For everyone's information:

I tried transplanting one Red Ring Milkweed seedling before it developed it's first true leaves and it is doing fine. Based on this, today I've begun transplanting more seedlings. These seedlings already have their first true leaves and I'm surprised at the amount of root development. It is cool today with some flitting cloud cover. Should be a good weather day for transplants.

Hope everyone else is having good success with their MW seedlings.

~Mary

Mary, that's good news! How many of your seeds germinated? I got only 3 out of 12 and they aren't looking so well. They have their first set of true leaves but they are yellow even though I've been using a water soluble fertilizer. I also have some damage on the tips of the leaves. I found a green aphid on one plant so that could have caused the damage. I'm considering transplanting the seedlings into different soil and see if that corrects the yellowing. I've had yellowing with many of the seedlings I started in this particular seed starting mix, so I won't be using it again. What kind of potting mix did you use? When you transplanted the seedlings, were the roots developed enough to hold the soil or did the soil fall away from the roots?

Dana

Dana,

I have had about 75% germinate. Don't throw out your ungerminated seed as I have 3 seeds that are just now germinating. Look how late they are in comparision to the first ones to germinate. I winter sowed my seed and when we had a lot of ice and snow, I actually opened my containers and put ice on top of the potting soil, so as to mimic the winter conditions. I figured if the seed had been outside on the ground, they would have been covered with the ice and snow and maybe as it melted, there would be a good rinsing of the seed coatings with mother natures water. :-) One pot I put into the greenhouse early on, after it had been outside for about a month, just to see if it would make any difference and that pot had the least germination. Some of those seed did germinate a bit earlier but I had fewer seed germinate than in the pots that I left outside all winter and spring.

I use ProMix potting mix and watered with rain water that had some old dried leaves soaking in it. Today, because of the transplanting, I gave them their first watering with a weak liquid fertilizer added.

I was amazed at the root development! When you transplant, you will see what I mean. The oldest seedlings only have their first true leaves and some of the seedlings had a root that was 3-4 inches long. These seedlings had enough root structure nearer the soil surface that the soil held so I'm hopeful they weren't terribly tramatized. I had the holes ready in the new pots so was able to get them moved without the soil all falling away from the roots. It isn't hot today and so far, no wilt.

Something ate the seed leaves off of one of my seedlings, too. All I could see was a bit of green stem at the soil surface. I left it alone and now the true leaves are growing, so take heart. These little seedlings are hardier than we might think.

Mary