IMPOSSIBLY SMALL SEEDLINGS
January 4th
The first sign of life.Two impossibly small leaves lifting themselves from the soil.
By then, about 75% of the air prune trays looked the same. Cell after cell of barely there seedlings. Enough to feel confident. The domes came off.
The soil blocks were harder to read. Algae had crept in and progress felt slower, if it was happening at all. I convinced myself the humidity under the saran wrap was too much. So I swapped it out, borrowing the domes from the air prune trays instead.
3 days later, the same tiny sprouts appeared. Probably there all along, hidden beneath the heavy condensation.
In an ironic turn, the soil block seedlings have quickly outpaced those in the air prune trays.
The afterthought of a windowsill test, proved nothing at first. I nearly tossed it. Still curious, I instead slid the tray into the grow tent. 10 days later, seedlings emerged. Imagine that… I nearly tossed it.
If anything, it confirmed that warmth matters during germination. I didn’t use heat mats but the ambient heat from the lights inside the tent was enough.
sometimes things are growing even when you can’t quite see them.
January 16th
Many seedlings have formed their first true leaves. Others are still just arriving. Talk about slow growing.
Challenges?
Uneven moisture in the air prune trays. A few cells never seem to wick water from below. I suspect I didn’t pack those cells firmly enough to make good contact with the capillary matting. A small detail with noticeable consequences. Remedied by a careful supply of water from a dropper. How fun.
I’ll invest in domes for the soil block trays. The saran wrap worked with a little help from my new best friend, tape, but domes make it easier to observe without disturbing.
I’ll also sift the soil. While everything is growing just fine, a finer mix would better suit seedlings this small.
With emergence well underway, I’ve shifted to bottom watering with a weekly dose of diluted fertilizer. Alternating between Fox Farm Grow Big and Calcium Nitrate.
in the field
Now, those rows. Yeah, the ones I keep talking about and putting off. The sight of these tiny seedlings brought renewed energy.
I took advantage of what may have been the last warm weekend until Spring and finally built two new rows out in the field. Edged, composted and leaf mulched. Just before a heavy rain. Perfect timing.
Till next time,
- C