Start Your Garden Seeds Indoors
How to get started.
 |
*Seed
*Potting Mix - Seed should be sown in a sterile, soil-less mix. Regular potting soil is not recommended because it is heavy and compacts down too much in the seed tray. If you must use potting soil, add 50% peat moss to it. You can make your own soil-less mix by using: 4 quarts of vermiculite, 4 quarts of peat moss, and a couple of tablespoons of lime.
*Containers - Do not use a container that will absorb too much of the seedlings water supply, such as cardboard egg cartons. Some suggestions include: plastic trays and flats, wooden flats, fruit cartons, milk cartons, peat pots, tin cans, styrofoam cups, and clay or plastic cups.
Six Steps for Quick Seed Germination
1. Moisten the potting soil mix before putting it into your container.
2. Fill container with moistened soil and smooth out the surface.
3. Broadcast seeds evenly over the soil surface. Add extra seeds to allow for some not germinating. You can thin later if necessary. Firm them into the soil with something small and flat.
4. Cover the seeds with more soil mixture. The seeds should be covered with soil to a depth three to four times their diameter. For fine seeds, ¼ inch is sufficient.
5. Smooth and firm the soil a second time.
6. Cover the container with a plastic cover to keep the moisture in until the seeds have germinated, and then it may be removed.
Special Treatments - Under natural conditions the forces of nature gradually help seeds break their dormancy. You can duplicate some of these processes and induce germination in seeds that may otherwise take much longer to sprout.
Scarfication - The seed coats on some varieties are so hard that they cannot absorb moisture and may need to be broken, scratched or mechanically altered so they are permeable to water. This may be done with a knife, sandpaper, or a knife.
Soaking - Soaking seeds has two advantages. First, it can soften a hard coat, and secondly, it can leach out chemical inhibitors that prevent germination. Pour boiling water over the seed s and soak them overnight while the water cools.
Stratification - Cold stratification is a process which subjects the seeds to moist-cold (40°) treatment. The seeds need to be in contact with moisture and air for the chilling to be effective and therefore should not be placed in the refrigerator in the packet. We recommended that you sow the seeds in the soil and place the container in the refrigerator or just mix the seeds with the soil in a plastic bag and then sow in a container afterwards. The seeds should be left in the cold for two to four weeks, the longer the better.
Varieties that require soaking
Okra, Morning Glories, Hibiscus, Sweet Peas, and Lupines.
Varieties that require stratification
Aquilegia (Columbine), Lavenders, Viola species (Violas, Violets, and Pansies).
Many flower seeds need light to germinate:
Ageratum
Sow seeds in February or March. Do not cover the seeds; just press into the soil.
Celosia
Start seeds indoors about a month before the last frost date. These seedlings can suffer from uprooting, so plant them in individual pots, not in flats. They are also sensitive to cold, so water the seedlings with lukewarm water.
Impatients
Seeds can be started indoors two months before the last frost. Impatients are very sensitive to frost. Do not cover the seeds. Water them from the bottom of the flat only; they are highly susceptive to rotting.
Marigold
American marigolds are late blooming and should be started indoors. French marigolds and signet marigolds may be grown as transplants or directly sown into the garden. Hybrid triploid marigold seeds have a lower germination rate; therefore they should be sown indoors in early spring and planted after frost danger has passed.
Morning Glory
Soak the seeds overnight and plant them in individual pots a month before the frost-free date, or directly in the ground when the soil warms up.
Petunias
Seeds should be started indoors, so they can be planted after the last frost.
Snapdragon
Start the seeds indoors in February, and plant the seedlings about the time of the last frost. Placing the seeds in the refrigerator for a few days before planting will hasten the germination.
Zinnia
May either be started indoors about a month before the last frost, or directly in the garden after the last frost. If you start zinnias indoors, and are planting the double-flowering variety, sow the seeds in individual pots because transplanting can make them revert to single flowers.
Pansies
They need darkness to germinate. Hardened transplants can be planted a month before the last frost.
Gulley Greenhouse features a wide variety of tropical and exotic houseplants.
Written by Linda Bobert
Read this feature
Birds of Winter
Written by Kathy Meyer Read this feature
Houseplants
Written by Linda Bobert
Read this feature
Houseplant Watering
by Linda Bobert
Read this feature
Asparagus
Planting and Harvesting
Read this feature
Pests
Aphids
Read this feature
Pests
Borers and Bark Beetles
Read this feature
Hardiness
Resistance to climatic & environmental conditions
Read this feature
Mulching
Contributes to plant growth
Read this feature
Pests
Mites and Spider Mites
Read this feature
Pruning
Trees and Shrubs
Read this feature
Transplant
Shock
Read this feature
Orchid Care in Colorado
Read this feature
African Violet Care
Read this feature