I should add, that I am asking this question because I have several newly germinated embryo-seedlings which I would like to start feeding in the first week of their lives, if this is feesible.
Previous to now, I used to wait until these would produce a true leaf, but I suspect that application of extremely diluted fertilizer may get them going a lot faster, from things I have read on this fab thread.
Hi George,
I start fertilizing the seedlings in my seedling benches after about 4 weeks from the first germinations. That said, the majority of the seedlings germinate in the 4-8 week period, so I am fertilizing some of the seedlings before they germinate.
A caution though, if you have had any trouble controlling damp-off, you might want to wait and/or use an even more dilute solution. I agree with you though that even new seedlings stand to benefit from a feeding as soon as possible, even if it is only very dilute ābaby foodā!
Jim Sproul
George
Since I started this Thread I have had some late germinations that I have transplanted at the early cotyledon stage into a 50% perlite and seed starting mix in 50mm pots (excelent drainage). They are watered in, then watered with 1/4 strength soluble fert. weekly.
This is the first time I have had plants do well for me. I have had no setbacks and no losses. I think the soil mix has been important but the fertilzer has done no harm, virtualy at emergence.
Russ
Hi Jim. Your additional advice is noted with many thanks. As a matter of fact, after you mentioned the very dilute fertilizer idea further up in this discussion, I took the advice and started to use it on a multiflora seedling that still was at cotyledonary stageā¦I think it was like 2+ weeks post germination when I began feeding it this ultra-dilute NPKā¦(I normally would not have fertilized it that early). Wellā¦literally within days of applying this very dilute ābaby foodā it started to thicken up, green up and show several new leaves very fast, and it is growing at a hugely accelerated rate compared to what I am used to seeingā¦LOLā¦all of a sudden I feel more āin controlā for once!..I am applying the liquid feed every other watering. Thank you so much again for this great tip!
Hi Russ. I am so pleased you too have noticed similar success. I can just visualise exactly what you are saying, having seen the results for myself!..BTW, thank you Russ also for starting this very cool thread!
Since the last posting, I also deliberately twice watered a solution of 10% x full strength NPK fertilizer to a pot where I had planted a multiflora seed (this seed had just started to sprout a rootlet in a glass of water before being planted). The seedling germinated today and looks greatā¦this certainly IS encouraging!
Russell, I have now used the 10% X full strength NPK solution on three more recent multiflora seeds that were just starting to sprout and were planted, and all of them have germinated and look great!
I have also been applying the solution to my germination box which contains some embryo/seedlings of a cross I did (most had just sprouted and some had not quite sprouted), and they too are coming up looking great, and continue to thrive better than usual!