fraction more than quarter inch deep). First time I have experienced any difficulty with tomato germination á la airing cupboard method so if these 2 fail I shall be writing to Suttons. Is anyone else trying this new variety? I haven't seen it mentioned in anyone's tomato growing list.
I also use the airing cupboard, but fold the seeds in damp rags until a root appears, then prick them out in gutters kept in a rather cold bedroom. That way I only sow the ones that germinated. Not all of them have come up in the gutters, I admit, but about 90% have. Many more than I want have nice big seedling leaves. I'll give some away...
morning all ....
what a difference 3 days make .... ;D
G Delight, 10 seedlings now up and heading skywards (out of total 20 sown)
Alicante, 2 up yesterday and 2 more during the night, (4 out of 12 sown)
Electric Landlady .... you were right ... I just needed a bit of patience
Due to the poor performance (up to 3 days ago) I started off more seed, by chitting. Wet Kitchen towel in margarine tub, covered with clingfilm and sat on top of CH boiler (+/- 25C). Today (3 days after starting) 4 out of 10 G Delight are showing tiny roots and 2 out of 10 Alicante
I just love being a 'Daddy' again ... ;) ;D
Mikey
Glad' Blaby Special' are fine as they were my first ever saved seed!
there will be no stopping me now!
I sowed Suttons Gardeners Delight and Moneymaker in pots on the window cill.
I have 100% germination and they are now growing away beautifully in a cold greenhouse :)
All seeds are germinating well here -the Blaby will get pricked out soon. I am starting to get a hard pad on the tip of my pricking out finger -over 200 and counting :)
Quote from: cleo on March 23, 2007, 11:45:39
All seeds are germinating well here -the Blaby will get pricked out soon. I am starting to get a hard pad on the tip of my pricking out finger -over 200 and counting :)
Cleo,
do I understand correctly ...... you have over 200 Tomato seedlings ???
wow ... are you contract growing for Tesco ;D
Ha Ha-not Tesco but I do have a hobby business,I sell from the house and supply a local whole food shop
Quote from: mikey on March 23, 2007, 09:50:52
morning all ....
what a difference 3 days make .... ;D
I just love being a 'Daddy' again ... ;) ;D
Mikey
Awwww... I'm so glad!
Every year I think "oh no, it's been at least a week and there's no sign, I really have messed it up this time" and then every year just as I am on the point of starting again, up they pop! ;D
BUT THEN there is the heartbreak of thinning them out (since I always sow 2 seeds in each cell) :'(
what do peeps think about sowing tomatoe seedlings in those little vacuum packs that you need to reconstitute with water. I was thinking of doing mine like that this week-end?? If you have to know - I am lazy and thought I could get out of pricking out stage..... :-[
Jitterbug
Have just checked my 7 tomato varieties and almost 100% germination after 5 days, even though some of the seed is several years old. To save effort, I sow seeds one to each root trainer cell, and do not bother to prick out. I go from cell to growbag. End of story.
I didn't count the seeds I planted, but all the seeds I can see of my saved seed (I'm pretty careless about burying these small seeds) is sprouting roots merrily.
We have eight varieties through and another 16 to go in... the Blaby is in but not up yet Markfield... only third day!
;D
fingers crossed Saddad !
Most of mine have germinated in 3-5 days. I use a heated mist propogater.
Quote from: saddad on March 23, 2007, 22:45:33
We have eight varieties through and another 16 to go in... the Blaby is in but not up yet Markfield... only third day!
;D
Saddad,
Mama Mia ..... 24 varieties !! (how many plants in total ?) are you and Cleo in a business partnership ;) ;D
I was well pleased with myself last year with 8 varieties (24 plants) all the outdoor were a disappointment (little or no crop) ... but the greenhouse crop beat all expectations
if you have an hour or two to spare, how about a list of what Toms you are growing this season
Cheers
Mikey
The Blaby toms are through now....
14 vars up... loads still to go...
;D
Just popped mine in propagators today - only 17 varieties I'm afraid.