7 days ago, I decided to germinate just one Okra (ladyfinger) seed so that I will not be faced with the painful decision of having to eliminate other healthy seedlings. So i sowed just one precious seed in a Jiffy Plant Starter. One which I thought looked the most robust and promising.
Staring at the Jiffy Plant Starter this morning, I wondered why there is still no seedling after 7 days and decided to check on the litte fella by digging my finger gingerly into the peat. When I found it and to my horror, there was this strange bluish green mould on the seed.
Oh dear. What’s this? Where did I go wrong?
Darn darn darn, all 7 days of waiting for nothing. That’s it.
To heck with just one seedling. I am germinating 4 Okra seeds using cotton wool.
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February 3, 2008 at 6:05 am
Kate
I think you probably over-watered the seed in your enthusiasm for it to germinate. Rather, try watering it once then covering it with an upside-down plastic bottle with the top cut off. Don’t water again ! Good luck. See my blog in Adelaide, Australia about growing vegetables and living a healthy life at http://hillsandplainsseedsavers.blogspot.com/ . I know our climate is different but isn’t it lovely to see what others are doing in this small world of ours? I like your writing style – writing with a passion is what I love almost as much as the gardening !I will put a link to this site on our site.
February 3, 2008 at 6:14 am
Kate
I forgot to say that you would be in just the right climate to grow edible water plants like water chestnuts, water spinach and other fabulous things. You just need a sealed pot of a reasonable size. Put maybe 10cm soil in the bottom.Wet the soil then sow some seeds. As the plants grow you keep adding water until the pot is full. If you have a problem with algae, get some sort of water-creeper like water cress and this will cover the water and stop the algae by stopping the light. And you can eat that too.Go for it.
February 3, 2008 at 7:15 am
rowena
I stumbled upon your blog by mention on Pat n’ Steph @ Bifurcated Carrots and am just…how should I say? – excited to come across someone who is going all out to achieve green thumb success. I have a huge terrace that I do not make use of (the shame!), but reading your words inspires me to try my hand at it…once again.
I see that you read Christine’s ‘A Thinking Stomach’ too…she’s one of my faves!
February 3, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Teresa
Hi Kate! Great hearing from you and thanks for the very useful information and kind words. I didn’t think that anyone would want to read my blog and much less comment. Wow. Thanks!
I enjoy reading your blog too. So much information and things happening! And I can see that you are growing Okra too! Thanks for the link and I look forward to reading more new developments in your blog.
Coincidentally, I was staring at seed packages of leafy vegetables like spinach, kang kong, etc, and was wondering about how big the pot should be, etc, etc, in order to grow vegetables in containers. And decided against it then. With your advise, I might just get a go at it once the rest of the plants are older.
Thanks alot for the encouragement!
February 3, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Teresa
Hi Rowena! Wow, Italy and Hawaii, both countries that I’ve always wanted to visit so much.
Huge terrace? Yes you should! Imagine all the herbs and stuff that goes into your cooking from your own terrace garden. Will be looking forward to your progress.
Keep the delicious food blogging coming and more things on Italy! If I can’t go yet, I can at least read about it on your blog 🙂
February 4, 2008 at 2:07 am
Wilson Wong
Hi there,
Okra seeds, if fresh, should germinate within 3 days. Check if your seeds have been stored properly and you should buy them from a reputable supplier.
How’s your attempt of germinating them on tissue paper? Once the roots peek out of the seed coat you can transfer them into a soil medium.
Anyway, I recommend you that you use normal small thumbpots to raise your seedlings. Jiffies are a little too costly!
Wilson
February 4, 2008 at 8:59 am
Anonymous
I’ve had a few issues with the Jiffy pellet and pots moulding. Of course, if you get them too dry, that’s a major problem too because the peat wicks moisture from the soil into the air and the plants die. I save Jiffy pots for reliable easy seeds that germinate and grow quickly, which need planting in pots/outside within a short time frame. Otherwise, I germinate my seeds in small reusable plastic pots in a ziploc bag with a bit of moisture.
February 4, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Teresa
Hi Wilson!
I got my Okra seeds from Horti packs sold in Home Fix DIY and Cold Storage so it’s fresh out of the pack.
I just put the seeds in between wet cotton wool. No news yet leh. Thanks for letting me know that it’s 3 days. Tomorrow is the 3rd day, cross my fingers. But I also got impatient and started another 6 Okra seeds in 2 Jiffies, just in case. LOL.
Another seed that I have no success germinating so far is the coriander seed. Both cotton wool and Jiffy Plant Starter won’t work.
Yar man! Jiffies are costly! $6 plus for a pack. I bought them cos I thought they work wonders with germinating seeds (novice mar) and I needed the extra “boost”. Been using them very sparingly so far.
Thanks for the tips!
Teresa
February 4, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Teresa
Hi there!
Thanks for sharing your germination method! And for shedding light on the peat part.
Much appreciated!
Regards,
Teresa
February 5, 2008 at 7:00 am
Wilson Wong
Hi Teresa,
For coriander seeds, it is absolutely necessary to have FRESH seeds. Once you land your hands on some and you will know what I mean! I have always bought my seeds from commercial seed dealers.
Some of the older folks say that you may want to enhance germination by rolling a bottle (like a rolling pin) over to split open the fruits (“seeds”) before sowing. Don’t bury too deep!
Also, coriander may have problem germinating in Singapore due to the heat we have here. But I haven’t experienced this as a problem yet with fresh seeds I have used.
Finally, on the Jiffies, because they are made of peat, some gardeners have issues about using it because the usage of Jiffies will drive the demand for more peat, although it is such a smaller amount compared to usng large bags of the same material for other horticultural purposes.
The biodiversisty of peat bogs where peat is harvested is be degraded in some parts of the world due to the high demand we have for this material to go into the making of potting mixes and other horticultural uses.
Wilson
February 7, 2008 at 1:11 am
Teresa
Hi Wilson,
My coriander seeds are from the Horti packs, same as all the stuff that I can growing now. I’m not very good at growing stuff so these will have to do for now. But fresh seeds definitely sounds good.
Didn’t know that the coriander seeds can be splitted before growing. I’m willing to try anything and will germinate another batch soon. Thanks for the info and about the climate difference about coriander. It doesn’t make me feel so useless if I don’t manage to germinate any. Blame in on the climate :p
Thanks for the info on the peat too. Awareness is important and demand drives supply so every little bit counts when we don’t buy peat if we can help it.
Thanks!
Teresa
February 7, 2008 at 1:36 am
Teresa
Hi Wilson
Forgot to mention that the germination of the Okra seeds using cotton wool yielded no results but I think the second batch using Jiffies is working.
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