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Tips for Seed-starting Success
Nothing makes spring seem just around the corner
more than starting new flowers and vegetables for
your upcoming garden. As you prepare to fill your
windowsills and light stands with flats and pots,
here are some tips for meeting the needs of your
seedlings and keeping them healthy.
Planting
1. Use sterile, soil-less mix to fill your flats. This type
of mix is disease-free, provides good aeration, and
retains moisture.
2. Sow seeds the recommended depth, gently firm
the soil to ensure good contact between seeds and
soil, and then cover the flats with plastic to increase
the humidity for better germination. As soon as the
seeds germinate, remove the plastic to allow room
for growth.
Temperature
1. Most seeds germinate well at about 70 degrees F.
(If seeds have special temperature requirements for
germination, this will be listed on the seed packet.)
Burpee’s Electra Grow Mat provides heat underneath
your flats so you don’t need to keep an entire room
temperature-controlled for your seeds.
2. Once the seedlings have broken the surface of the
soil, the heating mat should be removed and the plants
should be grown at slightly cooler temperatures.
High temperatures can cause weak, leggy growth.
Light
1. Seedlings grown on a windowsill will not receive
the same intensity of light they will receive under
grow lights, and they will tend to stretch. Grow lights
provide the ideal light, and they can be left on for
14 to 16 hours a day. Cool white fluorescent bulbs
also provide good light. Be sure to replace any
bulbs about every 3 years because they lose
their intensity.
2. Keeping the lights close to the seedlings will promote
the healthiest growth. As the seedlings grow, raise the
lights so that they remain about 2 inches above the plants.
Water
1. As long as the growing mix is well moistened when
you sow the seeds, you probably won’t need to water
until the seedlings emerge. If the surface of the mix does
dry out, water gently. Moistening the surface with a spray
bottle may be all that’s needed.
2. Once the seedlings are under lights, the growing mix
will dry out more quickly. Water gently to keep the mix
moist but not soggy.
Questions
Q. When should I begin fertilizing my seedlings?
A. If you transplant your seedlings as soon as they get
their second set of true leaves, you probably won’t need
to fertilize. If your plants spend a bit too long in their
original flat before being transplanted, they could use
some fertilizer. Use a water-soluble, balanced fertilizer,
and be careful not to overdo it.
Also see seed broadcasting
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