Deep gratitude for these tips, it is a crucial ⚠️ problem. Price is dramatically increased. I was surprised that nobody else was paying attention. God bless you for sharing
Hi Brian! I watched this video a year ago, as I had problems with over damp soil that would never dry. I tried everything, including a fan. Nothing worked, until I drilled holes into the SIDES of the containers, about 2-3" up from the bottom. That finally worked to "aerate" the soil and provide some Oxygen to the roots. I never had any issues with soil coming out of those side holes. Heck, when I plant any type plant, I put rocks on the bottom to facilitate drainage, and it prevents mold growth too. But the drilled side holes finally worked and in doing that, it saved a lot of Tomato and Mini Sweet Bell Pepper plants. As I live in SE Idaho, on the border of Utah & Wyoming, we are in the west side of the Rockies, at 6600' elevation, thin air, lower Oxygen. Which means, as I live at a high elevation, the sun is closer and burns my tomatoes and Pepper plants, severely. Thank goodness I kept an old pair of white sheer curtains, which I tented over my Tomatoes and all Pepper plants. Heck, Summer of 21', my Sweet Bell Peppers were Purple....dark Purple. But they were awesome and delicious. The Idaho Department of Agriculture told me that the Growing season, here, has shortened by 3 weeks, as our Longitude/Latitude has shifted 5.3 miles to the NW, since volcanic and earthquake activity has increased, worldwide. And is why the weather patterns have become so severe and unstable. All the Ranchers & Farmers were made aware, thus, they've actually had to re-orient their livestock to different times of pasturing, etc. And they have had to change how and when they sow and reap crops.
that's fascinating, I don't think that common knowledge just farmers and ranchers have been made aware of it but I haven't heard anything about this in the news.
@@andonemore8077 The "news"? Heck....this fake news media refuses to tell any truth. You should see what is REALLY going on at the border......and all along the west coast. Ironic how east of the Mississippi River is clueless about what is truly happening west of the Mississippi River.....and vice versa. I refuse to watch any American news, as I have been getting truthful American news from Australia, India, England, Germany, France.....well, all of the European news, for a decade. Seems we Americans choose to be ignorant to truth. Any Demoncrap owned news media is paid to squash news that affects Demoncrap politicians. That is why I chose to watch news from overseas, as they are non-biased and truthful. If people only knew......they might grow a brain. But.....alas....the Obama dumbed down era serms to enjoy being ignorant and in denial. God bless you, and stay safe!
I bought a lamp from DynaTrap which had a built in, replaceable, sticky pad and it took care of my fungus gnat problem within about 10-12 days. After the first day of use there were noticeably fewer flying and in a few days hundreds on the sticky pad.
I've actually had really bad luck with growing melons from seeds... sticking them straight in the soil is real hit or miss whether they come up or not... so i'm putting them in between damp paper towels which i lay up on top of my fridge. so soon as they sprout i'll plant them. worked great with my butternut squash... hope it'll work on the melons!
You described one or two problems I was having. Being gone a lot of days the mint and garlic would dry out upon returning i really watered a lot to keep them wet then I had the knats and mossy stuff growing on top. These were in containers outside so from Sun up till about noon or so shade from my home was on them then after the sun changed direction then they were in Sun and most of summer it was in 90s. So this year I'm going to try herbs like parsley, chive, oregano, marjoram and basil. .maybe Strawberries and green bell peppers also same amount of sun and shade what about watering
Hi my plants grew but I didn’t get any fruit on my tomatoes nor have I got any on my pepper plant yet? I don’t know what is going on with them I am growing in my home.
I live in oklahoma i lost my matters n peppers multiple times seedlings and my issue i done this and it was successful for my first time never had any issues now I can't remember how I've done 4yrs ago for the past 3ys I've lost em so many times i can't remember how I did it the first time and I've been having trouble getting em started cause I'm either over watering too much or under watering em here it is 2023 and this i re did em 4 times about to give up any advice for me
Brian on another video about planting seed you mentioned the ratio for making seed starter soil was 3 parts Pest Moss to 1 Part Perlite? Here you said 2 Parts Peat to 1 part Perlite?
You can browse through all of his videos by clicking on the channel name underneath the video (next to the subscribe button). From that page, click on the videos tab at the top of the screen and you should see all of the channel videos in reverse chronological order. From there, I located this recent video on seed starting th-cam.com/video/PD4R41mCKKU/w-d-xo.html.
My poor seeds. I think I'm using the wrong soil and not enough light. It's been two weeks and out of about ten different varieties of veggies the only thing that grew was lettuce. It's only half an inch long and I can already tell the stems are long and the leaves top heavy. My entire set up was wrong. But, the supplies were pretty much free fifty free from the dollar store and containers I already had at home. We are in the third week of March. I'm thinking, besides the lettuce, scrapping the others and going to a nursery to get a fresh set of seeds and starters. I feel like my current seeds are a lost cause. :(
I catch myself doing this all the time. I call it OVER MOTHERING LOL "Oh are you thirsty, Oh are you hungry. Here ya go little one. UGH. Now I try to catch myself and be like the Huggies commercial with 1st kid and 2nd kid. Oh the plant looks thin I guess I better feed it. Just that type of thought process saved many of young seedlings. Just think 2nd kid.
That's brilliant! I'm doing vegetables for the first time this year and I keep going outside just to stare at them lovingly. ;'D I did it for like 20 minutes today, just examining them to see if I could find a problem to treat. ;'D
@@jennhoff03 Hi Jenn, So glad that this is your 1st veggie garden. It's a beautiful thing to watch something grow that you place there yourself. If I can advise 1 thing is to not think of issues as a problem that needs to be "killed". Rather think of it as an "indicator" that something is not right with your SOIL.. Plants have been growing for billions of years, they know how to do it. Feed the soil and the plants will take care of themselves. Enjoy the ride. Check out my soil biology playlist for help.
@@LiliAquinas Thank you very much. This means a lot to me. I can't video but I hope I've created go-to playlists of all the wonderful channels being created. I try to keep it current, updated, and full of information that makes sense and that I have found to work.
For the gardeners that have the problem with when to know when to water. I use clear dixie cups and that makes it so easy to when soil is dry and also how the roots are developing. Really enjoy the videos.
You can also use a toothpick to check the moisture level, like you're checking a cake with a butter knife, if it's a tiny container or big fingers 🤷♀️
I have listened to many seed starting videos this spring and yours by far was the most complete. Thanks for sharing your tips especially on when to plant. I am in zone 3 and your info on seed starting 4-6 weeks for certain plants was spot on by my experience. Thank you for stating the obvious as not all information is obvious when it comes to getting a good start to gardening!
I live in apartment so I do what my kids used to do, egg carton and a old bread bag lol put it on top of the fridge and it's good. I check on every now and then. I also use a craft/popsicle stick or and old pencil to check the moisture.
For treating a fungus nat infestation you can water with diluted hydrogen peroxide. It bubbles up and kills all the larvae. They plants seem to benefit as well from the oxygen. It works great for treating lots of soil problems like bacteria fungi or bugs.
One tip I use is to plant my seeds in clear 5 or 9 oz. cups, I can see exactly how much moisture is in each cup! I Start with the 5 oz. cups then replant in the 9 oz cups after two or more true leaves develop. This enables me to keep an eye on root growth and moisture. From there it’s just a matter of the size of plant moving onto whatever size cup or pot you desire, or out into the garden after hardening off. I also sprinkle a little cinnamon on the soil surface as I am planting my seeds to keep down fungus gnats. HAPPY GARDENING!
@@ouch2925 I have not heard that the artificial light will hurt the roots. Do you have any sources that indicate that the light is bad for the roots? Or are you just being extra careful?
@@Well_I_am_just_saying I transplanted some pepper plants from 72 seed cell flat into plastic cups some red solo some clear. Ones in clear cups noticably started growing slower and also leaves developed a lighter shade of green.
This was my first year of indoor seedling starting. I learned: 1. I over water. 2. I waited too long to transplant to a bigger pot. 3. Beans started inside don't like to go outside. 😅
You can start beans inside, I've done it but what ive learned is make sure you wait until its warm enough outside and move them in and out of the sun from the very start! They will like moving outside with no problem, also make sure you use the biggest starting pods you can get because they grow super fast !
Beans (or anything that doesn't like to be transplanted) - start them in tp rolls (make 3 or 4 small cuts on one end and fold in to make a bottom), fill with dirt & plant the seed. Stand them in a bigger pot so they don't all fall over, & when it's time to plant them outside, unfold the bottom flaps, peel the cardboard up a bit to loosen it, and plunk it into a hole in the ground. Just don't start them too early because they grow fast.
When I first starting pepper seeds indoors, I didnt know about lumens and Kelvin Temps, but I did know that leggy seedlings came about due to red light and leaf production was enhanced by blue light. So I used blue lights and I ended my leggy seedling problems.
On how I wish I had watched this one sooner! He just summed up my last few years' struggle with damping off and fungus gnats and overwatering, even with just my houseplants. Wow!
Great info. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I have 39 out of 45 seedlings going now and they are almost 6" tall with nice thick stems. This is the first time I've been able to get them this far without dying off. Thank you again for all the great info.
California Garden TV can you adress the opposite problem we have in southern countries/regions? Leaving seedlings in direct sunlight kills them in 30min. They start to bend until they are comoletely horizontal on the floor. Mind you its sunny and warm here (25°C on the shade, 32°C on the sunlight)
@@rronaldreagan I live in Houston and I totally know what you mean! All the books say they want full sun, but those little guys can't handle the scorching, direct sun of the south. There's a process called "hardening off" where you start bringing them out in bits. I'd put them out in the shade for an hour a day and slowly get them used to the heat. Also, I'm not an expert on this, but I noticed that almost every website says "full sun- 6 hours." Where my family had been planting was actual full sun, like 12 hours. So this year I put them in partial shade that gets 6 hours of really hot sun but then shade the rest of the day. And they're doing pretty well so far! Fingers crossed! The south is just a different kind of climate than most of the guides online.
Most of the factors there can identify with from trial and error over the last few years of my noobiness. Great to see someone putting forth information to try help others get past the frustration hump.
Most places that sell sand only have it in 50 lb bags which is WAY more than what I need. I found on Amazon a 5 lb bag called Mosser Lee ML 1110 Desert Sand Soil Cover. Price $4.98 if you have an Amazon Prime subscription.
@@Karen-mb4ko What I read is enough to cover the top of the soil. I just started a couple of days ago. Took awhile for the sand I ordered from Amazon to arrive.
I'm in southern Ontario (Canada) and my melons are already in the ground - covered at night. I found that putting my covered seedling tray in front of or on the heating vent keeps the soil nice and warm and allows for a great selection of seedlings.
Now I know my failed seedlings were over watered! This video came at the right time. I have a few vegetables in an east facing flower bed and had planned to water again tomorrow before we leave but now will not. We also put up a 2’ clear plastic wind block on the east side and a piece of plywood on north and south side to block some of the strong gusty winds blowing 17- 30-35mph that we’ve been having from the southeast. Supposed be stronger tomorrow. Is this a bad idea to put up this wind block? There is still plenty of air going in there but am I keeping the plant from gaining it’s best strength with this wind block? The tomato seedlings are about 1 1/2-2” tall.
As always, awesome information! We are in central west Florida, well past starting indoors, and garden such as it is this year is underway. Best in there is a big cluster of volunteer cherry tomatoes that came up late last fall which we covered on our several nights of below freezing. We now have already gotten a couple hundred tomatoes! Thank you and God Bless!
Hi Brian! Thank you so much for your tips. I started new pepper seedlings about a week ago because half of my first batch did not germinate😞. I was sad but I remembered that for me this year is all a test on everything. I must learn how plants behave, their needs. I repotted my zucchinis, beans and big success none died so happy for the plants👍🤗 oh, oh my 2 blueberry plants are fruit now so excited. Blessing to you and family🍓
My tomatoes damped off in the greenhouse. I’ve been gardening for years but must have been getting by on luck. It’s about time I learnt something and I really like your videos for that.
Thank you!!! You're a life-saver!!! It's nice to find a community which gives you information and help you through especially when you're a first time gardener. Leggy, fungus, damping off. I have all those problems at the same time. I started long beans in a tray because I am just so excited to buy my first seeds even if my raised bed is not ready yet. In 48hours, 8 out of 10 sprouted. Half died coz of damping off and fungus. The rest ended up leggy. I put them in a shade because here in the Philippines, it is just sooo hot. 30-36°C. It's late when I learned they don't want to be transplanted too but they made it through and 3ft.tall now. BTW, I am using cinnamon from now on.
Thanks for the video, I thought I had to enclose the seed tray in aluminum foil with the lights at first, ended up cooking about 1/2 the tomato plants. I did add one of the CFL bulbs above the seed tray, it's a lot brighter then what I had there before, I hope that helps these little guys! I've added the fan to move the air around them now. It's still pretty crappy here in NW PA, but I did take them out for a bit of sun the other day, they all enjoyed the field trip.
Hello Brian, great video about starting seeds. Very clear advice and the main problems I often have are starting too early (itching to grow stuff) and geting the watering right. Liked and subbed! Thanks XX
You CAN save leggy seedlings! If your seedlings stretch too far and fall over simply tie them to a bamboo skewer with dental floss or string and then place them directly under a grow light. Keep the light about 6-12 inches from the top of the seedlings depending on the intensity of light. There’s also bendable wire specifically for plants if you cant find a place that sells bamboo skewers.
I found that I had fungus gnats almost every time I repotted some plants. After some research I discovered that MiracleGro products are often full of gnats and/or their larvae.
Try taking fresh mix,place it in a pie plate, place pie plate in your oven as its heating up, or cooling down before or after use, for 15 minutes, to kill off those eggs or larvae. Then place each batch of bewly steriled soil into a separate container or bag..easy way to salvage potting soil that *always* costs toomuch to simply chuck every second bag because its contaminated!🙄😎
I just made the mistake of using miracle grow potting soil. I started my seeds, watered them in and covered with plastic wrap. A few hrs later I went in my bathroom and looked. There were nasty tiny bugs allllllll over the plastic wrap! 😳🙄 i took off all the plastic wrap hopefully squishing all of them but then had to put the pots outside which I’m sure is going to make it so they don’t germinate. Stupid miracle grow!
A peroxide solution will kill bugs and purify (clean) your soil. Look up the right ratio of peroxide and water so you don’t use too much and damage your seedlings.
@@dreamweaver8210 thank you! I did this and my lettuce and arugula are growing perfectly! So glad they aren’t a loss, I was worried the hydrogen peroxide would kill them but it didn’t. I have another bag of miracle grow that I now know to treat before hand
Thank You so much for the tip on the gnats. I am having an issue with them and didn’t know how to get rid of them without harming my plants. I have a mosquito zapper and was having a little fun with that but they keep coming back for more 😆
I have planted my peppers 5 weeks ago. I'm in zone 5. The leaves of my peppers are light and have a light brown spots. Not forsure what's going on. Any suggestions?
The recipe for the potting mix is just good for starting seeds (2 parts coir/peat 1 part vermiculite). You'll have to transplant them to a more substantial mix containing nutrients at some point (i. e. adding compost to the mix) or start feeding with a liquid fertilizer. Of course you could always buy high quality compost or liquid fertilizer for that purpose, but it's absolutely no issue to make and use your own HQ compost to save some money. And it honestly isn't that much trouble to sterilize it yourself. I also do my own liquid fertilizers with a vermicompost system, which I use (diluted) on my seedlings, no problem. Just my point of view, as I try to make my garden as self sufficient as possible.
Thanks for the video--good hints. They only year I had good starts was when I took them outside during the day where I made a homemade plastic greenhouse/hothouse situation with just sheet plastic and the frame of an old chair. I brought them in at night at first and if it was really cold but just left them wrapped in plastic at night once they got bigger and under plastic on colder days, unwrapped on warmer days. I had the nicest healthiest stockiest starts ever. That UV light is so powerful and really kills fungus that is damping off. I took them outside even before the seeds popped up, because I wanted that UV light to kill any fungus on the soil. The corner with windows in two directions that I used to use would just relentlessly cause damping off: just like the fungus was jumping off the window sills.
I'm so glad I found your TH-cam channel. This is my first year planting a bigger garden and taking it serious. I've had small gardens years ago that did so-so. I just threw the plants in the dirt and hoped for the best. This year I'm doing a garden with 350 plants and after watching just a few of your videos I've learned so much! I know this will be a great year. Thank you!!
Same here. Just throw the seeds and hope for the best. Total failure. Then I started paying more attention to time zones in Australia. November and December, no germination at all! This year I have paid. more attention to zones and I had success in planting and getting coriander, Bok choy, pak choy, and tatsoi. Success about 70%.
I started gardening 3 yrs ago & knew absolutely NOTHING. I've learned more from my mistakes than my successes, but give all the credit to the successes to Bryan's videos. I've experienced increasing success each year. It really is a good thing not to become discouraged. My first year, I lost every tomato seedling I bought to fungus disease before any blooms formed. I thought it was my fault, but later, after studying up on it, & a call to the place I bought them from, I found out the bought seedlings were already infected with a fungus disease before I bought them. The seller admitted he had received many calls such as mine & offered a refund. So EVERYTHING isn't always your fault! I HATE to lose even one plant. I almost feel like a mother to my "babies", & I'll do everything I can to not give up on a plant. I even HATE pulling up plants that have made finished their time of production! Keep on keeping on! Thank you "Next Level Gardening"!
Thank you. I tried seed starting 2 yrs ago with no luck but I didn't have any grow lights, place to put them in enough light or etc. SOOO, last year hubby bought me some shelving, grow lights, heat mats etc and everything I tried to start germinated. It was a hugh success, Every morning when I got up, I checked on my babies to see how they were doing and if they needed anything. Actually, I started too many seeds and ended up throwing them away... boohoo I still have tons of snow on the ground but seed planting is coming soon unless mother nature gives us some surprises.
Just found you on TH-cam and I’m in love. Thank you so much for clear, concise and very informative information (on growing tomatoes, starting from seed). I’ve been a veggie gardener for a bazillion years - you can teach an ole gal a few new ticks 👍. I grow (from Baker Creek) all my veggies and donate out full gardens to organizations and people who love to garden, but might not have resources. This year, I’m teaching and donating out edible flowers too. Question if I may, what and how often do I feed my fruit trees - apples, pears, cherry, and nuts - almonds & walnuts and lastly artichokes ? All were pruned last month and need to be fed now. Suggestions ? I’ve always purchased from: Cottage Farms which has 3 different food bases: an acid base food for citrus, berries etc; a Rose base for all rose bushes; and a general food for others - butterfly buzzes, lavender. Please, any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Gabrielle Napa / Sonoma, CA
Thank you for the info about the cinnamon. It makes sense since cinnamon is both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, but I hadn't thought about how you could use it in the garden. Wonder how it works against slugs....
Lots of good tips here. To prevent overwatering, I use the weight method for seedlings so I'm not disturbing the limited soil with my finger. I also use capillary watering from underneath unless I'm feeding. Glad I found your channel, I'll be checking out all your videos soon. Take care brother!
I’ve been using “Jiffy” brand seed starting mix for years and swear by it. It’s sterile and screened to be very fine. Only issue is it dries out pretty quickly compared to other potting mixes.
Great tips! I agree. I really like to read the comments. Sometimes I find good information down in the comments. Being a new gardener, I'm looking for every bit of information I can find lol.
Karen Latham , me too! I grew a few veggies a few years back, but, never got back into gardening until this quarantine. I’m calling it emergency gardening; due to the possible food shortage in the future. My biggest problem that I’m facing is planting the seedlings too early outside and they die off. It literally IS trial and error. But, the one piece of advice I can give you is this: save all of your water bottles. Then, cut them in half, plant your seedlings in the cup with some good soil. Then, cover with plastic wrap. Next, if you have a heating pad, put those seedlings on the heating pad in a semi dark place. Within about 7-10 days, instant stem! This has helped me grow A LOT of veggies!! I didn’t have a heat mat for the seeds and I didn’t have the peat pods from the store, so, I improvised. I had my whole family saving water bottles, 2 liter bottles, to go trays, butter containers and any containers that I could put them in to let them absorb water from the bottom. Happy gardening to you and good luck with the garden. :)
I started my seedlings in peat pellets on March 12th. I set-up 3 2000 Lumen, 5000K Cree LED bulbs in reflector housings and placed everything on a shelf in my server closet to keep it all warm. I had to transplant all the tomotoes, basil and a few flowers 3 weeks ago and now I am concerned that due to lingering winter weather in the northeast (it snowed/sleeted yesterday) that we are getting close to danger time for them all if the weather doesn't start escaping overnight frost temps soon. Also the gnats are real. Thankfully no damage to any plants yet.
Thank you for an informative show on how to start seedlings. I had some issues this Fall but now I know why it happened. Love to watch more of your gardening episodes. Happy Gardening!
1 teaspoon Neem oil and a few drops of dish soap to a sprayer, then spray on the soil for fungus gnats is the best idea I ever heard. I started my seeds just yesterday - last frost around 4/12 for my area. Fungus gnats are the 😈 for me, though. I have sticky paper and will soon mix a quart sprayer with Neem to deal with the gnats! Thank you!
exactly what I was having problems with! I'm using a tray with a water reservoir underneath I got the seed starting mix that you recommended but I started having algae grow on them pretty quickly. So I will try the cinnamon!
Thanks Bryan, this video was very informative and addresses why I have been been having issues with starting seeds. Hopefully I will be able to get some of my seedlings in the garden or it means starting over. Keep sharing the informative videos.
I put all my germination racks with grow lights in the boiler room of my house. This gave a constant 80 degrees for my peppers. They exploded with growth!
I have learned so much from your videos. I have always planted plants from Walmart but wanted to try planting from seed. So glad that your health issues are much better now. Thank you so much and keep those videos coming!
I really enjoyed watching this video. I’m glad that I was able to get some great advice prior to getting my planting started. I’m super excited. I’m growing jalapeños, cilantro, tomatoes, bunching onions, watermelon, and squash! Things my family and I enjoy to eat and cook with. I will continue to watch your videos and I am looking forward to learning much more from you! Thank you for taking the time to share.
It's interesting what you said about the cinnamon being an antifungal. I had an interesting experience with cinnamon and a tick that I found on me. Realizing It wouldn't let go, I applied cinnamon oil on it and rubbed it in. In 10 minutes, I wiped it off and saw it was dead. I will use it again if that happens again.
I like that he explains simple things like how to see if you are over or under water by using examples. Most experts say don’t over or under water but do not explain how and why. Thanks
This might be a little over kill, but my grandfather taught me to add boiling water to the seed starting mix. Mix well with a shovel and wait for it to cool before planting, of course. Seed Starting Mix 1/2 - Sphagnum Peat Moss 1/2 - Vermiculite
My grandfather told me this same thing. He said it was to kill off undesirables in the seed starting mix. Now that it's easy to purchase sterilized potting mixes, I don't think adding the boiling water is necessary, unless you just prefer to DIY, so you know exactly what is in your own mix. 🌱🌱💚💚
You can add boiling water to ANY potting mix/soil to kill undesirables. Other people also heat it in an oven to sterilize. That's how old timers reuse old soil. But if you don't know what you're doing it is best to just start with fresh sterile soil.
I’ve watched a ton of videos on this very topic and I found yours to be the most helpful! Thank you so very much. I’ve fallen prey to maybe over watering a bit. Now I know exactly what to do. 👍
Oh my gosh. I'm a new seedling mama, first time, and noticed some worrying signs when I checked them this morning. This video couldn't have been more on target. Thank you. ☺️
I started my seeds indoor under lights and with a heat mat, at the end of March and beginning of April. They'll probably go outside by mid May, but our weather is testy in western WA at this time of year so I bought a cover for my 2x4 planter and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will provide adequate protection. This is my first time growing only from seeds, and I'm very excited! There's something about watching the little things grow, and now I understand why my mom got so carried away with her seedling babies. 👶🏼
Hi Brian! Thank you so much for the wealth of info you provide. I'm new to gardening, so I've been binge watching your videos ever since I found you about a month ago! My question is, can I plant tomato seeds right in the garden instead of transplanting a starter? I've made every mistake on your list, so I thought I'd try planting some seeds directly in the garden just in case my starters don't make it. I'm in the mountains of NC. Thanks again. It's amazing to see how fast you've grown in just a month's time. Way to go! You deserve your success. 👍
Thank you so much! Absolutely. After your last frost state you can plant them directly into the garden. You might get a shorter season but the plants usually do better if they were directly sown in the garden. Good luck!
I'm loving your videos!!! We've been growing for years and always looking to improve. We have a greenhouse and I wanted to know when I should start growing seeds. Our last frost date is 2/7. Thank you so much
When you say pathogens do you mean that the plants will make you sick. I live in AZ where it is hot. I started my seeds in potting mix and they are doing great. Just wondering if when they produce if they will make us sick.
Nope, plants have different cells than we do, and the viruses/fungi that affect them can't do anything to us. Obviously, if you eat a moldy veggy or fruit, you're asking for trouble, but not because that mold is infected you or anything- your stomach just doesn't want that gunk in there. Hope this helps.
he meant pathogens in the soil which can make your babies sick. not much in the soil in AZ to make anything sick. hes referring to building up a compost bin and harboring plant pathogens and introducing them to your weak, young crop.
Greetings from Tempe, AZ! Garden soil and compost is for outdoor in ground gardening and depending on the brand quality, it can contain seeds from grass and weeds as well as worms and microorganism that are beneficial for gardens. Homemade compost however can be an issue if you don't know how or what or when to compost causing various bacterial growth. Seed starting mix and indoor potting mix has been sterilized for inside use and to ensure no grass etc grows. Lay out the mix in the sun for a day in a pan to cook. It's 100 today. This will help get rid of any fungus gnat eggs from hatching inside. Soapy water and need oil are great too. Make sure you water twice a day if doing container gardening in the Summer out here. That rule of full sunlight does not apply to AZ in July. I get great growth under a 70% shade screen all season and never remove it.
Thanks for all the great info!! I’ve saved this video to watch again next year when I start my own seeds indoors. No more buying starts at the nursery!! Also, I hope your MRI results were positive in a good way.
I disagree somewhat with that. I started 12 bean plants inside last year and transplanted all 12 in the middle of May. Eight of them thrived and four did not. So if you've already started them inside dont give up on them.
I'm glad you made this video seems nobody else really discusses this topic. This is by far the hardest part of gardening.
Is hardening off discussed in one of the videos?
Deep gratitude for these tips, it is a crucial ⚠️ problem. Price is dramatically increased. I was surprised that nobody else was paying attention. God bless you for sharing
I slept through it
@@Sense2024 Your loss 🤣
@@MelbaSee
Hi Brian! I watched this video a year ago, as I had problems with over damp soil that would never dry.
I tried everything, including a fan.
Nothing worked, until I drilled holes into the SIDES of the containers, about 2-3" up from the bottom. That finally worked to "aerate" the soil and provide some Oxygen to the roots.
I never had any issues with soil coming out of those side holes.
Heck, when I plant any type plant, I put rocks on the bottom to facilitate drainage, and it prevents mold growth too. But the drilled side holes finally worked and in doing that, it saved a lot of Tomato and Mini Sweet Bell Pepper plants.
As I live in SE Idaho, on the border of Utah & Wyoming, we are in the west side of the Rockies, at 6600' elevation, thin air, lower Oxygen. Which means, as I live at a high elevation, the sun is closer and burns my tomatoes and Pepper plants, severely. Thank goodness I kept an old pair of white sheer curtains, which I tented over my Tomatoes and all Pepper plants.
Heck, Summer of 21', my Sweet Bell Peppers were Purple....dark Purple. But they were awesome and delicious. The Idaho Department of Agriculture told me that the Growing season, here, has shortened by 3 weeks, as our Longitude/Latitude has shifted 5.3 miles to the NW, since volcanic and earthquake activity has increased, worldwide. And is why the weather patterns have become so severe and unstable.
All the Ranchers & Farmers were made aware, thus, they've actually had to re-orient their livestock to different times of pasturing, etc.
And they have had to change how and when they sow and reap crops.
that's fascinating, I don't think that common knowledge just farmers and ranchers have been made aware of it but I haven't heard anything about this in the news.
@@andonemore8077
The "news"? Heck....this fake news media refuses to tell any truth. You should see what is REALLY going on at the border......and all along the west coast. Ironic how east of the Mississippi River is clueless about what is truly happening west of the Mississippi River.....and vice versa.
I refuse to watch any American news, as I have been getting truthful American news from Australia, India, England, Germany, France.....well, all of the European news, for a decade.
Seems we Americans choose to be ignorant to truth. Any Demoncrap owned news media is paid to squash news that affects Demoncrap politicians. That is why I chose to watch news from overseas, as they are non-biased and truthful.
If people only knew......they might grow a brain.
But.....alas....the Obama dumbed down era serms to enjoy being ignorant and in denial.
God bless you, and stay safe!
Learned a ton...going through a slump after this last planting and this gave me hope again yay 😅
Found out I'm over watering and also need to add more light. We'll see if I can save my seedlings!
What a great video! Thanks for all your sound advice👍😉🇨🇦
I bought a lamp from DynaTrap which had a built in, replaceable, sticky pad and it took care of my fungus gnat problem within about 10-12 days. After the first day of use there were noticeably fewer flying and in a few days hundreds on the sticky pad.
Great information. Thank you ever so much.
I've actually had really bad luck with growing melons from seeds... sticking them straight in the soil is real hit or miss whether they come up or not... so i'm putting them in between damp paper towels which i lay up on top of my fridge. so soon as they sprout i'll plant them. worked great with my butternut squash... hope it'll work on the melons!
I did have a problem with Nats at one time but I did get the fly paper
You described one or two problems I was having. Being gone a lot of days the mint and garlic would dry out upon returning i really watered a lot to keep them wet then I had the knats and mossy stuff growing on top. These were in containers outside so from Sun up till about noon or so shade from my home was on them then after the sun changed direction then they were in Sun and most of summer it was in 90s. So this year I'm going to try herbs like parsley, chive, oregano, marjoram and basil. .maybe Strawberries and green bell peppers also same amount of sun and shade what about watering
You must have known I was going to search this today.
I did🤣🤣
Yup
That intro is literally what just happened to me and how I felt 💀
Thank you for the info
H2o2 works great for dampening off
Got it! Let me go dump the water trays from my 4 day old seed starts. Lol
My issues is that the weather isn't consistent nice day then cold and raining every other day
I have the same issue in the northeast
Hello the planter behind you over your right shoulder what is that called. The pinkish color
Hi my plants grew but I didn’t get any fruit on my tomatoes nor have I got any on my pepper plant yet? I don’t know what is going on with them I am growing in my home.
Brian, excellent garden information. Thank You! And thanks to great tips from viewers comments. 🌱🪴🍀🐝🦋
I live in oklahoma i lost my matters n peppers multiple times seedlings and my issue i done this and it was successful for my first time never had any issues now I can't remember how I've done 4yrs ago for the past 3ys I've lost em so many times i can't remember how I did it the first time and I've been having trouble getting em started cause I'm either over watering too much or under watering em here it is 2023 and this i re did em 4 times about to give up any advice for me
Brian on another video about planting seed you mentioned the ratio for making seed starter soil was 3 parts Pest Moss to 1 Part Perlite? Here you said 2 Parts Peat to 1 part Perlite?
Hi, hope your doing great🙏🏻❤️. Do you have a video on how to start seeds. And how dose that little green house box seed starter thing work ? 💕💕
You can browse through all of his videos by clicking on the channel name underneath the video (next to the subscribe button). From that page, click on the videos tab at the top of the screen and you should see all of the channel videos in reverse chronological order. From there, I located this recent video on seed starting th-cam.com/video/PD4R41mCKKU/w-d-xo.html.
Molly Cat Colorado thank you 🙏🏻😘
CONCISE, TY
My poor seeds. I think I'm using the wrong soil and not enough light. It's been two weeks and out of about ten different varieties of veggies the only thing that grew was lettuce. It's only half an inch long and I can already tell the stems are long and the leaves top heavy. My entire set up was wrong. But, the supplies were pretty much free fifty free from the dollar store and containers I already had at home. We are in the third week of March. I'm thinking, besides the lettuce, scrapping the others and going to a nursery to get a fresh set of seeds and starters. I feel like my current seeds are a lost cause. :(
lol :20 scared my cat even
Lol.
I think my grow lights were too strong and fried my broccoli and cabbage sprouts 😔
I catch myself doing this all the time. I call it OVER MOTHERING LOL "Oh are you thirsty, Oh are you hungry. Here ya go little one. UGH. Now I try to catch myself and be like the Huggies commercial with 1st kid and 2nd kid. Oh the plant looks thin I guess I better feed it. Just that type of thought process saved many of young seedlings. Just think 2nd kid.
That's brilliant! I'm doing vegetables for the first time this year and I keep going outside just to stare at them lovingly. ;'D I did it for like 20 minutes today, just examining them to see if I could find a problem to treat. ;'D
@@jennhoff03 Hi Jenn, So glad that this is your 1st veggie garden. It's a beautiful thing to watch something grow that you place there yourself. If I can advise 1 thing is to not think of issues as a problem that needs to be "killed". Rather think of it as an "indicator" that something is not right with your SOIL.. Plants have been growing for billions of years, they know how to do it. Feed the soil and the plants will take care of themselves. Enjoy the ride. Check out my soil biology playlist for help.
I've done the same......with plants & kids.🤱😂
@@ABamaGardener just subscribed to your channel. You have a lot of great stuff! Thanks!
@@LiliAquinas Thank you very much. This means a lot to me. I can't video but I hope I've created go-to playlists of all the wonderful channels being created. I try to keep it current, updated, and full of information that makes sense and that I have found to work.
For the gardeners that have the problem with when to know when to water. I use clear dixie cups and that makes it so easy to when soil is dry and also how the roots are developing. Really enjoy the videos.
You can also use a toothpick to check the moisture level, like you're checking a cake with a butter knife, if it's a tiny container or big fingers 🤷♀️
Great idea!
oh I like this suggestion!
I have listened to many seed starting videos this spring and yours by far was the most complete. Thanks for sharing your tips especially on when to plant. I am in zone 3 and your info on seed starting 4-6 weeks for certain plants was spot on by my experience. Thank you for stating the obvious as not all information is obvious when it comes to getting a good start to gardening!
I live in apartment so I do what my kids used to do, egg carton and a old bread bag lol put it on top of the fridge and it's good. I check on every now and then. I also use a craft/popsicle stick or and old pencil to check the moisture.
I'm going to try that! Better than spending money on equipment my first go-around. Thanks for the tip.🌱😊
For treating a fungus nat infestation you can water with diluted hydrogen peroxide. It bubbles up and kills all the larvae. They plants seem to benefit as well from the oxygen. It works great for treating lots of soil problems like bacteria fungi or bugs.
So, details please. What is the mix ratio? Spray on or bottom water? Thanks
What concentration?
Saturate the soil with a 2% solution. If you spray the leaves for fungus you have to dilute it 50% with water.
Mix ratio please
@@farmerchick3040 Thank you.
One tip I use is to plant my seeds in clear 5 or 9 oz. cups, I can see exactly how much moisture is in each cup! I Start with the 5 oz. cups then replant in the 9 oz cups after two or more true leaves develop. This enables me to keep an eye on root growth and moisture. From there it’s just a matter of the size of plant moving onto whatever size cup or pot you desire, or out into the garden after hardening off. I also sprinkle a little cinnamon on the soil surface as I am planting my seeds to keep down fungus gnats. HAPPY GARDENING!
I like the clear cup idea about being able to see the roots and moisture I'm going to try it
I am mainly using 16 oz and 24 oz clear cups and using 9 oz clear cups for a few types of plants.
I do the same but I use a clear cup in a red solo cup to keep it dark in the root zone
@@ouch2925
I have not heard that the artificial light will hurt the roots. Do you have any sources that indicate that the light is bad for the roots? Or are you just being extra careful?
@@Well_I_am_just_saying I transplanted some pepper plants from 72 seed cell flat into plastic cups some red solo some clear. Ones in clear cups noticably started growing slower and also leaves developed a lighter shade of green.
This was my first year of indoor seedling starting.
I learned:
1. I over water.
2. I waited too long to transplant to a bigger pot.
3. Beans started inside don't like to go outside. 😅
You can start beans inside, I've done it but what ive learned is make sure you wait until its warm enough outside and move them in and out of the sun from the very start! They will like moving outside with no problem, also make sure you use the biggest starting pods you can get because they grow super fast !
Beans are really a summer thing
charcounsel don’t give up! It’s a learning curve..greens beans can be direct sow. Try some outside 👍🌱🌱🌱
Beans (or anything that doesn't like to be transplanted) - start them in tp rolls (make 3 or 4 small cuts on one end and fold in to make a bottom), fill with dirt & plant the seed. Stand them in a bigger pot so they don't all fall over, & when it's time to plant them outside, unfold the bottom flaps, peel the cardboard up a bit to loosen it, and plunk it into a hole in the ground. Just don't start them too early because they grow fast.
Yep, I noticed that bean are one stubborn plant.
I have to say. It’s very hard to stop watching these videos, I learn so much from them.
When I first starting pepper seeds indoors, I didnt know about lumens and Kelvin Temps, but I did know that leggy seedlings came about due to red light and leaf production was enhanced by blue light. So I used blue lights and I ended my leggy seedling problems.
On how I wish I had watched this one sooner! He just summed up my last few years' struggle with damping off and fungus gnats and overwatering, even with just my houseplants. Wow!
Great info. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I have 39 out of 45 seedlings going now and they are almost 6" tall with nice thick stems. This is the first time I've been able to get them this far without dying off. Thank you again for all the great info.
Awesome!!!
California Garden TV can you adress the opposite problem we have in southern countries/regions?
Leaving seedlings in direct sunlight kills them in 30min.
They start to bend until they are comoletely horizontal on the floor.
Mind you its sunny and warm here (25°C on the shade, 32°C on the sunlight)
@@rronaldreagan I live in Houston and I totally know what you mean! All the books say they want full sun, but those little guys can't handle the scorching, direct sun of the south. There's a process called "hardening off" where you start bringing them out in bits. I'd put them out in the shade for an hour a day and slowly get them used to the heat.
Also, I'm not an expert on this, but I noticed that almost every website says "full sun- 6 hours." Where my family had been planting was actual full sun, like 12 hours. So this year I put them in partial shade that gets 6 hours of really hot sun but then shade the rest of the day. And they're doing pretty well so far! Fingers crossed! The south is just a different kind of climate than most of the guides online.
@@jennhoff03 I believe you meant "hardening off" not damping. Yes?
@@maggidull1952 Yes, thank you!
Most of the factors there can identify with from trial and error over the last few years of my noobiness. Great to see someone putting forth information to try help others get past the frustration hump.
Thank you!
I reckon you should have been a teacher, you sure know how to put over your subject in an inspirational way. thanks a lot Bryan.
I use sand on top of the potting soil to prevent fungus/mold from getting a start.
Wow! Never thought of that! Thank you! I will try the sand.
You are my hero! I’m totally going to use this!
Most places that sell sand only have it in 50 lb bags which is WAY more than what I need. I found on Amazon a 5 lb bag called Mosser Lee ML 1110 Desert Sand Soil Cover. Price $4.98 if you have an Amazon Prime subscription.
About how much sand do you use on each plant?
@@Karen-mb4ko What I read is enough to cover the top of the soil. I just started a couple of days ago. Took awhile for the sand I ordered from Amazon to arrive.
I'm in southern Ontario (Canada) and my melons are already in the ground - covered at night.
I found that putting my covered seedling tray in front of or on the heating vent keeps the soil nice and warm and allows for a great selection of seedlings.
I luv your needed advice,may God continue to bless you!
Now I know my failed seedlings were over watered! This video came at the right time. I have a few vegetables in an east facing flower bed and had planned to water again tomorrow before we leave but now will not. We also put up a 2’ clear plastic wind block on the east side and a piece of plywood on north and south side to block some of the strong gusty winds blowing 17- 30-35mph that we’ve been having from the southeast. Supposed be stronger tomorrow. Is this a bad idea to put up this wind block? There is still plenty of air going in there but am I keeping the plant from gaining it’s best strength with this wind block? The tomato seedlings are about 1 1/2-2” tall.
As always, awesome information! We are in central west Florida, well past starting indoors, and garden such as it is this year is underway. Best in there is a big cluster of volunteer cherry tomatoes that came up late last fall which we covered on our several nights of below freezing. We now have already gotten a couple hundred tomatoes! Thank you and God Bless!
Hi Brian! Thank you so much for your tips. I started new pepper seedlings about a week ago because half of my first batch did not germinate😞. I was sad but I remembered that for me this year is all a test on everything. I must learn how plants behave, their needs. I repotted my zucchinis, beans and big success none died so happy for the plants👍🤗 oh, oh my 2 blueberry plants are fruit now so excited.
Blessing to you and family🍓
Great Videos, and easy to understand. I too realized I was over-watering in my greenhouse. You never stop learning with gardening.
My tomatoes damped off in the greenhouse. I’ve been gardening for years but must have been getting by on luck. It’s about time I learnt something and I really like your videos for that.
Thank you!!! You're a life-saver!!! It's nice to find a community which gives you information and help you through especially when you're a first time gardener. Leggy, fungus, damping off. I have all those problems at the same time. I started long beans in a tray because I am just so excited to buy my first seeds even if my raised bed is not ready yet. In 48hours, 8 out of 10 sprouted. Half died coz of damping off and fungus. The rest ended up leggy. I put them in a shade because here in the Philippines, it is just sooo hot. 30-36°C. It's late when I learned they don't want to be transplanted too but they made it through and 3ft.tall now. BTW, I am using cinnamon from now on.
Great. Thank you Prim!
@@NextLevelGardening No, thank you!!!!!!
What does the cinnamon do
I also use Chamomile tea as an antifungal that has worked pretty good. Brew I cup and put it in a squirt bottle, fill bottle with water and mist.
Nice!
Tony Meluzio do you mist the soil or plant?
@@nanarose3496 soil
@Nana Rose349 yes the top of the soil with a spray bottle. Sprinkling Cinnamon on top of soil is another alternative.
Will this work for the little white gnats?
Didn't know about the cinnamon! Great hint! Thanks!!!
Thanks for the video, I thought I had to enclose the seed tray in aluminum foil with the lights at first, ended up cooking about 1/2 the tomato plants. I did add one of the CFL bulbs above the seed tray, it's a lot brighter then what I had there before, I hope that helps these little guys! I've added the fan to move the air around them now. It's still pretty crappy here in NW PA, but I did take them out for a bit of sun the other day, they all enjoyed the field trip.
Hello Brian, great video about starting seeds. Very clear advice and the main problems I often have are starting too early (itching to grow stuff) and geting the watering right. Liked and subbed! Thanks XX
You CAN save leggy seedlings! If your seedlings stretch too far and fall over simply tie them to a bamboo skewer with dental floss or string and then place them directly under a grow light. Keep the light about 6-12 inches from the top of the seedlings depending on the intensity of light. There’s also bendable wire specifically for plants if you cant find a place that sells bamboo skewers.
I am the poster child for saving leggy seedlings. I did it this year with my tomatoes.
Thank You for that.... I had so many beans do that last year. 😢
Also with my broccoli!
I found that I had fungus gnats almost every time I repotted some plants. After some research I discovered that MiracleGro products are often full of gnats and/or their larvae.
Try taking fresh mix,place it in a pie plate, place pie plate in your oven as its heating up, or cooling down before or after use, for 15 minutes, to kill off those eggs or larvae. Then place each batch of bewly steriled soil into a separate container or bag..easy way to salvage potting soil that *always* costs toomuch to simply chuck every second bag because its contaminated!🙄😎
Ground CLOVES! *Nothing* can stand those!
I just made the mistake of using miracle grow potting soil. I started my seeds, watered them in and covered with plastic wrap. A few hrs later I went in my bathroom and looked. There were nasty tiny bugs allllllll over the plastic wrap! 😳🙄 i took off all the plastic wrap hopefully squishing all of them but then had to put the pots outside which I’m sure is going to make it so they don’t germinate. Stupid miracle grow!
A peroxide solution will kill bugs and purify (clean) your soil. Look up the right ratio of peroxide and water so you don’t use too much and damage your seedlings.
@@dreamweaver8210 thank you! I did this and my lettuce and arugula are growing perfectly! So glad they aren’t a loss, I was worried the hydrogen peroxide would kill them but it didn’t. I have another bag of miracle grow that I now know to treat before hand
Thank You so much for the tip on the gnats. I am having an issue with them and didn’t know how to get rid of them without harming my plants. I have a mosquito zapper and was having a little fun with that but they keep coming back for more 😆
Thanks for the good info. Especially about fungus gnats. 👍
Love the music from the movie from “Psycho” when looking at the new seedlings, lol.
🤣🤣
Right lol 😂
Lol It got my dog to cock her ears back and forth😂
My cats jumped up wide eyed when the Psycho music played 🤣
I have planted my peppers 5 weeks ago. I'm in zone 5. The leaves of my peppers are light and have a light brown spots. Not forsure what's going on. Any suggestions?
The recipe for the potting mix is just good for starting seeds (2 parts coir/peat 1 part vermiculite). You'll have to transplant them to a more substantial mix containing nutrients at some point (i. e. adding compost to the mix) or start feeding with a liquid fertilizer.
Of course you could always buy high quality compost or liquid fertilizer for that purpose, but it's absolutely no issue to make and use your own HQ compost to save some money. And it honestly isn't that much trouble to sterilize it yourself.
I also do my own liquid fertilizers with a vermicompost system, which I use (diluted) on my seedlings, no problem.
Just my point of view, as I try to make my garden as self sufficient as possible.
Any tips on germinating pepper seeds? I have a HORRIBLE germination rate of all kinds. Kept them moist. I am in Florida. Hot
Thanks for the video--good hints. They only year I had good starts was when I took them outside during the day where I made a homemade plastic greenhouse/hothouse situation with just sheet plastic and the frame of an old chair. I brought them in at night at first and if it was really cold but just left them wrapped in plastic at night once they got bigger and under plastic on colder days, unwrapped on warmer days. I had the nicest healthiest stockiest starts ever. That UV light is so powerful and really kills fungus that is damping off. I took them outside even before the seeds popped up, because I wanted that UV light to kill any fungus on the soil. The corner with windows in two directions that I used to use would just relentlessly cause damping off: just like the fungus was jumping off the window sills.
I'm so glad I found your TH-cam channel. This is my first year planting a bigger garden and taking it serious. I've had small gardens years ago that did so-so. I just threw the plants in the dirt and hoped for the best. This year I'm doing a garden with 350 plants and after watching just a few of your videos I've learned so much! I know this will be a great year. Thank you!!
Wow! That's great!
Brian is awesome. Season after season I rewatch many of his videos. His journey has been amazing to watch.
Wow! I am trying to do more than tomatoes and green beans this year. 😊
Same here. Just throw the seeds and hope for the best. Total failure. Then I started paying more attention to time zones in Australia. November and December, no germination at all! This year I have paid. more attention to zones and I had success in planting and getting coriander, Bok choy, pak choy, and tatsoi. Success about 70%.
I started gardening 3 yrs ago & knew absolutely NOTHING. I've learned more from my mistakes than my successes, but give all the credit to the successes to Bryan's videos. I've experienced increasing success each year. It really is a good thing not to become discouraged. My first year, I lost every tomato seedling I bought to fungus disease before any blooms formed. I thought it was my fault, but later, after studying up on it, & a call to the place I bought them from, I found out the bought seedlings were already infected with a fungus disease before I bought them. The seller admitted he had received many calls such as mine & offered a refund.
So EVERYTHING isn't always your fault!
I HATE to lose even one plant. I almost feel like a mother to my "babies", & I'll do everything I can to not give up on a plant. I even HATE pulling up plants that have made finished their time of production!
Keep on keeping on!
Thank you "Next Level Gardening"!
Wow. Thank you. That means alot!
"I feel like a mother to my babies"
LOL, I can totally relate. I don't even like to thin seedlings by plucking some out.
How Do You Plant Some Persian Cucumbers From Their Seed?
i live in a tropical area .i let my pepper seed getting 6 hour direct sunlight and all of them are dead 😭
This was great information for me. You answered questions I didn't even know I had, lol.:)
Thank you. I tried seed starting 2 yrs ago with no luck but I didn't have any grow lights, place to put them in enough light or etc. SOOO, last year hubby bought me some shelving, grow lights, heat mats etc and everything I tried to start germinated. It was a hugh success, Every morning when I got up, I checked on my babies to see how they were doing and if they needed anything. Actually, I started too many seeds and ended up throwing them away... boohoo I still have tons of snow on the ground but seed planting is coming soon unless mother nature gives us some surprises.
You’re awesome! I’m a SD gardener so I am so happy I found your California gardening channel.
Just found you on TH-cam and I’m in love. Thank you so much for clear, concise and very informative information (on growing tomatoes, starting from seed). I’ve been a veggie gardener for a bazillion years - you can teach an ole gal a few new ticks 👍.
I grow (from Baker Creek) all my veggies and donate out full gardens to organizations and people who love to garden, but might not have resources. This year, I’m teaching and donating out edible flowers too.
Question if I may, what and how often do I feed my fruit trees - apples, pears, cherry, and nuts - almonds & walnuts and lastly artichokes ? All were pruned last month and need to be fed now. Suggestions ?
I’ve always purchased from: Cottage Farms which has 3 different food bases: an acid base food for citrus, berries etc; a Rose base for all rose bushes; and a general food for others - butterfly buzzes, lavender.
Please, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Gabrielle
Napa / Sonoma, CA
Thank you for the info about the cinnamon. It makes sense since cinnamon is both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, but I hadn't thought about how you could use it in the garden.
Wonder how it works against slugs....
I learn something new every single time I watch your videos. You are amazing. The way you explain things is so professional.
Lots of good tips here. To prevent overwatering, I use the weight method for seedlings so I'm not disturbing the limited soil with my finger. I also use capillary watering from underneath unless I'm feeding. Glad I found your channel, I'll be checking out all your videos soon. Take care brother!
I’ve been using “Jiffy” brand seed starting mix for years and swear by it. It’s sterile and screened to be very fine. Only issue is it dries out pretty quickly compared to other potting mixes.
And the drying out quickly is a benefit for most of us.
Great tips!
I agree. I really like to read the comments. Sometimes I find good information down in the comments. Being a new gardener, I'm looking for every bit of information I can find lol.
Karen Latham , me too! I grew a few veggies a few years back, but, never got back into gardening until this quarantine. I’m calling it emergency gardening; due to the possible food shortage in the future. My biggest problem that I’m facing is planting the seedlings too early outside and they die off. It literally IS trial and error. But, the one piece of advice I can give you is this: save all of your water bottles. Then, cut them in half, plant your seedlings in the cup with some good soil. Then, cover with plastic wrap. Next, if you have a heating pad, put those seedlings on the heating pad in a semi dark place. Within about 7-10 days, instant stem! This has helped me grow A LOT of veggies!! I didn’t have a heat mat for the seeds and I didn’t have the peat pods from the store, so, I improvised. I had my whole family saving water bottles, 2 liter bottles, to go trays, butter containers and any containers that I could put them in to let them absorb water from the bottom. Happy gardening to you and good luck with the garden. :)
I started my seedlings in peat pellets on March 12th. I set-up 3 2000 Lumen, 5000K Cree LED bulbs in reflector housings and placed everything on a shelf in my server closet to keep it all warm. I had to transplant all the tomotoes, basil and a few flowers 3 weeks ago and now I am concerned that due to lingering winter weather in the northeast (it snowed/sleeted yesterday) that we are getting close to danger time for them all if the weather doesn't start escaping overnight frost temps soon.
Also the gnats are real. Thankfully no damage to any plants yet.
Can you try container gardening? I'm in AR and we've had late frosts as well. Fortunately I got things covered and only lost one tomato plant. Cheers.
Thank you for an informative show on how to start seedlings. I had some issues this Fall but now I know why it happened. Love to watch more of your gardening episodes. Happy Gardening!
1 teaspoon Neem oil and a few drops of dish soap to a sprayer, then spray on the soil for fungus gnats is the best idea I ever heard. I started my seeds just yesterday - last frost around 4/12 for my area. Fungus gnats are the 😈 for me, though. I have sticky paper and will soon mix a quart sprayer with Neem to deal with the gnats! Thank you!
exactly what I was having problems with! I'm using a tray with a water reservoir underneath I got the seed starting mix that you recommended but I started having algae grow on them pretty quickly. So I will try the cinnamon!
Peat moss and vermiculite work well to start seeds too
Thanks Bryan, this video was very informative and addresses why I have been been having issues with starting seeds. Hopefully I will be able to get some of my seedlings in the garden or it means starting over. Keep sharing the informative videos.
I put all my germination racks with grow lights in the boiler room of my house. This gave a constant 80 degrees for my peppers. They exploded with growth!
That’s what I do too! Boiler room it is! 😊
I have learned so much from your videos. I have always planted plants from Walmart but wanted to try planting from seed. So glad that your health issues are much better now. Thank you so much and keep those videos coming!
Great informative video....very relaxed presenter, very knowledgeable, easy to follow and take notes...I appreciate your knowledge and time.
I really enjoyed watching this video. I’m glad that I was able to get some great advice prior to getting my planting started. I’m super excited. I’m growing jalapeños, cilantro, tomatoes, bunching onions, watermelon, and squash! Things my family and I enjoy to eat and cook with. I will continue to watch your videos and I am looking forward to learning much more from you! Thank you for taking the time to share.
Success? Ill bet you rocked it
It's interesting what you said about the cinnamon being an antifungal. I had an interesting experience with cinnamon and a tick that I found on me. Realizing It wouldn't let go, I applied cinnamon oil on it and rubbed it in. In 10 minutes, I wiped it off and saw it was dead. I will use it again if that happens again.
Love the videos! We are learning so much from you - thanks for doing this!
I like that he explains simple things like how to see if you are over or under water by using examples. Most experts say don’t over or under water but do not explain how and why. Thanks
This might be a little over kill, but my grandfather taught me to add boiling water to the seed starting mix. Mix well with a shovel and wait for it to cool before planting, of course.
Seed Starting Mix
1/2 - Sphagnum Peat Moss
1/2 - Vermiculite
Interesting!!
My grandfather told me this same thing. He said it was to kill off undesirables in the seed starting mix. Now that it's easy to purchase sterilized potting mixes, I don't think adding the boiling water is necessary, unless you just prefer to DIY, so you know exactly what is in your own mix. 🌱🌱💚💚
You can add boiling water to ANY potting mix/soil to kill undesirables. Other people also heat it in an oven to sterilize. That's how old timers reuse old soil. But if you don't know what you're doing it is best to just start with fresh sterile soil.
I’ve watched a ton of videos on this very topic and I found yours to be the most helpful! Thank you so very much. I’ve fallen prey to maybe over watering a bit. Now I know exactly what to do. 👍
You are so welcome!
“Except I am” talking about germination😂
Oh my gosh. I'm a new seedling mama, first time, and noticed some worrying signs when I checked them this morning. This video couldn't have been more on target. Thank you. ☺️
My seedings always damped off. This is the first video I’ve seen that really explained watering. Thank you! I can’t wait to try seeds indoors again.
Good luck!
I started my seeds indoor under lights and with a heat mat, at the end of March and beginning of April. They'll probably go outside by mid May, but our weather is testy in western WA at this time of year so I bought a cover for my 2x4 planter and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will provide adequate protection. This is my first time growing only from seeds, and I'm very excited! There's something about watching the little things grow, and now I understand why my mom got so carried away with her seedling babies. 👶🏼
Hi Brian! Thank you so much for the wealth of info you provide. I'm new to gardening, so I've been binge watching your videos ever since I found you about a month ago! My question is, can I plant tomato seeds right in the garden instead of transplanting a starter? I've made every mistake on your list, so I thought I'd try planting some seeds directly in the garden just in case my starters don't make it. I'm in the mountains of NC. Thanks again. It's amazing to see how fast you've grown in just a month's time. Way to go! You deserve your success. 👍
Thank you so much! Absolutely. After your last frost state you can plant them directly into the garden. You might get a shorter season but the plants usually do better if they were directly sown in the garden. Good luck!
I'm loving your videos!!! We've been growing for years and always looking to improve. We have a greenhouse and I wanted to know when I should start growing seeds. Our last frost date is 2/7. Thank you so much
When you say pathogens do you mean that the plants will make you sick. I live in AZ where it is hot. I started my seeds in potting mix and they are doing great. Just wondering if when they produce if they will make us sick.
Nope, plants have different cells than we do, and the viruses/fungi that affect them can't do anything to us. Obviously, if you eat a moldy veggy or fruit, you're asking for trouble, but not because that mold is infected you or anything- your stomach just doesn't want that gunk in there. Hope this helps.
GrayFall so appreciate your channel. I know it is a ton of work
he meant pathogens in the soil which can make your babies sick. not much in the soil in AZ to make anything sick. hes referring to building up a compost bin and harboring plant pathogens and introducing them to your weak, young crop.
Greetings from Tempe, AZ! Garden soil and compost is for outdoor in ground gardening and depending on the brand quality, it can contain seeds from grass and weeds as well as worms and microorganism that are beneficial for gardens. Homemade compost however can be an issue if you don't know how or what or when to compost causing various bacterial growth. Seed starting mix and indoor potting mix has been sterilized for inside use and to ensure no grass etc grows. Lay out the mix in the sun for a day in a pan to cook. It's 100 today. This will help get rid of any fungus gnat eggs from hatching inside. Soapy water and need oil are great too. Make sure you water twice a day if doing container gardening in the Summer out here. That rule of full sunlight does not apply to AZ in July. I get great growth under a 70% shade screen all season and never remove it.
@@andBBruh i like the idea of "cooking" the soil in the sun.
We are out here loving our plants to death ☠️
Thanks for all the great info!! I’ve saved this video to watch again next year when I start my own seeds indoors. No more buying starts at the nursery!!
Also, I hope your MRI results were positive in a good way.
Thank you!
This was super helpful, thank you sooo much Sir. This was my first time with my seedling tray and grow light and I did EVERYTHING Wrong!
Wow didn’t know beans didn’t like to be transplanted...oops
I disagree somewhat with that. I started 12 bean plants inside last year and transplanted all 12 in the middle of May. Eight of them thrived and four did not. So if you've already started them inside dont give up on them.
I also only learned this recently.. then again we all get a bean in 1st grade to grow and it still works
I started my beans in the green house and they are doing good out side. I have already picked some.