Seed Starting

[GardenBlooms22]

I plan to up-pot the healthy seedlings I have into solo cups so that they don't get dried out or crowded.

 

[GardenBlooms22]

We are going to start our peppers and eggplant seeds tomorrow. I've watched several videos on seed starting, but any additional tips you all might have would be appreciated. The first phase of the growing is what I seem to struggle the most with. Once the seedlings mature a little I have an easier time keeping them alive.

Thanks,

 

[BabyGotQuack]

We planted them on 2/16/23 through 2/21/23. The crops were mostly brassicas and greens.

I'm not using heat mats for them because I've heard it can be a bad idea to warm the soil for cool crops such as these. Should I use one to jump start their germination and then take it off?

Thank you for the reply.

That I’m not sure about, I’ve never done cold crops inside so maybe what you’re heard it correct. Do you know the germination day range for them?

 

[BabyGotQuack]

We are going to start our peppers and eggplant seeds tomorrow. I've watched several videos on seed starting, but any additional tips you all might have would be appreciated. The first phase of the growing is what I seem to struggle the most with. Once the seedlings mature a little I have an easier time keeping them alive.

Thanks,

I started my peppers a week ago and they seem to be doing well, aside from a little leggy. Here’s what I did

pre moistened my soil and filled my seed trays 1/4” (peppers seed depth) or so from the top. Dropped 2 seeds in each tray and then covered with vermiculite (my local nursery gave a class and that’s how they do theirs). I watered them and set them on heat mats and covered with domes. I set in a windowsill and didn’t water again until I took the domes off, I feared I overwatered so held off on watering. Some of my peppers had sprouted by day 4! Once the majority had sprouted I removed the heat mat & domes. I still have some habaneros & Hungarian wax that are still on the mats and covered with domes. They look like they’re coming up so I think by tonight I’ll remove the mats and domes.

 

[TooCheep]

We are going to start our peppers and eggplant seeds tomorrow. I've watched several videos on seed starting, but any additional tips you all might have would be appreciated. The first phase of the growing is what I seem to struggle the most with. Once the seedlings mature a little I have an easier time keeping them alive.

Thanks,

Some general hints based on ~8 years experience:

• Germination is helped by warmth. I get significantly more and faster germination when the soil is at 70F than 60F. Since I keep my house cooler, I use a heating mat under the soil trays and temperature probe to control the heater.
• I soak the soil while it is in the trays before adding the seeds. This is especially important if you are using commercial soil mixes which are often very dry by the time you get them and can be hydrophobic (don't easily absorb water right away). The soaking breaks that hydrophobia and allows the soil to better absorb and retain water later.
• This may sound contradictory, but you don't want your soil to be soaking wet. It is actually very easy to over-water seeds and seedlings. Ideally, the soil should be barely moist, where you can squeeze a few drops of water out of a handful of soil. I personally water ~3 times/week and mist the soil surface and seedlings daily to keep them from drying out. That is my technique and others have different arrangements, like watering from below.
• Personally, I like larger containers for the seedlings, so I use 2" containers in the standard 10"x20" trays rather than the normal 1" inserts. This allows them to grow larger and stronger before encountering transplant shock.
• I'm a big believer in over-seeding. If I want 1 pepper plant in a container, then I'll put in ~3 seeds. Not all will germinate and even if I get all three, I'll watch them and pinch off those that aren't growing as strongly before they are 2-3" tall. Let the strongest survive.
• Know that most vegetable seeds will keep for several years. You don't need to get new seeds every year. I reseal my seed packets and store them in the frig for use next year. https://www.almanac.com/how-long-do-seeds-last

 

[GardenBlooms22]

Thanks for the reply @BabyGotQuack . I'm not sure about germination day range, I'd have to follow up on that.
Thank you for sharing your method of seed starting!

Thank you for sharing your method of seed starting @TooCheep !
From reading your comment I would guess I messed up Step 2; soaking the media before sowing the seeds in it. I did moisten the soil in a bucket, but it was certainly not soaked. I was wondering if that was the problem... I will definitely pay special attention to that step when I start my next trays.

I can definitely see why you prefer to start out with larger cells.
I may set up our heating mats temporarily to speed up the germination of the seeds, and then remove them.


Thank you both for the tips!

 

[BabyGotQuack]

Thanks for the reply @BabyGotQuack . I'm not sure about germination day range, I'd have to follow up on that.
Thank you for sharing your method of seed starting!

Thank you for sharing your method of seed starting @TooCheep !
From reading your comment I would guess I messed up Step 2; soaking the media before sowing the seeds in it. I did moisten the soil in a bucket, but it was certainly not soaked. I was wondering if that was the problem... I will definitely pay special attention to that step when I start my next trays.

I can definitely see why you prefer to start out with larger cells.
I may set up our heating mats temporarily to speed up the germination of the seeds, and then remove them.


Thank you both for the tips!

Ofcourse! Good luck & keep coming back with updates!

 

[TooCheep]

From reading your comment I would guess I messed up Step 2; soaking the media before sowing the seeds in it. I did moisten the soil in a bucket, but it was certainly not soaked. I was wondering if that was the problem...

I originally just poured water into the containers until they drained water. I didn't know at the time that the hydrophobic soil meant that if you emptied out the container, they would actually be mostly dry after a single "pour-thru". I now pour in a little water, let it soak in and repeat about 5 times until they really are draining truly excess water. Then they are moist and ready to go.

The heating mat definitely helps with germination. I also sprout lots of seed as fodder (young plants) for my chickens in the winter when there is much less greenery and end up with much thicker growth from additional heat.

 

[Chris2018]

I had a real hard time finding some good info on what lights to get, specifically color. The ones I ordered are 5000k and they’re just white. Should I have got a different color?

5000K is at the lower end of the Kalvin but should be fine, you will just have to have it a bit closer than one with a higher K. White should be fine, is it a grow light or just a regular light?

 

[BabyGotQuack]

5000K is at the lower end of the Kalvin but should be fine, you will just have to have it a bit closer than one with a higher K. White should be fine, is it a grow light or just a regular light?

It’s a barrina grow light