Sow Your Own
(Page 2 of 6)
January/February 2008
Tina Marie Wilcox and Susan Belsinger
For longer season crops, early season crops or simply to get flowers to bloom sooner, sow the seed indoors. For best results, sow seed in flats or small plastic pots (with plenty of drainage holes) filled with a seed-starting mix like Pro-mix™, which is a soil-less potting medium, or make your own by combining equal parts sphagnum peat with perlite or vermiculite. Thoroughly moisten your planting medium before sowing – be sure it isn’t saturated though. For the best economy, place one or two seeds in each pot or space seed evenly in rows in flats. Cover them lightly with a thin layer of dampened potting mix if the variety requires darkness to germinate. If light is needed for germination (such as with basil and lettuce), simply mist the surface of the medium after sowing. Cover the pots or flats with plastic domes or plastic wrap to preserve moisture. Keep them out of direct sun or they will quickly overheat.
RELATED CONTENT
Missouri garden offers summer exhibitions and more...
Americans love to putter with plant-filled pots....
Citizen support is key to helping National Wildlife Refuge System maintain lands....
For 10 years, the Missouri Botanical Garden has collected and recycled more than 300 tons of waste....
Federally mandated wellness policy leads charge to add outdoor activities and experiences to childr...
Many seeds will germinate faster if the medium is kept at a temperature of about 70 degrees. You can use an electric heat mat to accomplish this, but consistent heat is not absolutely necessary for successful germination. Under ideal conditions, most seeds will sprout in a week to 10 days; some sprout in a day or two, while others, like parsley, take longer. Once the plants have sprouted, move all of your pots or flats to the light. A twin-tube fluorescent grow light will speed sturdy development, but a cold frame or south window will suffice. If new growth looks thin and the plants are stretching towards the light source, they need more of it.
Juvenile plant care
Water the young plants with a fine mist. Keep the soil evenly damp but not wet, and don’t allow it to dry out. With a little experience, you can tell when the flats or pots need water by the light color and weight of the medium. At this early stage, it is especially important not to over-water since too-wet soil promotes the growth of microbes that cause damping-off, a stem rotting disease that kills young seedlings.
When the seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall, you can fertilize them lightly; we use kelp/fish emulsion. Once they reach 3 or 4 inches in height, and possess two true leaves, you should transplant them into individual pots for further development. Before subsequent transplanting to the garden, your plants should be hardened-off. This process gradually introduces the plants to ambient conditions. Over the course of a week or so, expose the plants to the outdoors in an opened cold frame, on the porch or other location that protects them from full sun, wind and extreme temperatures. Once they’ve adapted, set the plants in the garden – it’s best to wait until after the last-frost date for most plants.
Page:
<< Previous 1 | 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Next >>