Hello Darren: the total depth of these 50 cm x 18 cm boxes is 15 cm and the height of the seed beds is then 12 to 14 cm. However; The dimensions are not critical and do not decide on fortune as regards to raising seedling of hippeastrums or other amaryllogene plants with these papery foiled seeds. A lower drainage layer of some cm of seramis, perlite, expanded clay bullets (regardless whether these are totally porous (Seramis) or not, or charcoal grains is sufficient, let's say 5 cm. But 10 cm is good, too. Care should be taken (it should be controlled) that the drainage bullets do not clog the drainage holes on the ground of the sowing box. I drill numerous additional drainage holes of 0.5 cm diameter to ensuire good air supply from belw. That is soo important - particularly when I rinse so thoroughly with approx. 1 total seed bed volume of water(!) The drainage layer is then covered carefully - without mixing - with the substrate, that is coco peat, the height not being critical, too; something like 9 cm. If you change the proportion of substrate to drainage layer towards the latter, then my previously recommended very thorough waterings might be less critical for seedlings of those amaryllids (or any other seedlings) which are supposed to be very sensible and likely to rot. On the other hand you will have to water more often. If you sow seeds from a vigorous hippeastrum cultivar you will better use a full height of 10 cm of coco. But if you sow thse far smaller seeds of a more tiny cultivar for example from crossing H.cybister "Chico" with another smaller growing hybrid like "Pink Floyd" then you reduce the coco layer to 7 cm considering the far lower water uptake of these more delicate seedlings. And if you sow Cyrtanthus Mackenii (I did this summer) - then only 5 cm coco is sufficient. The loss of sed bed hjeight is compensated by a thicker drainage layer. The question when the seedlings are to be transplanted can not be answered schematically either: This is in your decision and depends on the observation - "WHEN do the seedlings obviously become too crowded". If you have had a good germination rate and furthermore experience a rapid growth of vigourous seedlings you will have to transplant earlier. The minimum time I keep these seedlings together is 5 months. The maximum timespan I let the seedlings together was 10 months in single cases, but I do not recommend that. The meanwhile rich network of stronger roots from the individual plants is not easily separatable any more and serious damage to the basal plates is very probable to happen when using force. Hans-Werner >From: "Darren Sage" <darrensage100@hotmail.com> >Subject: Re: [pbs] Hippeastrum seeds >Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 22:56:11 +0000 > >How deep are those trays illusstrated? How long do the seedlings stay in >them? > > >From: "Hans-Werner Hammen" <haweha@hotmail.com> > >Subject: Re: [pbs] Hippeastrum seeds > >Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:22:18 +0000 > > > >I sow into freshly recontituted coco peat substrate, and I put every > >single seed, one beside another with blunt tweezers into slits formed >with a ruler. > >This is the most accurate and yes, rather rapid method. > >http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/… > >
