Sow Seeds to Grow Your Own Flowers
by Yvonne Cunnington

Description: Expert tips on growing flowers indoors from seed.

Sponsors:

For a head start on spring, consider starting flowers from seeds.

Starting your own plants saves money. Another bonus is having a greater choice of species and varieties.

Instead of a garden center petunia mix, you can choose the precise color or form you prefer.

Better Plant Choices

You can try more fragrant varieties of favorite annuals such as nicotiana or grow less well-known plants, such as airy Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis) or firecracker vine (Mina lobata).

You can start perennials that may not be available at your local garden centre, and when it comes to vegetables and herbs, you can find more flavorful varieties that put supermarket produce to shame.

Starting your own plants isn't too difficult once you get the basic techniques down.

Step-by-Step Sowing Instructions

Most packets have growing information printed on the back. In general, annuals and vegetables germinate quickly and are easy to grow, so if you are just getting started, these are your best bet.

Annuals tend to germinate at temperatures between 64 to 70F (18 to 21C), but many perennials need cold treatment to break dormancy.

In the real world outside, they lie on the ground all winter and then sprout when the weather warms in spring. You can mimic this in the refrigerator or outside in a cold frame.

What to Use as a Growing Mix

For sowing, use a commercial starting medium (a mix of peat, perlite and vermiculite, such as Pro-Mix).

Moisten it an hour or so before sowing. It should not be soggy - aim for the moisture of a wrung-out sponge.

As general rule, sow seeds about as far below the growing mix as they are large. Big ones generally should be covered with growing mix, and tiny ones barely need to be covered.

If light is needed for germination, do not cover them at all - just press them into the growing mix.

Give all trays or pots a light watering and cover with a plastic dome lid or seal the container inside a plastic bag.

Newly sprouted seedlings tend to look alike, so be sure to label containers as you sow.

More Sowing Tips

Small seeds can be a bit tricky. A simple solution is fold a piece of paper and then pour the contents of your packet into the fold and tap the end of the paper lightly so that the contents can slide down onto your germination mix.

If they stick, sprinkle them with a little baby or talcum powder to reduce the static cling.

Caring for Your Baby Plants

As soon as you notice germination, remove the plastic dome or plastic bag.

Make sure seedlings have plenty of light. Check daily for moisture, but avoid over-watering.

How to Care for Sprouted Seedlings

As soon as you notice germination and your seedlings beginning to grow, remove the plastic dome or plastic bag over your planting trays. Check daily for moisture, but avoid the temptation to over-water.

Soggy soil, excess warmth and poor air circulation can lead to damping off, a common fungal disease that can kill baby plants. Prevention goes a long way, and you can use a fungicide called No Damp to help combat this.

The Right Growing Conditions: Temperature and Light

Most young plants grow best at day-time temperatures between 70 to 75ºF (21º to 24ºC) and night-time temperatures between 55 to 65ºF (13º to 18ºC).

For healthy, bushy growth, seedlings need plenty of light, and they're more likely to get it under fluorescent lights than on a windowsill.

You don't have to use expensive grow lights. Ordinary cool-white 40-watt fluorescent tubes do nicely, as the young plants will only need to grow under them for a few weeks.

Shop lights that hang from chains on a light stand are ideal. The chains allow you to adjust the lights to keep them right above the seedlings.

Keep plants as close to your lights as possible. This helps prevent plants from growing weak, spindly stems from stretching too. Set your lights on an automatic timer set to be on for 18 hours and off for six hours.

When to Start Giving Fertilizer

When seedlings have two sets of true leaves (the first leaves are called cotyledons or seed leaves), start fertilizing once a week with half-strength liquid plant starter or fish emulsion fertilizer.

Transplanting

If necessary, transplant seedlings into their final pot once they have their second set of leaves. Always handle young plants by the leaves, as the roots and stems are very tender.

Hardening Seedlings Off

• As planting-out time in the flower garden nears, coddled plants raised indoors need to be toughened up or "hardened off."
• To do this, set your plants outside in a shady, sheltered spot for at least a week or two before transplanting into the garden.
• Give your plants half a day outdoors at first, and gradually leave them out longer, slowly moving them into sunnier and windier areas to get them used to life in the real world.
• Once they're outside for good, protect them by covering them on cooler nights with a sheet or putting them into a closed cold frame.
• Cool-season annuals such as pansies and snapdragons should be hardened off several weeks before tender, heat-loving ones such as impatiens or tomatoes.

Reprinted with Permission. ©Yvonne Cunnington http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com.

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.creativehomemaking.com