30 April
Left: Zucchini seedling started for a friend.
Right: Coneflower seedling showing first true leaf.
Basil seedlings:
2 May
Zucchini and basil seedlings
5 May
I moved the seedlings that were strong enough into their own little pots.
The zucchini are still going pretty strong. I'm leaving them by the vent so they get a little ruffled; a little exposure to the hardships they might face outdoors.
Below: This is a zucchini plant I started for a friend. I used a plastic fruit cup because I was out of big yogurt tubs. But since this cup is bigger than the peat pots my other zucchini are in, this plant has grown up bigger than the ones in peat pots! It's pretty much ready to go. Look at those strong roots, too!
Below: Some zucchini had their first true leaf
curl up on itself (small leaf on the left side). I'm not sure what causes this, but it seems to be curling the opposite direction associated with the condition called "leaf curl".
It looks as if the outer edges of the leaf became unable to keep up with the rate of growth of the middle parts of the leaf. This may be from feeding the plants too much fertiliser too soon. But then, why are the seed leaves
yellowing?
Some zucchini have
dark spots on one of their true leaves. When I look at the underside of the leaf, the dark spots coincide with what looks like naturally-occurring prickles (like tiny thorns) on the underside. Huh. I remember these also occurring on the full grown plants in the garden last year; but I only noticed them after powdery mildew struck, so I wasn't sure if they were related, or not.
Other news:
- A bunch of broccoli seedlings suddenly died shortly after their first true leaf appeared between the seed leaves. Might be damping off, but why are only the broccoli affected?
- Some plants had white fuzz appear on the soil (coir). I treated by sprinkling with a big pinch of cinnamon. The plants seem mostly unaffected, but the grey-white fuzz was really unnerving. I've also put a few slices of garlic on the soil.
