Upon further observance, it appears I had nothing to worry about. Out of pure curiosity I pulled one of the artichoke seedlings out to see how it was growing. (I have plenty of spares) It had already grown from 1/2" long little thing to over 5"! In just 2 days! I was impressed. I haven't checked on the 3 planted outside, this was one planted inside in a 16 oz cup. If the rain ever stops, I'll go see if the ones outside have surfaced, though I won't be pulling them out of the ground :)

Amna, I use those strawberry containers all the time, been doing so for 6 years now and never had a problem with them. Holes are fine, as well and my containers always go in in direct sun as well. Soil goes in, miracle grow, I don't fill it quite to the top, seeds go on soil. sprinkle some soil on top and press down to be sure it is good and moist. snap the cover down and out it goes. no tape no, baggies unless the containers are reused and the cover has finally broken off. As temps warm up I sometimes need to add vent holes to the top to get more water in. Covers come off the seedlings when the seedlings are really hitting the cover of the container. I have never worried about not enough head room with covers or with baggies on them and have never had a problem or any seedlings damaged from being a bit compressed with a cover or baggie. My hose is out back near the containers, so if they need some moisture, water is handy when needed. I am in MA as well, near the Nashua NH border and I don't sow my cosmos till mid April. to huge a risk of late frosts around MA that will get the tender seedlings. Cosmos are really hardy with early frost in the fall and will continue to bloom through those early frosts, but the tender seedlings will be history for you if they are zapped by late frost now. Picture 1 should be fine outside without the baggie. just be sure there are vent holes on the top. Don't leave the container inside the other one on the bottom. That will catch rain and could make the soil stay far too moist and soggy because the container will just sit in water. pic #2. looks fine. just be sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the container and you have slits in the baggie for air to circulate and rain to get in. (hopefully we have seen the last of snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice for this year) Pic #3. looks like you used masking tape for labels. That won't last very long. it will come off when it gets wet from rain. You can cut up plastic covers from margarine, cottage cheese, sour cream, coffee, etc and use them for labels. you can use a deco paint pen to write with, that will last forever and put the tags inside the container. or use sliver foil tape as a label and write with paint pen. sharpies fade quickly when the heat and sun get on it. Be sure the containers have drainage holes in them, air holes in the top and when you put them outside, don't pile them on top of each other. Each one needs to have it's cover exposed to the elements completely. Some pics of my containers I have been using for 6 years A mix of those blue containers mushrooms come in, strawberry containers, take out containers, cottage cheese containers. I use anything that is at least 3-4 inches deep, but do not use gallon water jugs. I just find them far too awkward to use and I don't use tonic bottles either. We rarely drink any and the bottle return leaves no one with any to get them from. Fran

You're right...I am over worrying and it is likely due to the fact I encountered it way to early as a hosta fan! Ken, I appreciate your reassurance and trying to calm me down and have me stop worrying so much (you are right..it was me that found it in a garden). I also appreciate that you have also been one to respond to all of my posts...whether its in this forum or another...It tells me you really know your stuff (or you're stalking me...) Please bear with me...and try to remember I have never grown or have no knowledge of hostas (or gardening) until this year really. Last year at this time I thought there were a total of maybe 12 cultivars of hosta....which I think I called, varieties or species.... Learning all the parts (eyes, crowns etc...) and all the terminology is tough when you have no idea what it all means and are just starting out. Then throw on top all the cultivars (another new word I learned) and their soil and shade preference...and on top of that all the different MINOR changes that I have not ever witnessed. I've never seen a hosta eyes until this year which is likely why I had the one growing beside my shed having dug it up not realizing what it was. Also frost burn, sun burn, growth of a leaf that had been stepped on as an eye, rabbit munching, and now this colouring changing thing... Then on top of all that is learning how to photograph hostas, post to this board properly, and catalogue! I know many of you are seasoned hosta growers and probably forget your first year of gardening, and you've all been so amazing with helping me out. I truly love learning about all the hostas and look forward when I can post to the cultivar threads I've seen with my own hostas. I will relax on the HVX subject and hopefully I can post some progress photos here once my divisions fill out a bit. I'm very, very happy with the work I have done so far and have so many of you to thank for that.

Water uptake and therefore nutrient uptake is energy driven, i.e. it takes energy to absorb water and nutrients, and the roots need oxygen to turn the carbs the plant makes (its food) into energy - just like you do. When your plants wilt while the soil is still damp and the problem persists more than a day or 2, you can be almost 100% certain it's a root problem - probably related to excess water retention and the dearth of oxygen that comes along with it. Roots are opportunists - they don't/can't "go looking" for water, air, and nutrients, they simply grow where conditions are favorable ...... and don't grow where they aren't. In your case, the roots are probably growing deeper into the pot when the water supply is at its lowest, then dying back again when you water. The cycle of death and regeneration of roots not only impairs root function, it's very expensive in terms of energy outlay as well. What it takes to regenerate roots killed by a lack of air might have been spent on things more productive - like an increase in plant mass, blooms, fruit ...... Your soil choice has a very significant impact on how easy/difficult success is going to be, and on how wide the margin for grower error is. My take on what constitutes a good soil, at a minimum, is one you can water to beyond the point of saturation, i.e. until at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain, carrying accumulating salts with it, this, without the grower having to worry about root rot or impaired root function. In most cases, the inability to water correctly also prevents you from being able to institute a nutritional supplementation plan that works well because nutrient ratios quickly become skewed if you can't hit the 'reset button' by flushing the soil regularly. Dennis is right about tight little root balls, too. If I get sets that have congested roots, I rip the bottom half of the roots off the plant and use as nylon pick to tease the remaining roots apart before the set gets planted. I also remove the lower leaves of the sets and plant very deep if in a pot, and deep and at about a 30* angle if they get planted in the ground. Often, roots allowed to remain in a tight little wad end up staying in a tight little wad with the plant suffering for it, and that's something you want to avoid. Roughing up the roots actually sends chemical messengers to the rest of the plant, telling it it needs to direct energy to the root mass. Plus, the closer roots are trimmed to the stem, the more juvenile and vigorous they are (look up 'ontogenetic age'), so make sure the roots are going to be able to easily colonize your soil mass by correcting congestion before planting and using an appropriate soil. Al