Hit the Dirt; Seed Starting

Hello and welcome again. April is here and this is the month that many gardeners begin their seed starting in earnest to continue to keep this show in the flow of the seasons. Today I'm going to give some sent General seed starting tips. The trick to successful seed starting is to remember two things. The first is that seeds are a living breathing entities just like the plants that's brought from them to us in order to sprout. They need to be alive to begin with. So if you're not using fresh seed you might want to perform a germination test to see if they are still viable. Assuming they are then what is needed is moisture a certain degree of warmth and that last requirement is the least obvious and hence most commonly overlooked. But it is vital that almost all seeds get. Or else they will rot rather than germinate. Once the seeds have sprouted two other basic elements are acquired as well light and nutrients. So while raising seedlings the garden must take responsibility for temperature light moisture soil quality and fertility. Success will only come to the degree that each of these factors is understood and controlled. I talk about equality and fertility two weeks ago when I discussed potting mixes

either whip up a batch of potting mix with good long lasting sources of major and minor nutrients and it will be prepared to apply a liquid fertiliser such as minority or fish emulsion at regular intervals. As far as moisture is concerned seedlings grown in small containers need frequent attention. The small quantity of soil in a little pot can hold all that much water and loses moisture quickly to plant transpiration as well as evaporation from the relatively large surface area bedding plant trays in pots being shallow usually have to be watered daily seedlings in cold frames greenhouses or sun rooms may need watering several times during the course of a sunny day. The temperature of the water is another consideration. Water that has been more into room temperature is less likely to shock a plant than cold water right out of the tap. This is especially true during the heat of the day. The way in which the ceilings are watered can also affect their growth. The tiny newly sprouted plants are easily disturbed exposing or damaging the root systems. So try to water gently in the early stages of growth. I feel a light mist from a

sprayer works best. Bottom watering by setting the pots and water full trays to soak up water for a short time. Don't let them sit in water all day or by setting the containers on special Wicks that draw water from a bucket and make it available to the plants. Also work well. Later on in the seedlings life you don't have to be so careful and a regular watering can or homemade siphon are fine. Access to sufficient light for starting seedlings is a problem for many gardeners. I'm currently building a greenhouse to give me the bright space I need. But for those of you aren't so lucky as to have a nice sunny greenhouse there are other solutions in our climate. South facing windows with no trees outside to shade them should provide adequate light for proper seedling growth in the spring. Just be sure to rotate your plants so they don't bend over too far towards one side in their quest for light. If you have your house in the woods where you don't have space by any of your south windows and indoor grow lights set up is a manageable solution for many gardeners. No one source of artificial light matches the wavelengths of natural sunlight. Some specially designed grow lights are supposed to come close but

they're usually fairly expensive. Fortunately one common and fairly inexpensive light source cool white fluorescent promotes very good vegetative growth in seedlings. Two to six parallel tubes suspended over the growing area can produce stocky seedlings at low cost. The other consideration with indoor lights is timing. To grow best almost all types of plants need a daily dose of darkness. A 24 hour timer will ensure regular daily light periods from 12 to 20 hours. The longer daylight is best if maximum growth rate is desired. But don't be arbitrarily changing it from day to day as plants seem to alter their growth unfavorably when the light to dark ratios are irregular. Also remember that some kinds of vegetables are photo periodic which means that they respond to changes in the dark person's life by switching from vegetative growth to flower and this is true of onions. Mustard and spinach for these crops. You might want to keep your light timing corresponding to the actual numbers of hours of sunlight outside. Temperature

is a factor that is not so easy to give general recommendations for. One can generally classify all the crops into categories such as tropical warm weather and cool weather. But of course it is impractical to have different growing years with the appropriate climate set up for each different group of seedlings. So a compromise is needed if you wish to grow many species at once in one place. Probably the best single temperature range to allow most crops to thrive is 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. However the optimum temperature for the germination of the seed is not the same as the optimum temperature for the growth of the plant. After they have sprouted usually germination is aided by higher temperatures say around 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But there are some species which will show better germination at somewhat cooler temperatures. This leads me to the second thing to remember which is that each kind of crop has its own idea of what is the best of all possible worlds to sprout and grow in. Getting a handle on all these picky

preferences comes with experience. Although if you are a novice coroner there are some good reference types books which can be very helpful. The one I have used the most is the new seed Shorter's Handbook by Nancy Buell published by Rodale Press. In it you will find tables listing optimum germinating temperatures of the common crops as well as the days to germination percentage germination. You can expect at different temperatures. Nancy also lists which seeds need to light need light to germinate and which prefer darkness along with much other useful information and a handy crop by crop culture guide. But don't fret if you can't get your hands on that or a similar book right away just stay tuned to hit the dirt because throughout this spring I will be highlighting the various crops and their special needs at around the time when you might want to think about sowing them in fact next week. Well discuss those crops which are best started inside early so keep your radio on eighty nine point nine and I'll see you next week.