North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["HDessureault" <inter.verbis@atreide.net>]

Hi Del,
I have started a lot of different plants including perennials, indoors, so I
am speaking from personal opinion.
When the seed sprouts, a root grows downward and the envelope of the seed
unfolds upward to form the cotyledons or false leaves (you will notice they
are leaves that are usually oval and don't have the characteristics of the
real leaves).
Light is important at that stage.
The number of hours of light to give to your seedlings is the number of
hours of daylight which you get at your location on the longest day of the
year (summer solstice, june 21) let say around 14 hours. The subject of
daylight is interesting and very complex, but for our purpose,14 hours would
be great. (I grow some flower annuals under 18 hours daylight, but that is
to stimulate early flowering).
In any case, a timer is very useful.
<<<<<
You wrote :
Six of them are 1" to 2" high,
showing leaves, and are spindly. I am thinking it will be too hard on them
to transplant them out of the pots in June, but even if I could come up with
30 one gallon pots with potting soil tomorrow, isn't it too late already to
transplant into pots?
>>>>
It depends how established the seedlings are and how essential it is to
provide a larger pot. It is generally recommended to wait until the full
development of AT LEAST two real leaves (false leaves not included) before
transplanting a seedling.

<<<<
You wrote :
I am fascinated by the dark tent idea. If I understand correctly, I would
transplant the little two month old seedlngs into the nursery in June, and
keep them dark for several weeks as an adaptation period.
Would not this sudden darkness kill them as easily as transplant shock?
>>>>>>>
No, this procedure is meant to reduce transplanting shock...

<<<<<
You wrote :
Would it be a good idea to 'dark tent' the seedlings where they are in their
collective pots now?
>>>>>
No, because you need light at that stage. Remember what happens to potatoes
or other roots when they sprout in the root cellar? They get leggy and stay
long and whitish. You want your seedlings to grow and become little trees.
The dark tent procedure is strickly a transplantation measure used AT A
LATER STAGE to give a chance to the seedling's rootlets that have been
disturbed to get re-established before they are required to resume normal
functions, i.e. provide water and nutrients to the seedling. That is only
done when the seedling was growing normally for a while.

<<<<<
Should I put them in the 40°F basement to slow them down?
>>>>
If you can provide adequate light at the same time. Darkness at this stage
will only make the seedlings more leggy ( I am presuming that the seedlings
are at the cotyledons (false leaves) stage. Temperature, a few degrees one
way or the other, is less important, although colder is slower.

<<<<
If I decide to transplant to the nursery bed in mid-June, would pint pots be
big enough for the next 2 1/2 months' growing?
>>>>

A friend of mine grew 5 walnut seedlings  in a 2 liter waxed milk container
for the summer and transplanted with 100 % success the following Fall.  The
answer to your question would depend on many factors. You have 5 pots with 6
seedlings in each. How deep are your pots?Can you make a hole at the bottom
and place them in a shallow container to provide constant moisture so the
seedlings will not dry out, when you place them outdoors later on? Can you
go semi hydroponically by keeping your pots in a container with 2" of water?
You would have to trim back some of the wild water bound roots when you
transplant, but it should work...Could you remove the bottom part of the pot
(if it was a sphaghum moss pot, for instance) and plant the whole thing
undisturbed in a larger pot? I remember that the containers designed to
carry seedlings for reforestation purposes are 2"x6" deep and carry 24
little seedlings, I think, to a flat. Each seedling gets 2"x6" of soil space
for the first year of growth. There is a hole at the bottom and I imagine
the flats are sitting in bit of water through which nutrients are given. Can
you put back the ones that have not sprouted too much back in the fridge for
another month? (Just examining possibilities to multiply chances of
success...)
Anyway, from what it sounds my main worry at this point would be light!
Good luck.
Hélène




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