Flowers from seeds

 I'm pretty good at growing tomatoes and other vegetables from seed, using grow
lights and heating pads, but flowers are always a big problem.  I can get them
to sprout, but very seldom can get any decent survivors to plant out in the
garden or
patio.  They are more delicate and require more attention, but what can I do
to insure more productivity of these flower seeds?  I am buying good quality
seeds
from places like Thomson & Morgan.  Some of the more exotic flowers never even
come up.

                           Sherwin D.

 
Too many variables for a simple answer.

- Describe the growing conditions for your seed starting activities. Light,
temperature, etc.

- There are what...a million kinds of flowers? You can't say "They are more
delicate...." or anything else about them without providing the names of the
plants. Marigold seedlings are pretty tough. Impatiens, portulaca and wax
begonias require more care. Whattya got?

- Exotic generally means "Not a lot of people grow them", and sometimes,
there's a reason for that.

 Sorry for not being more specific, but I have planted so many different
varieties of
flower seeds in the past that I've lost track of what they were.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:


   I thought I explained grow lights and heating pads.  The lights are kept very
close
   to the seed bed, and the pads are adjusted to the temperatures recommended on

   the seed packets.  I can get most of them past the germination stage, but
getting
   them transplanted into bigger containers and/or moving them outside is the
bigger
   challenge.  I sometimes use a cold frame to adjust them to the outside
environment,
   but that does not cure the problem.  I do not have a good sun lit window in
the
   house to get them better established inside, so I am trying to get them to
grow
   outside, as soon as possible.  Although many of the seedlings are recommended
for
   direct sunlight, maybe I should keep them in more of a shaded place until
they get
   better established?

 
First of all, once the seeds sprout, turn off the heating pads. Plants don't
want warm roots, for the most part. As far as transplanting, you don't say
when you actually do this. I generally leave seedlings in their 6-packs
until the pots are almost filled with roots. This prevents one type of
problem: Soil ball falling apart when you take it out of the pot, which puts
mechanical stress on the roots, and sometimes the stem, if it's delicate
enough. This may not be the best solution, but the opposite's a mess: Losing
80% of the soil and having to handle the roots too much.

The other issue is how to duplicate the life cycle of the plant as closely
as possible. Some seedlings grow in the shade of the parent plant. Some grow
in direct sunlight. Some seem bulletproof, like portulaca. I think you need
to do more reading about each individual variety. Library time.

 



    slowly after they reach about one inch high.  I'm not sure what is stunting
their
    growth, but I'm reluctant to move them outside when they are that small.