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Show f 6 S Vernal ExpressAdvertiser Wednesday, March 20, 1985 Producing transplants at home Jiffy 7s have fertilizer in their makeup, but watch for pale plants as the plants grow larger. Plants in the bulk medium probably will require re-quire a soluble complete fertilizer about once a week. Revised for Uintah Basin by Steven Cox Garden centers, nurseries, and many other outlets such as supermarkets super-markets and variety stores have vegetable transplants at reasonable prices. Unless your garden will require re-quire large numbers of plants, perhaps the two or three dozen plants needed could be more simply simp-ly purchased at planting time. To make the most of plant purchases: 1. Select a moderate size. The "full-grown" tomato plant may set a few early fruits, but in the long run production will be substantially the same as that of smaller, less expensive expen-sive plants. 2. Choose sturdy plants with good color. Spindly, yellow plants will be slow to establish after transplating. 3. Consider baskets of 6-10 plants. A compact, well-grown plant will resist transplanting shock and will supply large crops nearly as early as larger, more expensive plants. Why bother with homegrown transplants? The main factor is that of availability of suitable varieties. Also, many gardeners enjoy growing grow-ing their own transplants. By carefully following the basic steps outlined below, the gardener can grow plants he will be proud of. TIMING Tomato, pepper and egg plants require re-quire about &8 weeks from seeding. Since our average last frost occurs on May 8 it is best to wait until this time to set out tender plants. Remember that If you plant on May 28 you have a 5050 chance of hav ing these plantings frozen. Either wait 1 1 days to reduce the odds percent or plan to cover tende crops. You can transplant 2 3 weeks earlier by using wall o'water to protect pro-tect plants down to 1G F. with the top left open and 10 F. hen the top I pushed together like a tepee, I'lant tender crops indoors the last week of March for transplanting the first week tif June, riant 2 3 wtrkl earlier if you pUn to use appropriate protection m the Itarden, The cabbage family, let' lure, and others may dcvrlnp transplant in 4 S weeks Since lb- plant ere tolerant to told temperahirrij tbry tan te jwt Into the garden ai early a April if the ojl ran be worked ctumiv; n hum A Miisfartory "hnrormade" mi may If nl!ai!wf t y Mending rjual parts of wni trwm and p-at m C'pmmmial jwMir.g or rolling fr.o!.u;ti fha! are i - end jrrii may I purthawd tVrhflp the eifrtt(-st ktnf MVir-g unit i the J .'fy JpriJrt. Vhr pUc-r4 pUc-r4 in waf , (' tiffiptet;H f.tpan.J it f"fli!;?cj praj "cuf" r ra ty ii l;t r rnd hin akr.j. furmipg in dividual units for starting seeds or cuttings. PREPARING TO SEED Homemade mixes must be sterilized to prevent seedling damping-off caused by fungus diseases. Moisten the mix to a state suitable for seed germination, place in a shallow pan, and bake at 175" for 30-45 minutes, turn off heat, but wait until oven cools to remove soil. Fill the desired container with the moistened soil mix. A 4-inch flower pot may be seeded with 18 to 20 seeds. Cover the well-spaced seed with '4 inch of the medium. Label the pot and place it in a plastic bag. If you use Jiffy 7 pellets rather than a planting mix, place the pellets in slightly warm water until they swell fully. A foil loafpan makes a good holder for the expanded expand-ed units. Insert two to three seeds U inch deep in each unit and press the hole closed. Place the pan in a plastic bag. GERMINATING SEEDS Tie the plastic bag so moisture does not escape. More water will not be needed until seedlings appear. Hold at room temperature (68-75) until seedlings emerge. Observe the germinating seeds daily. As soon as plants emerge, remove the bag, expose ex-pose the plants to a maximum of light. This is necessary for growth of a husky plant. Cabbages appear rapidly. Tomatoes may take 46 days and peppers 10 to 14 days. SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT After initial germination, pots with seedlings should be exposed to lower temperatures (55 at night and 65 70 days) for husky development. to 25 te.-rAi nder ffi;-&X5 Unless the mix was fertilized previously, weekly fertilization with a soluble plant food will be necessary. Thin the plants in the Jiffy Jif-fy 7s to one plant each. Spindly plants will be caused by one or more of these factors: too little light, high temperatures, lack of fertility. Most homes are too dark for best plant development, so a special place should be provided. A south window may suffice, but success will be questionable usually because nighttime temperatures are to high and daytime light intensity too low. A simple cold frame which will permit maximum light for a long period of the day is relatively easy to construct. A frame with a heating cable installed is called a hotbed and may be more useful if cold temperatures are expected. A lean-to or small free standing unit that will contain several dozen plants will serve very well and should be placed on the south side of the house. A plastic or glass sash will permit ventilation during a sunny day, and closing at night. The bed must be deep enough for the upper frame to clear the plants at maximum size. For more complete information ask for the cold frame construction fact sheet at the USU Extension Office. FIRST TRANSPLANTING As seedlings get their first true leaf it is time to separate them for best development. Carefully loosen the soil around the roots with a dull knife blade and place the plants one by one in 3-inch pots or space them in a plastic or pressed paper basket of six or eight plants. The soil in these containers docs not have to be sterilized. CONTINUED GROWTH Uniform watering and fertilizing and at least 12 hours of sunlight will produce the stock transplant for high productoin in the garden. 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