It's my first time trying to grow from seeds. Planted a bunch of herbs under a grow light (on for 12 hours, off for 12) in seed-starter soil about 3 weeks ago. Been doing a combo of spray-watering and bottom watering. Used fertilizer once. Things started sprouting after a week and were going well for another week but now things seemed to have stalled and a few of them are looking leggy.
I wanted to start these inside because I didn't want them getting munched by critters outdoors or zapped by the heat, but I'm wondering if they wouldn't be doing better in the sun? I realise I'm a little late planting for my zone (9b), but the weather has generally been pleasant. Highs in the upper 70s-low 80s and lows in the 50s. Or is there something else about this set-up that I'm messing up? (The snail shell is empty – my 6yo keeps adding it for "decor")
by Board-Limp
3 Comments
are you using a heat mat and covering them with a dome of some sort?
Love the snail as decor (I was gonna reply it probably was the culprit ^^)
Does it have enough humidity and warmth ? I put mine in clear plastic boxes (the long ones that can go under the bed), in full sun, they’re really warmer than the rest of the room and my seeds are growing quickly. Maybe too fast.
Woody herbs like thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage take a long time to germinate and grow from seed. They can easily take 2-4 weeks to germinate, and another 3-4 months to be big enough to plant. I start my herbs in January to be planted outside in May. So your growth is trending fine on those plants.
Soft herbs like basil, cilantro, and mint should be a bit faster than that, but more akin to the timeline of peppers, not tomatoes. They also germinate much better in warm soil.
TL:DR, put a heat mat under them, and keep the cells more evenly moist to encourage germination. You can pull back on watering the woody herbs when they’ve got their second set of true leaves. Also the grow light should be two inches (the height of your thumb) above the plants.