When Starting seeds...
I have tried various methods..Many times my baby seedlings have a tendency to "dampen off"..This is when the seedling gets long and spindly..and pinches off at the bas to wither and die..It is a fungus problem..There is a product called no damp that will help combat this..HOWEVER..I have had no luck finding it..and today was told there is some contraversy over it's toxicity..
A friend told me that CINNAMON has anti fungal properties..so I decided to try it..and so far it has worked..NOW ..I am NOT saying that cinnamon will do the job..I am only saying that I had no problems with dampening off when I used it! If you want to try it..here's what to do!
Per 20 Litre bag of seed starter/ soil/ whatever medium you use to start your seeds...( I use a coconut fibre/soil mix..the coconut fibre is called COIR...) Mix 2 TBS or powdered cinnamon THOROUGHLY into the soil...It seems to work for me.
Also..I tried something new this year that my Father did when I was a little girl...When cooking any eggs..I carefully cracked them in half ...and rinsed out the shells and set them on the window sill to dry..then I lined a cardboard egg carton with the shells..carefully poking holes in the bottom of the shell once in the carton..I then spooned my soil mix into the egg shell..added my seeds and watered. Here are some Cabbage seedlings I started this way.
Once you pull out the weakest seedlings..you can plant this egg shell pot..right into the garden or the next sized pot..Just be sure it is cracked enough to allow roots growth and water drainage!
When Re-potting...
At this time of the year..the Tim Hortons "RRRoll up the Rim to Win" Campaign is in full swing. My husband and I do not buy a lot of Tim Horton's because we don't drink coffee..( very seldom) But when we are out and about shopping or on a road trip..we do stop now and again for a cup of Tea. I was quite upset when I found out the seemly cardboard cups are NOT recyclable..the paper has a plastic layer sandwiched in between...Despite having petitioned Tim Hortons to change to Bio-degradable cups..they feel that the cups being recyclable is good enough. So before I recycle them..I re-use them. today I transplanted my seedlings..and I ran out of bio-degradable pots..I found several Tim Hortons cups in my Van..and I went to work.
Extra large and Large cups can replace two seedling pots. here's how.
Take you extra large cup and cut it in half...In the lower half poke a hole with a pen and plant your seedling! The upper half can then be lined with two layers of brown grocery bag paper and used the same way.
Gives a whole new meaning to the words.."PLEASE PLAY AGAIN!"
Cheers!!
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