Started in Pro-Mix BX. I noted a couple of small seeds that started out OK but at the time of this photo are curling up so they are under some kind of stress. Since I took the photo I hit them with a very weak nutrient solution of miracle Gro liquid feed and they look much better. They may recover just fine .
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Is that everything you planted? -
No I put an update on all 3 varieties in another section. These are the first batch for which I have containers. I'll be starting the next batch this weekend and the plan is to do a 3rd batch middle of March. If there is another process you would like me to follow, please let me know and I'll be happy to do so. :-)Originally posted by dfollett View PostComment
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I didn't ask the right question. I meant are these all the 88X seeds you planted or did you plant a bunch and these are what's left after culling?Comment
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I ask because a significant percentage of these earlier generations do not produce very good plants. They are still segregating and many will produce very poor plants. Some people want to keep every seed alive and hate to cull. If you do that, you'll be disappointed in most of what you grow (you might be anyway...) I sent lots of seeds so you could plant a lot of seeds and then pot up only those that look the best. I the F4s, I would expect to cull 50-75%. Only keep the best.Comment
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No they are not all the 88X seeds you sent. This is just the first batch of 12. The next batch of 12 this weekend and then every month was going to plant a new batch. And was going to do the same with the others.Originally posted by dfollett View Post
My thinking was to get a succession going and then when they started fruiting and ripening for tasting, then I could cull what doesn't take good and would have another set of plants not far behind. I thought it would save some time and speed things up. Please let me know if you have another suggestion.Comment
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This is good to know, so what would make a cull before it fruited? Like those F111's they look VERY different than the other two varieties. Can you give me some guidance on what I should look for? I have a little bit of an idea but it would help to have some specific criteria.Originally posted by dfollett View Post
Do you mean you cull these before you ever put them into larger pots? If that is the case, then I'll start at least 100 this weekend instead and do much larger batches.Comment
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The way I am approaching it is that I grow what I have room for. For example, this winter i had a 4'x2' table to work with, plus a few small grow tents. I planted darn near every seed that sprouted. I did a good cull around 6 weeks or so. Any plants that looked stunted, sickly, etc. I have culled a few more as time passed.
If I didn't have much room, I would have likely culled much more heavily and only kept the best of the best.
I'm still learning too, so time will tell what is the best approach
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Thank you guys, I appreciate your patience explaining this stuff as I'm totally new to this particular process. I have no problem culling plants, but I would hate to throw out something not knowing its particular characteristics. I'll post more pics and ask some specific questions on the next set of photos. I appreciate the feedback.Comment
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Basically, what he said. It really depends on how much room (and time and patiences) you have to grow. Everyone will do it differently. I pot them up twice. I start them in 288 plug trays. With something like your F4s, I'd plant 1 or 2 seeds per plug. Then at about 2-3 weeks when they are getting crowded, I move those that are the healthiest, shortest and stockiest (also select leaf type if there is something you are looking for) into 4" cups that I put in 16" X 23" trays. I have holes drilled in the bottoms of the cups and water by putting water in the bottom of the tray. I leave them there as long as I am comfortable with them not being too crowded. Then I move to their final pot those that are the healthiest, shortest and stockiest. By this time many or most of them are showing blossoms and you can select for or against multiflora.
If I started with 100 F3 seeds (I don't know how many I sent) I'd maybe move 25 to cups and then 8-10 to final pot. With F4s, it may be start with 50, move half to cups then 8-10 to final pot.
Basically, the more you start and the longer you wait before you cull them, the more likely you'll end up with something that stays small and healthy.Comment
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The reality is, we don't know what the particular characteristics will be. I can tell you what you might expect, but we don't know for sure. There is not a specific target these were bred to produce. It more of a 'throw it against the wall and see what sticks' approach. These all have good, but very diverse genes in their parentage, but the mama and papa were so different we don't know what to expect.Originally posted by Texgal View Post
So, you're basically looking for something that is different that you like. You're the judge.
Is that helpful or troubling?Comment
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After thinking about this a bit more about your question "so what would make a cull before it fruited" I probably didn't explain myself fully. I always cull heavily. When I grow a normal stable indeterminate, I'll plant a dozen initially, pot up 4-6, then when they go into the garden, I'll plant the 2 best looking (healthiest and thickest stemmed) and give away the remainder. I just take things to the extreme looking for size here.
I'll address the 111X F2 in your other thread. There's a reason they look so different.Comment
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I agree with Dan and Sean's approach of starting many seeds-100 or more in a massive planting at a time. You can cull more easily because you can sometimes see large differences that individuate plants from the very beginning. For mass planting instructions, I found Craig's video super helpful.on how he sows seeds in bulk in individual cells, then can easily break them apart to repot . Before that I was only doing 3 or 4 per pod. His system works well for me and it takes very little space.Comment
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