UK growers - when will you be starting your seeds?

[squeezyjohn]

I'm only asking because last year I started in March and then really mucked my seedlings about and they still gave me a half-decent crop in the end despite a dreadful summer!

Our final frost date here is somewhere in mid-late May but it was in to June last year - 6 weeks before mid-May is the beginning of April - so should I aim for then?

Any experiences gratefully soaked up!

 

[darren1979]

Hi John, ive germinated all mine and are getting ready to move over to flats. Im starting earlier this year than last as i had some trouble with mold when colour curing the leaf.
Were i live we being close to the sea and being protected by the southdowns we dont get much frost.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I think I'm with you on this one Darren! If there's a chance we can get the plants out earlier then we're going to have more chance to cure in hotter weather ... it was the cold damp of late autumn that did for a lot of my crop in moulding.

Right! Today they get germinatified!

 

[darren1979]

When i was looking at my photos from last year, i started my seeds around 30th april and i missed all the nice weather we had in may and most of june. Im hoping the plants will be a lot more advanced to be able to enjoy the sun.
The only way is to try but mother nature can be a funny beast when she wants to.

Good luck with the germination John, and heres to a very sunny and warm summer

 

[squeezyjohn]

And the same to you! Good luck to everyone trying to grow this year. Fingers crossed.

 

[Markw]

Hi Squeezy, I have to agree with Darren with what he has said. My first batch have just germinated and I will be moving them on as soon as possible. I plan on getting them out in the first week in May weather permitting fingers crossed.

I hope that your grow goes well this year and we have a better summer than last year.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I set my germination up the day before yesterday. I'm planting mine in used toilet rolls standing up in a seed tray this year - they have miracle gro compost in the bottom two thirds and a layer of fine seed compost on the top with the seeds just lightly pressed down at the top and the whole lot sprayed and covered in cling-film. I've put them a little way above a heater to get some bottom heat going. My goal is that I won't have to transplant until they go in the ground this way - I just need to thin them. I may have to use bigger pots if the weather's too cold in May though.

How have you guys done it?

 

[Markw]

Hi Squeezy
I will plant into the toilet role holders, and I am trying a few in the homemade float trays this year, and then into six inch pots and then plant out when the weather is Ok The problem is they grow very fast and can out grow the pot so I will plant them in the six inch pot it saves a lot of time re potting waiting for the weather to warm up. I re potted them about 3 times last year I won't be making the same mistake this year. If I am growing a few in pots they go straight into the large pot (job done)

 

[Knucklehead]

Dedicate a few of your rolls this year to Bonner's haircut method. http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthread.php?481-deluxestogie-Grow-Log-2012 Post #31 shows how Bob did it last year. Straight to the ground, no transplant. He also shows the difference in size between his repotted plants and the one's that were trimmed but not repotted. The trimmed plants started out small but caught up to the repotted plants very quickly and by years end there was no size difference at all. Just experiment with a few this year and next year you may find that you don't need to repot at all. bonner's 200 cell float tray cells are much smaller than a paper toilet roll. it could save you a ton of work.

 

[squeezyjohn]

Thanks so much Knucklehead! That's exactly the effect I'm aiming for but I'd never thought about trimming the leaves of the young plants. I think I'll try it with the whole lot as I'm sure it works.

I'm trying to get a one-pot method then in to the ground with minimum root disturbance as each time I repotted last year the plants seemed to be knocked back a week or so in development. It looks like the haircut method does a double job of keeping the plants from shading eachother in the pots while also toughening them up ready for transplanting.

 

[Knucklehead]

I'm using float trays this year and will be doing the same thing. Straight to the ground also saves alot of soil, besides the time and risk factor as you mentioned.

In case you didn't read this part, just let me remind you, do not trim the growth bud.