What kind of pots/flats/?? to start hosta seed in?

ademink · Post by **ademink** » Oct 25, 2006 11:35 pm

I am going to be growing hosta seed for the first time this winter.

Excited! LOL

Anyway, I think I've finally figured out the "sterile soil-less medium" part of the equation. Now I need to figure out WHAT to grow them IN. I have saved money for this little venture so am okay w/ getting some plug flats or seed starting flats or whatever is the best thing to grow them in.

I've been perusing Ebay and my eyeballs are about to fall out. I know some folks grow them in egg cartons but I'm going to have a LOT of seed I'm experimenting w/ and dont' think it's realistic to try to find egg cartons.

So....what is the best type of pot/flat/etc to grow seeds in?

How many seeds do I put per "plug" or "pot" or whatever?

Do you cover or not cover w/ a plastic dome?

Thanks for your patience!

Andrea

John · Post by **John** » Oct 25, 2006 11:58 pm

I like those flats that have 72 cells. Mine were from Burpee (at Home Depot) last year, they come with pellets in them that expand when wet as starting medium. Problem with that: the expanding pellets do not stay in place, especially when you start to pour water over them. Then they need to be packed down. Not a major issue, but I'd use them with sterile soil mix instead. And yes, I use the clear tops, but ONLY until most of the seeds have sprouted.

The important thing is to be able to keep the seedlings as CLOSE to the lights as possible. Nearly touching. Some way to adjust the height of the light (or the flats) is good... I use books under the flat.

Number of seeds per cell, depending on rarity. If common, then 2 or 3 with plans to remove weaker ones. If a named cross, then 1 seed. I do sow hosta seeds a bit thicker, then transplant early to 'holes' in the tray.

Have fun with it!

John

JoshS · Post by **JoshS** » Oct 26, 2006 11:59 am

I find planting seeds in cell paks or peat pellets to be very tedious and time consuming. I like to use 4" (+/-) pots, preferably square because they are more space efficient, in a regular 1020 flat. The pots we've been using come in a sheet...I think 18 to a flat. Regular 4" pots work just fine, though.

I just scatter the seed over the potting mix then. Hosta seed often doesn't have the greatest germination rate, so I plant heavily...maybe 50-75 seeds/4" pot. I've done way more than that with no real problems...whatever. Ideally, they won't be in the pot for too long (6-8 weeks). Repotting often stimulates growth. If you have a lot of seed of the same type/cross, just fill the flat with medium and plant directly in the flat. You could section a flat in 1/2 or 1/4 and plant 2-4 varieties that way. Doing it this way, it is possible to plant an entire flat very quickly.

If you only have a few groups to plant, clear, fast food containers with lids work really well, too.

Experiment and see what works best for you!

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Oct 26, 2006 2:29 pm

HI--I have used clear plastic deli trays with a hinged cover to start the seeds. These are the kinds of containers that donuts or cookies might come in. They cost me about 10 cents each. With the cover closed you do not need to be concerned about mositure loss. After the seeds have germinated and start to grow to the top of the cover, I cut off the cover at the hinge to get it out of the way. When the seedlings have grown to the point where you want to up-pot them, I transfer them into individual cells in packs. I hang my lights from chains so that I can easily adjust their height as the plants get bigger.

ademink · Post by **ademink** » Oct 26, 2006 2:39 pm

*MANY* thanks to the three of you for taking the time to explain the method to your "madness"!

I'm sure that I can now find a hybrid of these suggestions that will be a great fit for my setup.

Do you use regular flourescent lights or gro-lights or....??? I currently have setup a long regular flourescent light on chains as Hank indicates he uses. I still have access to a few flourescent fish tank hoods w/ full spectrum bulbs (I used to raise reptiles).

Would either of these be preferable over the other or would it be six of one half dozen of the other?

Thank you!

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Oct 26, 2006 3:29 pm

The best bulbs to use are the cheap, regular light ones. You should be able to find some regular bulbs that would fit in your aquarium fixtures. The "grow light" ones are only needed if you are trying to produce blossoms, which you won't be doing with the hostas. Some of the seedlings may actually flower for you but you do not want to encourage it as that just takes growth away from the overall plant.

JoshS · Post by **JoshS** » Oct 26, 2006 7:11 pm

I agree with Hank...no need for expensive tubes.

DBoweMD · Post by **DBoweMD** » Oct 26, 2006 7:56 pm

I agree with Hank too, my favorite carry out food containers are from Bob Evans. Octagonal with straight sides and high clear tops, black bottoms.
Downside is that you have to order out a lot to get many.
I bought some similar ones from a restaurant last year, too.

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Oct 26, 2006 8:13 pm

Downside is that you have to order out a lot to get many.

The sacrifices we have to make to maintain our hostaholism.

Roxanne · Post by **Roxanne** » Oct 26, 2006 8:49 pm

I buy the flats that have a heavy plastic base, with another base inside that has holes in it, and a plastic dome. Some come with the cell packs, but I don't use those. I put the soilless mix into the flat inside, and drench it. It takes quite a bit of water to get it saturated. I wait awhile and make sure the soil is drenched fully, then I plant the whole flat, using whatever I can find for "dividers" between the diff. seeds, if I am sowing more than one variety. I like the wooden paint stirrers you get when you buy paint. I just get extra when I do buy paint, because they are free!

then I put the dome on, put it on a heat mat, and cover it with a towel to keep the heat in. I start checking for germination a week later. Some seeds are fast, some slow. If I have a good germination rate in part of the flat, that is when it goes under the lights. I agree, use cheapo flourescents, on chains, so you can raise and lower them.
I like this method because I can remove the inner flat with all the seedlings in it, and put water into the bottom flat. this way, the water source is from the bottom and creates a better root system.
Whatever you do, have fun!

John · Post by **John** » Oct 26, 2006 9:50 pm

I must also agree, regular flourescent lights work fine. The whole shop-light setup is simple and economical. Not sure if this was mentioned, but it is recommended by some to leave the hosta seedlings under lights 24 hours a day, so long as that is done right from the start.

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Oct 27, 2006 10:09 am

I like the flats that Roxanne uses, but have also been known to use whatever I have on hand. I got a heat mat last year, and I think I got much better germination. They don't need light to germinate, but as soon as I see a good number of seedlings appear, I put them under the lights 24/7. Another piece of advice: Label everything. You may think you can remember what you planted where, but it's really easy to get mixed up. I often have just a few seeds of each variety, and I put them out in rows in the flats. I have used popsicle sticks to make labels in each row. Another thing I do if I'm sowing different seeds in the same flat is to put a piece of paper or something over the rest of the flat and just leave out the section I'm sowing. It's really easy for those seeds to drift and land somewhere else, and you really can't always see them on the sowing medium. That may be a little bit excessive, but I do really like to know which hosta produced which baby.

Linda P

Tigger · Post by **Tigger** » Oct 27, 2006 1:47 pm

Maybe time for a link to the FAQ website, just to cover the bases: http://hostafaq.westside.com/wsContentP ... w?RowId=47

I won't claim that it says much different from what's said here, but it's concise!

Pieter · Post by **Pieter** » Oct 28, 2006 10:06 am

I haven't started any seeds as yet, will probably wait until early spring, at which time I'll use a nifty clear plastic container you get when you buy greenhouse grown tomatoes-on-the-vine in our neck of the woods. The lids are attached on one side, so they hinge, and when you snap them down there is just a hint of a gap between the bottom and the lid. We're rather fond of these Roma tomatoes and on average I'd say we get a container a week, so they pile up quickly, much to DW's chagrin

I'll try to remember to post some pics once I have started with them.

Justaysam · Post by **Justaysam** » Oct 28, 2006 10:11 am

good luck Andrea! Watch the cats, they did terrible things to my first hosta seed growing endevor. I agree with everyone else, but try seed in a few different containers of your choice and next year you will be a pro! Once your babies have a few leaves, do a search for "upcups". I, and I am sure others here, had some great root systems on seedlings by the time they went out into the garden last year.

ademink · Post by **ademink** » Oct 30, 2006 12:32 am

WOW, thank you for all of the advice! For some reason, I didn't receive my notification in email that I was getting replies and so had no idea you all were here chatting away.

I love that the hosta seeds like it wet and you need 24/7 light after germination! That was always an issue when I did other seeds. I always got them too wet and forgot to turn the light off and on and the seedlings were always leggy as all get out! hehe

I'll definitely do a photo journal of this fiasco. Justaysam, cats abound in this household so thanks for that extra advice!!!

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Oct 30, 2006 11:26 am

Andrea--It is not necessary to do the light 24/7. It just makes the seedlings grow much faster. Some folks use an automatic timer to turn on and off the lights. I believe it is true that once the seedlings get used to an on/off routine that you can not put them on 24/7. Of course, they will not be negitively effected by going from 24/7 to a more natural cycle like 16 on and 8 off since that is what they will be faced with when finally planted out.