Hey Larry this one is for you. Many others I'm sure are wondering the same thing as well. The question here is whether or not to use fertilizer on seedlings and when and also what is the best kind of soil to use for re-potting from peat pellets.
I also start my seeds in peat but many say potting soil is better. In my experience, I disagree. If you are going to re-pot then peat is a good starting medium. When you go to re-pot into larger containers, I would switch to a well balanced nutrient rich potting soil for vegetables. This will ensure you have the correct amount of nutrients for your seedlings to grow.
As far as using fertilizer, I have never used it on seedlings. My advice is to not use any until your plants are hardened off and planted in the garden. Young seedlings are very delicate and the fertilizer can potentially burn them in a way and end up hurting them. There are many kinds of potting soils out there with low doses of fertilizer mixed in which will provide enough during that critical growing time. At the same time though fertilizer is meant to promote either blossoms or better fruit. Applying fertilizer to a seedling could make the plant become spindly and lanky. This is something we do not want our seedlings to do.
My advice is to wait on the fertilizer until your can move things outside. This will ensure your plants are ready for the doses you are about to apply.
Hope this helps, let me know if you need any clearification.
Christopher, thanks for the post on this topic. I had lost your URL in my favorites after asking that question, but now I just found it - lol. Last year, I struggled mightily with lanky, spindly seedlings, and based on your post, I suspect it was from lavishing too much attention on them in the form of worm castings, fish emulsion, etc. etc. etc. This year I'm going to try it as you describe - up-pot from pellets to a decent potting soil, and wait for outdoor transplant before fussing with the fertilizers. Thanks for the post,
ReplyDeleteLarry
Any time Larry, glad to help! If you have anymore questions feel free to ask! This time of year it is hard to come up with topics since the weather is not favorable!
ReplyDeleteHey Christopher - another question for you - I've seen this question asked a hundred times but never quite answered definitively. I know you're supposed to start seeds approximately 8-9 weeks prior to transplant. The question is, why not start them 10 or 12 or even 14 weeks prior to transplant? Shouldn't that get to some ripe pods earlier in the season? Here in VA the transplant date is around May 26, so I figure on starting the seeds on March 15 and the habs 2 weeks earlier - March 1. But...why not start them now and give them an extra couple of weeks to grow? I've in fact seen numerous people ask some version of this question on different forums but it's never conclusively answered. Is there a downside to pushing the date up for planting the seeds? Does it not actually make a difference in terms of when you get peppers to eat?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Larry
If you plant early, the plants will become bigger than you probably want them indoors. Plus indoors conditions are not ideal for plant growth and blossom growth. I have never tried it my self and it would be a good experiment but they have those week ranges there for a reason. I can see an extra week but two could be pushing it. But like I said it is a great experiment and I think ill try it this year with a few plants! Does this answer your question?
ReplyDeleteChristopher - thanks, that make good sense. Initially I was thinking, if 8 weeks is good, then wouldn't 12 be better? But yes, that makes sense; spending more of their adolescence in low-light indoor conditions than recommended probably won't work. I'm going to plant a few seeds now just to compare to others given the textbook 9 weeks later; should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Larry
Let me know your results and I will post them on my blog, sorry I have not blogged lately, I have been so busy!
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