Hello, What ya'll gonna grow? I have started tomatoes, apple trees, and hollyhocks under lights in the house at about 68 degrees. If your garage is too cold you may want to use a seedling heat mat underneath them. I don't know about covering them with saran wrap. Why do you think you should do that? Like you say it is all an experiment so why not try a few different things, you might figure out something really cool.

The optimal temperature depends on the type of plant you're going to grow but 70-75 degrees F is good for most. Saran wrap is good to keep the humidity up, so put it on but remember to take it off as soon as they poke through the soil.

I agree with Macheske ~ covering with saran wrap will help avoid the soil from drying out too quickly, so I'd do it. When I first started growing from seed, there was a time or two I'd forget to water one day and my brand new seedlings dried out enough to kill them (mostly it was the ones in the tiny little seed starting trays with only a tablespoon of soil in each cup). Saran wrap would have avoided that. And just like Macheske said, be sure to take it off once you see sprouts to avoid cooking them and/or setting up the perfect conditions for fungal rot like damp off.

Also, once they're up well and have a set of true leaves, I'd start letting the tops of the soil dry out on purpose to avoid those funguses. But just the top of the soil ~ you still want the rest of the soil to stay damp. This is about the time I start feeding with a weak fertilizer solution. In my experience, if I do it any earlier it feeds the funguses more than the seedlings.

Bottom heat isn't an absolute necessity for most seeds (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and most flower seeds included), but it will help them germinate much quicker and at nearly the same time. If you don't use it they still should sprout, but it may take longer and the sprouting may be sporadic, taking days (or longer) for all of them to be up (even all of the same type of seed). So, while not a necessity, it sure is handy, especially when you have limited room under your lights, since the quicker they're up and growing, the quicker you can move them out to a cold frame or whathaveyou and start more.

Good luck! And don't give up! Even if you don't succeed at first, don't give up ~ look at it as a learning experience, research to find out what you missed doing that caused the failure, and you'll be more successful next time. :)

What worked for me when I had the large propagation bed going , some seeds were up and out while others need time.
I grabbed one of those plastic glad storage containers, placed like a mini dome over the ungerminated seed.
Worked excellent!
Using this method I can start numerous types, all with their own little greenhouse enviroment, as long as I plant seeds in squares or circles.

I never use saran wrap clear plastic and seedling growing, well it just scare me.. remember frying ants in the sun with a microscope? Same goes for clear plastic and seedlings

Whoops, I maent to say a magnifying glass not microscope!

I wouldn't use saran wrap. The reason being is that if there is enough moisture it will all build up in the middle of the saran wrap and drip back down onto the soil. If there was a seedling it could cause it to damp off. I would suggest using a plastic baggie like for sandwiches. This creates more of a tent so that the water runs down the sides and doesnt build up in the middle.

Make sure it is a heating mat for plants.The regular kind for people will burn your house down if left for long periods.

I start about 100 different species each year and found the need to use saran wrap. I do not have 100 different flats going so I put seeds with similar germination rates in the same flat covered over with wrap. I also use a weak disinfectant solution to prevent damp off. After the seedlings emerge I can then remove the wrap. Works most of the time for me.

Dandy line, what was your weak disinfectant solution made of?

i don't see any problem with plastic wrap. As far as moisture dripping on seedlings I have this issue at times and never have had damping off issues, in fact I have never lost seedlings unless I forgot to water. I think having airflow is what prevents damping off.

Here is a link that might be useful: gardening by the seat of my pants

Belleville's right. I found that a ceiling fan spinning on low is enough to prevent damping off. It is very very important for the air to move around your seedlings.

I use those plastic (not styrofoam), octagonal to-go boxes one sees at restaurants. Cut a few slits in the bottom, fill with potting soil, sow the seeds in rows, and set it in water until the soil is soaked. Place the plastic lid over it and set it over a heat source. It takes about four days for the soil to start to dry put I normally don't have to water for 5-6 days. As soon as a seed germinates, take the plastic lid off.

Mike

Hi wordwiz, a follow up question. Do you use a heating mat underneath your plastic boxes?

minal,

Not per se. Instead, since I have plants growing under either a 105 watt CFL bulb or a 150 HID lamp, I set the boxes on top of the box where the lights are. It't not hot, but the soil warms up to the upper 70s or so.

Mike

hi we are using some of the clear containers with a hinged lid that lettuce comes in and it seems to work pretty well in keeping things humid.