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If the planting bug has hit you, you might want to relieve the symptoms by starting a few seeds indoors.
If previous attempts have left you frustrated, remember that hope springs eternal. Try again, but this time, do it the right way.
Almost everyone has tried to start some seeds indoors. It might have been a childhood activity or a more recent project. But unless you follow a few key suggestions, you won't get healthy, attractive plants for your garden.
When you planted seeds as a child, they were likely planted in a paper cup in soil that was dug out of someone's backyard.
Within a few days the soil was rock hard, and growing a seed would likely be impossible. Even if it managed to start growing, diseases or other pests often destroyed the tiny plant.
Garden soil quickly loses its structure and breaks down when confined to a pot. Commercial greenhouse operators learned this decades ago and developed soil-less mixes that would not get hard, crust over and refuse to drain.
Another serious problem with trying to start your own seed is a fungal disease called damping off. The fungus grows on contaminated soil and attacks the plant right at the base. The tender seedlings then fall over and die.
The disease grows quickly and often destroys most of your plants overnight.
Always use germination mixes to get your seeds of to a good start. Most will contain peat moss, perlite, vermiculite or other soil-free products that are free of diseases, insects and weeds. They also have excellent aeration and drainage to promote good growth.
After getting the right growing mix, pay attention to the other germination needs, light being one of the most critical.
Trying to grow plants without enough light will always be disappointing. Weak, spindly transplants never make a satisfactory move to the outdoor garden and are usually less productive than planting the seeds directly in the garden.
Inexperienced gardeners try to use their windowsill as a starting area, but windowsills receive strong directional light that is often too intense.
The seedlings bend toward the light, and unless you turn them frequently, they become stunted and crooked.
Add to that the uneven temperatures near the window.
During the day, the light from the sun is intense and temperatures may get too hot for good plant growth. At night the temperature near the windowsill might be near freezing, although your home thermostat is reading a balmy 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
To overcome these problems, I recommend building a germination area to start the seeds.
Use a two- or four-bulb shop light with fluorescent bulbs and chains to hold the fixtures so they can be raised as the seedlings grow.
For best results, the lights should almost touch the transplants. Keep them on for about 16 hours per day.
Another important need is heat. There are several ways to provide heat, but the easiest is to use an electric propagation mat.
These are similar to a heating pad but operate at a lower temperature. Seeds will germinate over a wide range of temperatures, but most common garden seeds start growing more quickly when the temperature stays around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
The less-expensive mats are usually preset, while more expensive types have adjustable thermostats.
Buy an inexpensive thermometer to check the soil temperature. Watch for extreme temperature fluctuations.
If the temperatures are too variable, consider making a small enclosure out of plastic sheeting to help hold in the heat and moisture.
After the seedlings germinate, move the transplants to an area where they get good light but where the temperatures are 55 to 65 degrees at night and 65 to 75 degrees during the day.
This prevents soft, spindly plants and reduces fungal disease problems.
The type of container is not critical, providing it holds sufficient medium and has adequate drainage. Do not use containers that hold too much growing mix as they do not dry out well and usually cause root rot.
I like using the plug trays favored by many commercial growers. These are not always on the shelf at garden centers, but greenhouses that grow bedding plants have them. The cells come in various sizes and often have individual compartments that will hold nearly 300 tiny plants.
These offer several advantages:
The seeds are in individual compartments, so if a disease attacks, it does not easily spread from plant to plant.
Each plant develops its own root ball, and the tiny plug can be transplanted to a larger container with little transplant shock.
It also makes it easy to start a variety of seeds without getting the seeds mixed up when you water the flats.
Written: Larry A. Sagers Extension Horticulture Specialist Utah State University Service
