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Starting transplants in the home is a great way to
chase away the winter blues. It's also a good way to grow
certain varieties of plants that are not readily available
as transplants in the nursery.
Some problems occur, however, when you grow your own
transplants. Many homes are too warm and have inadequate
light, resulting in soft, spindly and pale seedlings.
Sturdy, healthy seedlings are grown under high light
intensities and fluctuating temperatures (warm days and cool
nights). For example, desired daytime temperatures may be 70
to 75 degrees and nighttime ones 50 to 55 degrees depending
on the species.
One answer is to construct a special hotbed/cold frame
structure. Using an unheated basement or other cool room,
and adding solid warming cables and artificial light also
works.
"Damping off" is another problem that often plagues
seedlings. It is a fungal disease, caused by one of several
soil-born organisms. Damping off may prevent seed
germination altogether by plugging up the conductive tissue
of a developing seedling. Seeds may be killed just as they
are approaching full development. Using pasteurized soil or
a soilless mix can help you avoid this problem. Providing
correct temperatures, correct light and avoiding over
watering are also beneficial.
Novice Gardeners often plant seeds too early, in hopes
of having large transplants. Unfortunately, these giants
often develop growth and production problems. The
transplanting procedure shocks plants. They have the best
chance of recovering quickly when they are smaller rather
than larger.
To grow transplants of the appropriate size, decide
when you want to plant them outdoors. Find out the seed-to-transplant time and add seven to ten
days for hardening off.
Backtrack the total amount of time from your desired
transplanting date and you have arrived at the seed planting
date. For example, let's look at peppers. The goal will be
to plant hardened-off pepper plants outside May 30. It takes
8 to 10 weeks to grow a pepper transplant, so that would be
(using 10 weeks) March 21. After including 10 days for
hardening off time, the planting date becomes March 11.
Hardening off is the next step. This process prepares
the transplants for outdoor conditions and plants will
struggle if not subjected to it. A few days before
"hardening" starts, reduce the amount of water plants
receive, but don't allow them to wilt. To harden, begin by
putting plants outdoors in a protected area for a few hours,
then bring them back in. During the next ten days, gradually
increase the amount of time they are outside and increase
their exposure to wind and sun. After they've experienced
several days of 10 to 12 hours outdoors, leave them outside
24 hours a day for a couple of days.
For more information on Gardening, contact your
local Colorado State University Extension office.
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