Seedling care

[na76]

I have a number of trees created from nursery stock but also, for fun, grow from seed. Germination rates vary depending on species but when they do germinate, I'm often baffled with what to do with the seedlings. I live in Central Florida, Zone 9, so it's quite hot this time of year. There's a botanical garden in Sarasota where I collected some sweet acacia and texas ebony seeds. I have some sweet acacia seedlings living in vermiculate from last visit to the gardens that seem ready to be translated.

My question is, how can we gauge when to transplant the seedlings, and where should they be kept? I had a number of dawn redwood and cypress seedlings which wilted even though they were in filtered shade. Can we still run the risk of overwatering or do seedlings need more water, somewhat like a human child needs more nutrition?

Thanks for indulging me in these basic questions. It's very frustrating to see wilted seedlings after experiencing the excitement of seeing the sprouts successfully pop out of the growing medium.

 

[na76]

I should add that there's a fair amount of information on the internet in regard to seed germination, but post-germination care is scarce. My success with Google searches seems to vary, unfortunately, but I have definitely done a number of searches.

 

[garywood]

Na, generally, seedlings can be transplanted anytime the first year with reasonable aftercare. Shelter from wind, mist or high humidity almost like a cutting. The big question is if there is a need. Most people and nurseries grow them undisturbed until the following potting season. If initial rootwork is to be done then treat them like a cutting.
Wood
http://thingsofwood-gary.blogspot.com/

 

[na76]

Hi garywood, thanks for your reply. Lately I've been germinating seeds in the aluminum 'Glad' trays that come in packs with lids. I use straight vermiculate and they work really well. So the reason for transplanting them is to get them out of the tray, which is a bit shallow, and into a pot where they can grow for the next year or two. I started out just using pots initially but preparing so many pots and having so many 'duds' was a pain.

Your mention of treating them like cuttings is interesting, that leads me to believe I've been keeping my cuttings too moist with misting. I recently took about 10 bo tree cuttings, should I not mist them? Each cutting is in its own pot (in vermiculite) since they're pretty thick.