Here is a good list of rules i compiled about starting plants from seeds, hope you enjoy Growing plants from seed can be a lot easier than most people would think. There are a couple things to keep in mind when buying seeds. I will go over some of the more common questions here. 1. Will these plants do well in my region? Pick seeds that will do well in your region. If you grow a plant that is not meant for your location, chances are it will not do well, or possibly not even grow. Refer to a USDA plant hardiness zone map to better chose the seeds best suited for your climate. 2. Am I planting these at the right time of year? Different seeds need to be started at different times of the year. Always refer to the planting instructions for the best time of year to start them. Also different zones can have a different time of the year that they need to be planted. 3. What kind of sun will these plants take once established? Now this is a hard question to answer directly. The reason being is some plants can take full sun in one zone but need partial sun in another zone. For the best answer ask your local garden shop or plant nursery. 4. How much water do my seeds need? For the most part you want to keep the soil moist when germinating your seeds. You want the soil to be moist to the touch but not soaking wet. Also do not let the soil dry out before the seeds have sprouted. When the seedlings start to emerge you want to start dampening off the water, letting the soil start to dry out between each watering. 5. How far apart should I plant my seeds? This really depends on what plant you are trying to grow. Some plants can be planted only a couple inches apart from each other, while others need a foot or more of spacing. Consult the planting directions included with your seeds to know the correct spacing for each plant. 6. What is the best way to germinate seeds? Certain seeds need certain things to make them germinate. For example chilling specific seeds or scarifying them is required my specific varieties. The planting instructions of the seed should include any information required for germination. For the most part though, seeds need three things to germinate. 1. Soil medium. (dirt, potting soil, seedling mix..etc) 2.Water. 3.Warmth (sun) 7. How do I take care of the plant once my seeds have sprouted? Different plants require different things, but for the most part they need sun (different plants require different amounts), water (letting the soil dry out between each watering), and nutrients (which could be mulch or fertilizers). 8. What kind of fertilizer do my seeds need? When first planting any seed to not fertilize them. If you have planted the seeds in a good soil, they probably won't need any fertilizer. If you want to fertilize your seeds wait until the first set of true leaves begin to appear. After they appear you can start fertilizing with a fertilizer with a higher amount of phosphorous. Phosphorus is the middle number on the NPK values, for example, 5-10-5 10 would be the percent of phosphorous. 9. Should I start my seeds inside? If you want to get an early start on your gardening, and would like to enjoy blooms and vegetables earlier, then yes go ahead and start your seeds inside. Most people will start their seeds around 2-3 weeks before the last frost. This will give you a good head start for the growing season. 10. When do I know if my plants are ready to transplant? To avoid the headache of knowing when to transplant you can usually plant your seeds at the grow site itself. If not: For your average plant I would wait until they are about 2-3 inches tall until transplanting them into their final grow spot. Again it can range differently depending on the variety of the plant.
understand soil PH & nute lock-out,preferred PH. know nutrient deficiencies/toxicities. know the difference between pest and diseases associated with them. annual, bienial, perenial ect...KNOW THY PLANT!!! If it can happen it eventualy will happen.
I do agree to your points given here. It is not an easy job to grow plants from seeds. You have to follow step by step instructions from germination to seedling care and planting till harvesting. It is important to find a good seed and seed-starting mix. Watering, Fertilizing, transplanting and harvesting and many more... Its always good to know more about how to grow plants from seed to have a good and healthy garden in your yard.
A commercial greenhouse north of here starts vegetable seeds every spring, before frost so that they will be big enough to plant when the weather is consistently warm. They kept the greenhouse very warm for the germination period to prevent damp-off fungus, then once the seedlings were up, moved the flat of seedlings to a cooler house to grow to sale-size. Then more seed was sown in new flats in the hot germination house. The germination house used a primitive system for automatic misting, but it worked: they had window-screen type mesh on one end of a stick that resembled a tiny see saw. When the mesh dried out, the stick was lighter at that end and it pivoted up, releasing a water valve, which then misted the entire area for a few seconds. As the water saturated the screen again, that end of the stick got heavy and it shut off the misting system valve. Later in the cooler greenhouse, the workers watered gently as needed, usually a couple times a day on sunny days.
