Starting plants from seeds sounds easy, right? No big deal you think. Stick some seeds in dirt, water them, and watch your plants grow. Well not quite. If you have tried and failed it’s not your fault. Some things require a little bit more then having a green thumb then others.
Planting seeds and growing strong healthy plants is one of them.
The first thing you need to be aware of when planting seeds is that they need indirect sunlight especially if you use one of those jiffy pot things that act as a green house.
If you stick the seeds directly in the sunlight chances are really good that you will be cooking them so it is no wonder they will not grow.
You need to keep the dirt moist at all times while the seeds are germinating.
Don’t have your own mini greenhouse?
No problems. A piece of Saran wrap covering the gardening container works wonders and acts as a mini greenhouse.
Once your first seedling pops through the dirt you need to pull the plastic back to give it some fresh air.
Don’t stick your seedling in the direct sunlight just yet though. You need to let them get used to the sunlight. Every day move your seedlings a little bit closer to the sunlight while turning your plant a quarter of a turn.
This will keep your seedlings from growing awkwardly by trying to reach the sunlight.
After a few days take the plastic all the way off of the gardening containers and turn on a small fan on low and point it at your seedlings.
This will accomplish two things:
The first is it will keep mold from growing on your seedlings and dirt which will cause stem rot which is one of the biggest killers of fragile seedlings.
The second is that it will make the stem good and strong so that your plant can grow big and strong. The constant swaying is what makes the roots and stems grow strong. At nursery’s they actually gently run their fingertips along to top of the plants a few times a day to accomplish the same things.
Are your plants sprouting up like string beans?
If they are that is a sure fire sign that your little seedlings are getting way to much water and their poor little stalks won’t be able to support them much longer. Hold off watering them for a few days to see if they get stockier instead of longer.
Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to successfully starting plants from seeds!
