1) Soak the seeds in tap water for 2 days, changing the water after day 1
2) Prepare a compost mixture - sieved compost, perlite, vermiculite or a mixture of these. Ensure mix is moist but not wet
3) Microwave in a bowl on full power for 3 minutes to sterilise compost mix
4) Allow to cool
5) Spread compost in a clean seed tray
6) So seeds individually - pressing them gently into the compost so they are half covered
7) Place tray in a heated propagator, or cover with a plastic bag and place in a warm place eg airing cupboard
8) Check seeds regularly, ensuring compost does not dry out. Germination can take 4-8 weeks
9) When shoots visible move into a warm, light place but out of direct sunlight.
10) Pot on as required
Olly's General Guide to Seed Sowing!
I love sowing seeds and it runs in the family - dad, granddad and
finally my great-granddad for whom the hobby helped him get over his
experiences in the Great War. I still get a big kick when I see the first
seedling poking through from a new plant that I have never sown before or been
successful at. However, even the most experienced gardeners draw
"blanks" from time to time. Whilst I sow all the seeds that I sell so
I know that they are viable, some are trickier than others and problems can
arise so here are some tips to make "blanks" few and far between:
1) Don’t Rush! Tempting though it is when that
packet arrives in the post to simply bung the seeds in some compost!
2) Google and YouTube are your friends! Take some
time so see the methods other people use to germinate the seed.
3) Think Nature! What conditions do seeds face? For
example a seed from a tropical plant will fall to the warm, wet and dark jungle
floor. A seed from the mountains of Europe will fall to the floor in Autumn,
then have to endure months of freezing temperatures before germinating in the
spring. So as growers, what we are trying to do is to simulate the conditions
that the seeds will naturally experience and there are plenty of tricks that
can be done to short cut the processes somewhat.
4) Good compost pays dividends. The best investment you can make is
to purchase three bags - one of potting compost, one of vermiculite and one of
horticultural sand. With these three bags I can make up whatever soil type a
particular seed likes (although for most seeds I find a 50/50 mix of compost
and vermiculite works just fine)
5) Rot is your enemy. The single biggest danger to seed
germination is rot - either before or after "damping off" the seeds
germinate. To reduce the risk, ensure you have good free draining soil mix and
that it is moist but not wet. Unless the seed variety absolutely requires it I
prefer NOT to cover my seeds trays with plastic bags, Whilst germination is
often faster this way, it greatly increases the risk of rot. I prefer to place
my seed trans inside a watertight plastic tray and water from the bottom -
airflow over the surface reduces the risk.
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