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Old September 3, 2017   #61
ginger2778
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Originally Posted by AlittleSalt View Post
The varieties I've been doing two separate germination tests on showed a 33% germination rate - I will not be sending in seeds saved from 2017.

I do have plenty of seeds to send in pre 2017.
I wonder if your seed came from very ripe tomatoes. In the past when my germination was poor it was because my tomatoes weren't ripe enough.
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Old September 3, 2017   #62
Spike2
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Originally Posted by agee12 View Post
I don't know if there's a glitch, but I see the announcement post in the legumes and pepper topics on GW but not the other three.

ETA:
Tormato,
What about also doing an announcement on the Vegetable Gardening topic, it's a very active topic area?
I did double check and the posts are there and you are correct about the Vegetable Gardening topic. I added it there also!!
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Old September 3, 2017   #63
ddsack
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Spike, that is weird! I see it in Beans, Hot Peppers, and Vegetables, but for me it doesn't show up in Growing Tomatoes, Round Robin or Seed Saving ( I don't find a Seed Exchange anymore.) I thought there used to be a seed exchange as a subforum to Growing Tomatoes, but I don't see it there now.

Houzz has not made it easy to find things easily, and so many pop-ups offering their services get in the way, some with no X button, so end up closing the entire window to get out. I only check in about once a month.

... Whoa, I take back there not being a Seed Exchange, it must have come up on a tab I was searching and didn't close. Looks like it's part of More Forums/Exchanges and Trading/Seed Exchange. But I don't see your post there.
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Last edited by ddsack; September 3, 2017 at 11:01 AM. Reason: Found the Seed Exchange
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Old September 3, 2017   #64
KarenD
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Originally Posted by AlittleSalt View Post
The varieties I've been doing two separate germination tests on showed a 33% germination rate - I will not be sending in seeds saved from 2017.

I do have plenty of seeds to send in pre 2017.
I'm having the same problem. I think in my case I let them ferment too long. They fermented about a week. Next time I won't let them go that long.
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Old September 3, 2017   #65
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Originally Posted by KarenO View Post
What technique are you using to save seed Robert?
I wonder if I can help you some way. Fresh seed should germinate close to 100%
KarenO
I could have used a multiquote, but this works too. The seeds were fermented for 5 and 6 days. They didn't get the fungal mat until 2 and 3 days in. There was plenty of juice from the tomatoes, so I didn't use any water.

The first germination test I did was clearly my error. I soaked the paper towels that I put in the zipper bags. After 3 weeks of next to nothing - I tossed the bags yesterday.

Two weeks ago, I planted more seeds in starter cells just like I have always done in the past. I made sure I did not plant them too deep. As soon as they started coming up, I removed the plastic dome. I monitored the pro mix to not let it get too wet or dry. There was plenty of light, and I kept the temperature in the room between 75 and 80F. The one variety that did best had 4 of 12 seeds germinate.

Where the seeds came from: Fully ripe tomatoes I grew myself. EDIT/Added info - Do any of you remember me writing about the tomatoes not having much taste this year? The following paragraph might explain that too.

What I am wondering about is if the growing conditions in the soil was just too harsh on the plants to let them fully develop the seeds? The plants did grow with RKN and Fusarium race 3 in the soil.

If that is not the answer - then I don't know?

Last edited by AlittleSalt; September 3, 2017 at 11:53 AM.
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Old September 3, 2017   #66
KarenO
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That all sounds very good Robert. The only thing I can see is maybe you are fermenting too long. I don't wait for a certain type of mold mat to form. I am just waiting enough fermentation and mold to form for the gel coats and placenta tissue to break down. For that to happen it generally takes about 3 days. I have found for myself in the past that fermenting too long diminishes the viability of seeds.
perhaps try a shorter ferment and see if that makes a difference.
I made a little pictorial on how to ferment and clean tomato seeds on my Northern Gardener page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Northern...44168162391039

clearly there are many other methods that work for people, this is how I do mine.
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Old September 3, 2017   #67
Father'sDaughter
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Maybe it was a bit too long of a fermentation? I usually clean and dry within a day or two of the fungal mat developing, it it even develops. Otherwise I go by smell, presence of bubbles, and I check to see how many clean looking (no gel sack) seeds are sitting at the bottom of the jar.
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Old September 3, 2017   #68
Spike2
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Originally Posted by ddsack View Post
Spike, that is weird! I see it in Beans, Hot Peppers, and Vegetables, but for me it doesn't show up in Growing Tomatoes, Round Robin or Seed Saving ( I don't find a Seed Exchange anymore.) I thought there used to be a seed exchange as a subforum to Growing Tomatoes, but I don't see it there now.

Houzz has not made it easy to find things easily, and so many pop-ups offering their services get in the way, some with no X button, so end up closing the entire window to get out. I only check in about once a month.

... Whoa, I take back there not being a Seed Exchange, it must have come up on a tab I was searching and didn't close. Looks like it's part of More Forums/Exchanges and Trading/Seed Exchange. But I don't see your post there.
Okay it is in the Seed Exchange now. Geez they make it hard to find anything there. I don't go there very often because of that.
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Old September 3, 2017   #69
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That must be it. I have a few plants growing in the fall garden. If they produce, I will ferment for a shorter time.
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Old September 3, 2017   #70
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Salt, you could try one more germ test. I sprinkle cinnamon on top of my newly planted seeds. It has antifungal properties that keep damping off at bay. Is it possible that your seeds are fine but damping off kept them from growing?

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Old September 4, 2017   #71
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Nan, I had never heard of using cinnamon.

After some thought, this is the first time I have tried germinating in the Pro Mix I bought at Walmart earlier this year. ($17 a bag - I forget the brand name - I'll have to look tomorrow in the daytime.) It could be there is something wrong with that bag of pro mix because I had horrible results using it in three large pots of tomato plants earlier this year. I know I'm grasping at straws, but it could be that pro mix is contaminated with something?

I'll try again using MG which has always produced good results for me - I'll have to buy some Wednesday.

The varieties are some that not everyone has seeds for, but I can't say what those varieties are because of the (Mostly Mystery part of MMMM). The main one I wanted to share is the one I thought was only 33%, but after closer examination today, there are 5 of 12 that have germinated raising it to 41.6%. I will clearly mark that on a card in the bags.

If everyone could go to any site to get seeds for them - it wouldn't matter, but this one was available only at one site that is now out of business. This tomato starts out light green with early signs of antho shoulders - then grows into a bluish black color quickly (At this stage, it's hard as a rock) - then it becomes striped as it matures. Just growing it is fun to watch, and it also tastes good. (I sound like a salesman) But that's why I want to share it so much.
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Old September 4, 2017   #72
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Originally Posted by AlittleSalt View Post
Nan, I had never heard of using cinnamon.

After some thought, this is the first time I have tried germinating in the Pro Mix I bought at Walmart earlier this year. ($17 a bag - I forget the brand name - I'll have to look tomorrow in the daytime.) It could be there is something wrong with that bag of pro mix because I had horrible results using it in three large pots of tomato plants earlier this year. I know I'm grasping at straws, but it could be that pro mix is contaminated with something?

I'll try again using MG which has always produced good results for me - I'll have to buy some Wednesday.
Another germ test or two is a small outlay for a possibly big payoff. I say it's worth it. I don't think you're grasping at straws- it's valid to think that a known-to-be-troublesome mix may be skewing your results.

For 42% germination, it's simply a "double sow" seed, so that's great news right there. But I think there's a real chance the %age will go up with a better germ test.

Nan
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Old September 5, 2017   #73
Tormato
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Okay it is in the Seed Exchange now. Geez they make it hard to find anything there. I don't go there very often because of that.

It may be this computer, but I can't find a post in any of those forums.

Houzz/GardenWeb members can join from there. All rules will be posted in forums, here, that can be read by non-members. Things like the master wish list, they can't read, but I'll provide my email address (dwcmuseum "at" yahoo.com)
(change the "at" to @), so that those at Houzz can send their wish lists to me, and I can then post their lists.
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Old September 5, 2017   #74
Spike2
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It may be this computer, but I can't find a post in any of those forums.
I have no idea how I could possibly have messed this up? I find all my posts in all the following forums. The link I used doesn't actually bring them to the beginning of this thread but I just don't understand. I honestly did make the posts. I honestly did try to be helpful. I have no idea what I did wrong. I am sorry. I would offer to fix it but since I messed this up I think I will just back away slowly. Sorry again, I did try.

Forum:

Round Robin
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...ille-mmmm-swap

Bean Pea and Legume
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...-mmmm-swap?n=5

Growing Tomatoes
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...ille-mmmm-swap

Hot Pepper
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...ille-mmmm-swap

Seed Saving
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...ille-mmmm-swap

Seed Exchange
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discuss...ille-mmmm-swap

Vegetable Gardening
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discuss...ille-mmmm-swap
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Old September 5, 2017   #75
dmforcier
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None of those pages exist now. I think you got moderated.
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