GERMINATION TECHNIQUES

Germinating seeds is easy and fun and your plants will grow more vigorously than rootbound and often pest-infested nursery plants. The satisfaction you'll get out of starting your own plant from a young seedling,  is indescribable. Both children and adults love it and they can take pride in the results of their efforts.

You need to start with some good fresh viable seeds and a good quality light and well-draining medium, so your seeds can come up easily and hassle-free. Using a mist bottle is a great and gentle way to trick seeds into thinking it's spring time.  It's been proven that misted seeds come up quicker and more reliably. The spray of water is also gentle enough that it's not gonna move your seeds all over the place while you're trying to keep things moist.  

The anticipation of waiting for your seeds to sprout can make you feel like a kid at Christmas time waiting for Santa. It's sometimes good to keep your seeds in your pot covered until the little plants appear, so that things stay warm and moist, like a greenhouse. Be sure to keep your pots warm until your seeds germinate, although some seeds, like pansy and strawberry,   like things to be on the cooler side to germinate.

Do seeds need light to sprout? 

If the seeds are covered...no light is required for germination. If the seeds are sown on top of the soil, or barely covered, then they definitely do need some light for successful germination to take place.  

Wet your soil down before sowing your seeds so they don't get washed away. Use warm water and keep things moist but never soggy. Soggy soil will cause your seeds to rot. You also want to use sterile soil so that the seedings won't die from damping-off bacteria or pests. Keeping things sterile and clean are very important.

When your seedlings emerge, remove any covers and stop the misting for a week or so while still making sure the seedling has moisture. Here is my French Vanilla marigold seedling tonight...

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