Re: [gardeners] small victories
Norberto Arquilevich (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 01 Feb 1999 09:59:40 -0800
What is a prpagation mat?
Norberto
At 10:14 AM 2/1/99 -0600, you wrote:
>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
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