Container Gardening

No more lanky seedlings. Here's the basics for seed starting indoors to get the healthiest seedlings



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SEED STARTING BASICS: Starting your own seeds can save you money and here’s one way you can guarantee healthy strong growth for your seedlings.

WHAT SOIL TO USE:
Seeds starting soil needs to be light and loose which makes it easier for seeds to push through and sprout. Seeds starting mix are widely available, but if you prefer to start your own. You can use any of this combination: Coir, Peat, Pertlie, Worm Castings, Compost. Remove any hard solid pieces like wood chips.
I use a simple blend for mine which consist of 2 parts coir and 1 part worm castings

To make it easier, presoak your soil blend with water. This will reduce seed disturbance.

CONTAINERS:
Depending on your seeds, you may opt in to use a bigger container. For example, I use smaller size for peppers and tomatoes and then up pot to a bigger container. They sprout and grow at a much slower pace. For squash, use bigger containers since they are fast sprouting and require much bigger room to grow.

WHAT DOES A COVER DO?
By covering your seed tray with a dome, it creates humidity which makes an optimal environment for seeds to sprout. I’ve sprouted both with and without a cover, the covered ones always have the best germination rate. As soon as the seeds sprout, covers can be removed.

LIGHTING:
There’s no need to keep seed tray under the light if they have not sprouted yet. At this stage it is more important to place your tray in a warm location.

When they do spout, it’s time to expose the seedlings under the light.
Either using a grow light or near a bright window with at least 6 hours of sun exposure. Rotate the tray every day for even exposure.

Grow lights help prevent lanky growth. It’s a good investment if you plan on seedling a lot and yearly.

MOVEMENT:
To strengthen your seedlings, move them around. Gently brush your hands through the seedling from time to time or place a fan nearby.

UP POTTING:
When you’re seeding plants indoor, plan to have room for up potting. Keep an eye on roots exiting the bottom of the seed tray. It’s a sign to up pot to a bigger container.

Hope you have an amazing gardening season and happy planting

8 Comments

  1. seeds doesn't need soil nutrients.all they need are darkness,high soil humidity, right temperature (preferably warm). so summary- jus cocopeat/ Coco coir is enof

  2. I use that mix and o make sure it's mixed wet before putting it in the trays. To keep the seeds warm and prevent drying out I place a layer of bubble wrap over them.

  3. How do you prevent gnats? I always get an insane amount of fungus gnats that kill my seedlings 🙁

  4. For fungus gnats I use oscillating fan/couple drops lemon scented soap in spray bottle w/water- spray plant & soil early on/& if bad, use little hydrogen peroxide in water- drench soil. Best way to avoid gnats is don’t use real soil, only coco coir/soilless mix indoor potting “soil”.

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