Quote:
Originally Posted by luigiwu
zeedman, I think I was having a convo with you about kang kong seeds before... have you tried to room them? I can buy them from my grocery store... and then what?
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If you are container gardening, you could plant the seeds directly in the container when the soil has warmed. However, I recommend starting the seeds in cells, with soil less starter mix. The germination rate from packaged seed can be very unpredictable, especially for the wide-leaved variety. Starting the seeds as transplants gives you better control over the soil temperature (kang kong can germinate very slowly in cool soil), and you can have better plant spacing if germination is poor.
Plant the seeds about 3 weeks before you intend to transplant. I use 96-cell plastic inserts, and place 3-4 seeds in every cell. The seedlings are small, and even if all the seeds germinate, they don't mind being crowded... so I transplant all the seedling in the cell together. Some seeds will germinate later, so don't be surprised if new seeds are still germinating 2 weeks after the first ones.
You will probably find that many seeds emerge with "helmets"... keeping the soil moist will reduce this. When the seed coat sticks, drop or spray water on it, which will soften it & allow the seedling to (usually) break out. When germination begins you will probably need to do this at least once a day (and preferably twice) until no new seedling emerge... a bit of a pain, but you will get many more healthy seedlings.
The seedlings need intense light, so they must be grown under strong artificial lighting (I use a 6-bulb T-8 fixture), or in direct sunlight.
If your seed came in an envelope & you intend to save some for next year, I recommend placing it into an air-tight container, and removing as much air as possible. In an envelope alone, it will only remain viable for a few years. The seed I am using is over 10 years old, and still has good germination.
In the garden, the plants can be spaced quite close together. I plant the seedling clusters in 12" squares, with a cluster on each corner & one in the middle... that is the spacing used in the photo. You could probably use similar spacing in containers.