It’s Time To Let Seeds Spring Into Action

The kitchen table is set, though not for tea. For the next several weeks, the dishes and fancy napkins are being replaced with an assortment of egg cartons, half milk cartons, plastic salad trays and various sizes of flats and pots. The aroma of baked cookies will be mixed with the earthy smell of potting soil and that of bleach used for sterilizing pots. It’s opening day of the seed-starting season.

To qualify for a ‘seed-starters license’ all that is necessary is an adventurous spirit for trying anything; patience while handling seeds; humor for getting through the little disasters and failures and an understanding family who will overlook all the above.

If you qualify, you’ll need a some seed-starting gear.

Containers: Any sterile container that will hold at least one inch of soil will work for germinating seeds - egg cartons (plastic or fiber), cottage cheese containers, clear plastic deli containers, assorted garden pots and flats. All containers should have drainage holes for excess water. A few ‘master propagators’ have found a way around this, but unless you’re an expert, I’d advise the drainage holes.

New containers can be planted into immediately. Old, used containers, however, should be scrubbed out with warm soapy water and rinsed in a sterilizing solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. We do this to kill off any potential disease pathogens. Don’t use old fiber pots for starting seeds. They can’t be disinfected.

If clay pots (new or old) are used, let them soak in a pail of water before planting. Dry clay pots have a tendency to pull moisture out of the potting soil.

Soil: Even though regular potting soil will work, it’s always best to germinate seeds in sterile potting soil. It is usually free of disease-causing organisms, weeds and insects.

Though purchasing sterile soil is the easiest, you can make your own by mixing one part garden soil with two parts peat and vermiculite or perlite. Cook this concoction in a shallow pan in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 140 degrees. This is not a good time to invite friends to drop in for tea. Not only does it smell bad, but explaining the fact that you’re cooking dirt may prove to be awkward.

I like to plant seeds in pre-dampened soil. This is accomplished by dumping a few pails of soil into a large bucket followed by a good dousing of warm water. The soil should be stirred to eliminate any dry pockets. After a few hours, it should be nice and damp, but not soggy wet. Scoop the dampened soil into the containers, filling them to the top.

Seeds: Determine your seed germination requirements by reading the seed packet. Some seeds require pre-freezing, soaking or chilling before planting. Some require light to germinate, while others germinate in the dark. Large seed is usually covered with soil, while fine seed is simply sprinkled over the surface of a fine or screened soil, and gently patted down.

Watch your timing, (also on the packet). How long does it take for the seed to germinate and grow before it can be transplanted outside? Many seeds are started too early. A few wilty leaves attached to a straggly six-inch stem in a 1/4 inch pot is not an uncommon sight during the seed-starting season.

Moisture: Once seed has been moistened, it cannot be allowed to dry. Cover the containers with a clear material such as a piece of glass, a dry-cleaning bag or a special plastic top manufactured for seed trays. Evaporating moisture will collect on the plastic and drop back onto the the plastic and drop back onto the soil. Leave an opening for air circulation. If you start with moist soil, and use the described covering, then little watering should be necessary. However, if the soil does dry out, mist it.

Light: Seeds that require light to germinate must be near a window that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight. Usually this means south- or west-facing windows or floor-to-ceiling windows. Fluorescent lights work better because they can be monitored. Keep them four to six inches from the seeds. Expensive grow lights are not necessary.

Heat: Finally, the most important factor for successful seed germination - bottom heat. Air temperature is not the same as soil temperature. Either purchase heating cables made just for seed germination or be creative (but always safe). The plastic covering you used to trap moisture will also help to keep the seed bed warm. A soil thermometer is a handy tool.

Once the seeds germinate, remove the plastic. Place the container under the lights. Lights should be about four inches above the plants and left on at least 12 hours a day. Keep the soil moist. When the little seedlings develop their second set of leaves, it’s time to transplant them into individual pots, if they aren’t there already.

If you have questions about starting seeds (or any garden questions), hunt me down at the Home and Yard Show at the Interstate Fairgrounds this weekend. I will be there in a booth all hours of the show, every day. Hope to see you there.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review