The Keys to Growing Healthy Transplants

  

   

From the moment seeds germinate, they need extra attention in order to grow into healthy plants. This includes providing the right conditions for optimal development. The three factors that will have the most influence on how well your seedlings grow and develop are light, water and fertilizer. Of these three, adequate lighting is one of the most critical. Seedlings need a consistent source of the right light and most of the time the light coming through a bright, sunny window isn’t going to be enough for your young plants. They will tend to stretch and get thin and spindly looking for light.  

Adding a plant grow light is the best way to ensure your plants get the light they need. You have several choices when it comes to selecting a grow light including fluorescent lights (CFLs), high-output T5s and LEDs. T5s are generally considered the best choice for seedling development. They tend to cost less initially, and the bulbs are replaceable. Select a T5 in the 6400K spectrum, for best seedling growth. Plan to run your grow lights fourteen to sixteen hours per day. It’s also important that your light setup is adjustable, so that you can raise the lights as your plants grow. When your seedlings are small, place your lights five to six inches above the tops of the plants. As the seedlings grow and develop, move the lights up accordingly. Fluorescent lights should be suspended 10 to 12 inches from your seedlings, LEDs 8 to 10 inches and incandescent bulbs 12 to 18 inches.  

 

Next to light, watering is most important. Check your seedlings every day and keep the soil moist, not soggy. Don't use water that is too cold (or too hot). Fill up your watering can and let it set out overnight. That way the water will be at room temperature when you water your seedlings.  

 

In order to develop strong stems and root structures, your seedlings need to be fed. Begin fertilizing once your tomato and vegetable plants have 3-4 sets of true leaves. The first set of leaves to emerge are the cotyledons, sometimes referred to as ‘seed leaves”. They are not “true leaves”. The next set of leaves and all subsequent leaves are true leaves.  Use a mild organic fertilizer with a balanced formula such as 2-2-2 or liquid Kelp. Liquid fertilizers are preferable at this stage, because it’s less likely you’ll damage the seedling’s roots than if you used a granular starter fertilizer. Plan to fertilize your seedlings every 7 to 10 days. 

Brush your starts several times a day. Plants, especially tomatoes need movement in order to develop strong stems. Brushing them a couple of times a day makes them stronger.  Or simply install a small fan and run it 5-10 minutes twice a day. 

One other important task is to give your seedlings plenty of room to grow by thinning out weak plants. This is especially important for tomato and pepper starts. 

Whether you’re growing tomatoes, vegetables or flowers, it’s important to supply the right light, water and fertilizer in order to grow the healthiest plants.  

 

March Garden Chores

Warm days in early March make us eager to get out and start gardening and with the days getting longer, it’s the perfect opportunity to get the garden ready for the season ahead. Start by gradually removing any vegetation and debris left from last season. It’s important to proceed slowly because as you’re cleaning up, you’ll discover many perennials and bulbs are starting show.

The remains of last year’s garden acts as a mulch, protecting early spring risers such as crocus, hyacinths, daffodils and tulips. Go gently around these bulbs and perennials, because it’s easy to damage them. You may want to switch from a leaf rake to a leaf blower or better yet simply clean up by hand. It’s important to leave some cover to protect these tender starts through the rest of the spring. Stay off those areas of the garden that are wet, in order to avoid compacting the garden soil any more than necessary.

As you're cleaning, you may find evidence of beneficial insect activity like this mantis egg sac. It's important to leave nest undisturbed so it has a chance to hatch naturally in the spring.

Now’s the time to evaluate the soil in your vegetable beds. Soil texture and richness are fundamental to your vegetable garden’s success and testing is something that should be done on a regular basis. Whether you’ve experienced specific problems, such as Tomato Blossom End Rot or you’ve been disappointed in your garden’s overall yields, it’s important to establish a baseline, in order to know how to proceed to improve your soil. You can do this yourself with a simple test kit or you can send a soil sample to the labs at Colorado State University. You’ll get a very comprehensive soil analysis from the labs at CSU. Once you’ve received your test results, bring the report in. We’ll help you choose the products you need in order to implement the changes they recommend.

Foundational to soil quality and heath is the practice of adding organic materials, called amendments. Effective soil amendments for the soils in our area include compost, peat moss and earthworm castings, but before you try digging in your garden make sure the ground is workable. Those areas exposed to the sun should be workable now. More shaded parts of the garden are still too wet to work. A simple way to do this is to grab a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it crumbles when you open your hand the soil is workable. If it stays in a clump, the soil is too wet, and you need to wait.

In your perennial gardens, now is the time to prune back ornamental grasses. They do best if you cut them down to five or six inches above the ground. Summer flowering shrubs such as Buddleia and Bluebeard should also be pruned now. Wait to prune spring blooming shrubs such as Lilac, Forsythia, Spirea until after they bloom. This is also the time to prune Group 3 Clematis. These varieties bloom on new wood in late June into August. They should be cut back to a living bud at about 24" from the ground in spring just as the buds begin to swell. If you don't prune, the flowers will tend to be only up at the top of the plant and the bare stems will be unattractive below. When to prune Clematis can be tricky depending on the bloom time and variety. If you’re not sure, don’t prune.  If you’re uncertain about the blooming habits of the shrubs and vines in your landscape, don’t prune until you’ve had time to observe each plant’s growth and bloom cycle. Hold off pruning your roses until mid-April.

Watch for perennial weeds that may have wintered over. Groundsel, Mallow and others can survive the harshest winter weather, and many are blooming right now. Dig them up or treat with Burnout weed control. Starting your clean up now will mean a more productive gardening season.