MCR 05: urging them on 8/26/02

Cripes!

What do tobacco seedlings want?!?!

They sprouded on 8/2 or a few days after. It's now more than 3 weeks later, and the largest was still shorter than 3/16" tall/wide. I say "was" because yesterday it went totally brown and looks like it'll die. The others are still a nice green, though -- but they're in the 1/32-1/16" range.

They're under a pair of 75W heat lamps (pop quiz: how much TNT is that equivolent per hour? ;D), held far enough away that the plants get to about 88-90°F (seems like good Summer growing conditions -- too hot?) about 11 hrs/day.

I was keeping the soil quite moist, but am now going with just misting it daily and not watering for a couple days.

I was misting with a weak Miracle Grow(tm) solution, but have switched back to water.

The "big one" [sic] turned brown on the day that I set them out on the deck to get some sun (about 6 hrs, 72°F day.) Surely that wasn't too hot/sunny!

Does anyone have any actual experience raising these silly things from seed to 4" plant? I think if I can get them to that stage, I can put them in the ground and be home free.

Heh. For some definition of "home free" :\

Thanks!

Misc "I could make cigars out of the entire tobacco plant and it'd STILL be 'short filler'"