Re: [gardeners] small victories
Jane Burdekin (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 1 Feb 1999 10:14:53 -0600
I'm glad to hear your peppers are up. I got mine planted yesterday so I
will look later this week and see if anything is up. I didn't see any
sprouts this morning when I looked, maybe too early. I just got my
propagating mat this year and set it up on a wooden table. Hopefully that
will be ok, if not I will follow your advise on the aluminum sheet.
Jane (where it's cold and grey and windy and we are expecting white showers
later today)
>Well, we're waiting for spring to finish at George's and migrate our way.
>For the past few years I've not had great success with my large (and
>expensive) propagation mat, and I finally decided to blame the formica
>table it lies upon. The mat was sticking to the formica. I went to a
>recycling center, and first bin I looked in had a sheet of expanded
>aluminum, not long enough to go under all of my mat, but long enough to
>hold three flats. They didn't charge me for it. I scooted it under my prop
>mat, and plugged it in. Planted a bunch of hot chiles.
>
>I didn't go into the basement again for about three days, and yesterday
>when I went downstairs, lo, there were numerous seedlings up and looking
>for sunlight. I brought up five containers of seedlings, and left those
>with just two or three well-sprouted seedlings each on the prop. mat. I'll
>check that today, and plant more chiles that have spent overnight in a
>saltpetre solution to hasten germination. Certainly revived my spirits.
>We haven't had a bad winter, but cold oozy ground, strong breezes, grey
>skies and 20-30 degree temps wear you down. Is anything enjoying this
>weather? Sure. Cheat grass thrives. Poop. Margaret L