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Today I discovered this wonderful site, and I'm sure I'll be posting a lot so I wanted to say Hi! to all of you. Having just last month been bitten by the gardening bug, I think this site seems like a wonderful resource for answers to my many questions. I will try not to overwhelm you, it's almost shocking how little I know about this stuff. I am particularly interested in growing flowers in containers to decorate my deck, I live in zone 6, and I don't have a lot of cash to spend so I'm always looking for a bargain. I bought one of those Jiffy mini-greenhouses at Wal-mart and planted some herb seeds, so far only the sweet basil is sprouting after about a week. Yesterday I set it under 2 40W fluorescent bulbs in my basement, I'm worried that it needs to be warmer but don't want to spend the $$ on a heating mat. I would like to try growing geraniums, are they tricky to start from seeds? Finally, I have a hanging fuchsia plant that I thought I'd try to propagate by taking cuttings from it, is this a good idea? Any tips or tricks? Thank you all in advance for any help, I am really starting from scratch and truly appreciate whatever advice or info you can provide.
Be patient with your herb seeds since many are slow to germinate. If you let us know what seeds you planted, we might be able to give you an idea of when they will pop out of the ground. About a heat mat--do you have one of those plug-in heat therapy cushions for sore muscles? I put it under my seed trays to provide gentle heat (set it on low). Scour thrift stores for old electric blankets or chafing dishes. They ain't pretty, but they work!
Geraniums are best started from cuttings. Post a request for instructions on taking geranium cuttings and you'll get a great response.
Fuschia, I don't know since they are short-lived in our Texas heat!
May I suggest that you go to your local library and check out books on propagation and container gardening? Also, if there is a Master Gardener group near you they can help immensely. Some even have a "hot-line" that you can call for answers to specific questions. Local gardening clubs are also a good source of information.
We all start out "shockingly ignorant" of gardening lore. You will learn, and you will have a great time becoming a great gardener. Welcome to the site, and let us know about your successes--you'll have them!
Welcome FormerMermaid. Texasroses is right on with his suggestions. I picked up a few waterbed heaters at yard sales to use for heating mats. What I like about them is that they have a probe you can put into the soil. They are a little more difficult to locate now, I guess water beds are not as popular as they used to be. There are geraniums grown from seed but they are not the easiest plants to grow. You would have to start them in December of early January to get a flowering plant for May and a lot can go wrong with plants that take so long unless they have ideal conditions. Seeing you are new to gardening I would suggest you grow plants that are easy. A couple of good sources for seed information are Stokes Seeds Inc. Tel. 1-800-263-7233. They have an excellent catalog. Another is Thompson and Morgan. Their web site also has good info. Try marigolds, cosmos, sunflowers, ect. just to get your feet wet. As far as fuschia are concerned I take soft (new growth) cuttings. Cut a stem with 4-5 sets of leaves. Snip off the the lower leaves and stick them into a moist mixture of potting soil and sand 3 parts soil 1part sand and mist them on occasion and keep out of direct sun. They root in about 3-4 weeks for me. Hope this helps
I have rooted fushias with limited success, just by sticking the stems in potting soil. These never grow very fast for me though.
I have had good luck growing geraniums from seeds, but it could be beginners luck as I've only been puttering around my garden a few years. Just put a few seeds in each pot, water, and keep in the sun. They probably will not flower the first year, but they will grow. If you want blooming geraniums this summer, buy some small ones. You don't have to get them from a nursery, some cheaper stores like k-mart garden center and places like that often have them at really cheap prices. Cuttings from other peoples plants are easy too, just stick them in potting soil and keep damp while they develop roots. They won't develop into full fledged plants this summer either, but they will grow and be bigger by next year.
Another good resource is your county agricultural extension agent. They are online and Master Gardeners work with them as well. They often have plant sales.
