How To Sow Seeds For Seedlings Correctly

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

• About approaches to sowing and picking
• Sowing in sawdust
• The nuances of sowing seeds in sawdust

He who does not sow, he does not reap

The first month, seedlings of thermophilic crops

develop better in a greenhouse

Without exception, all gardeners know very well how to sow seeds for seedlings. Indeed, what can you think of here, because the operations are known - soaking, germination, sowing. However, not everything is so simple - everyone sows about the same, and the seeds sprout in different ways (often according to the principle - "where is dense, where is empty"), and the seedlings grow completely different.

There are several reasons for this state of affairs, and the agricultural technology of sowing seeds and the nuances of the initial care of young seedlings play an important role here. It is on these aspects that I would like to dwell, but about everything in order.

About approaches to sowing and picking

As you know, seeds for seedlings are most often sown directly into the soil - rather thickly, when they are supposed to cut the seedlings in the future, or immediately into separate containers, if they prefer to do without a pick.

Both for the first and for the second cases there are arguments "for" and "against", however, both options (despite the fact that they appear, probably, in all agrotechnical manuals) do not always provide quality seedlings. Moreover, they do not even guarantee the emergence of seedlings - not because the recommendations are wrong, they are, in principle, correct. There are simply too many factors that can play a negative role with this approach and lead to the death of seeds or seedlings.

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First, let's clarify the main reasons due to which the seeds may die and not sprout.

1. The temperature is too low. Seeds of most heat-loving crops (peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, watermelons) germinate well at temperatures of 24 … 26 ° C, and at temperatures below 15 ° C they may not emerge at all. Therefore, the seedlings of such crops are best placed for the first time in a small indoor greenhouse.

2. Too deep seeding depth - deep seeding of a number of crops can lead to the appearance of only single shoots. For many crops, the optimum sowing depth of seeds is considered to be a depth of 0.3-0.6 cm. Small seeds are not planted at all, but simply scattered over the soil surface. Honestly, experts do not have a certainty about how deeply certain crops should be sown - there are nuances here.

For example, when sowing tomato seeds in open ground (we are talking about the southern regions), the depth should be greater (to protect against drying out) - about 1-1.5 cm, it is this depth that is indicated, most often, in books on gardening. In the case of sowing seeds for seedlings in an apartment, less deep sowing gives better results - to a depth of about 0.5-1 cm (see table).

Seed sowing depth	Seed germination time at optimum temperature (at acceptable temperature)
Pepper, eggplant	0.5-1 cm	+ 24 … + 26 ° C (+ 20 … + 24 ° C)	10-12 days (12-14)
Tomato	0.5-1 cm	+ 24 … + 26 ° C (+ 20 … + 24 ° C)	7-8 days (8-10)
Cucumber	1-1.5 cm	+ 24 … + 26 ° C (+ 20 … + 24 ° C)	4-5 days (6-7)
Bow	0.5-1 cm	+ 20 … + 22 ° C (+ 12 ° C)	10-12 days (20-22)
Repair strawberry	Do not sprinkle with soil	+ 20 … + 22 ° C (+ 18 … + 20 ° C)	10-14 days (14-16)
Petunia	Do not sprinkle with soil	+ 24 … + 26 ° C (+ 18 … 20 ° C)	12-14 days (14-20)
Marigold	0.5-1 cm	+ 18 ° C	7-15 days
Daisies	0.3 cm	+ 18 … + 20 ° C	7-14 days
Carnation	1 cm	+ 18 … + 20 ° C	7-14 days
Nasturtium	1.5-2 cm	+ 15 … + 18 ° C	7-20 days

3. Pre-treatment of seeds. The purchased seeds, as a rule, have already carried out all the necessary treatments, and their additional aging in potassium permanganate, trace elements, ash solution, etc. can lead to the most unpredictable results up to the death of seeds. However, treatment with stimulants (Epin, Mival Agro, Ekogel, etc.) gives a positive effect.

4. Insufficiently moist soil - after sowing, the top layer of the soil must not be overdried, since the sprouted seedlings can easily dry out. In this case, there will be no shoots. The optimum soil moisture content is 80-90%.

5. Too wet soil - seeds can rot. This happens when containers with sown seeds are placed in tightly closed plastic bags, where the seeds simply suffocate and rot. To avoid this, the bags should be kept slightly ajar and periodically ventilated.

6. Too dense soil - the seeds may suffocate or simply not penetrate the soil layer. The reason lies in the incorrectly selected soil composition, which must necessarily include loosening components (agrovermiculite, sawdust, etc.).

In addition to the listed factors, gardeners can face other misfortunes when growing seedlings. At the initial stage of plant development, picking is most dangerous. Unfortunately, most gardeners have limited space in their apartments, and many crops have to be sown densely, and then the seedlings are planted (or cut out) in separate containers. This allows you to save illuminated area in the first month of seedling development, when balconies and loggias are not yet available. Moreover, in all adopted agronomic guidelines about a number of crops (first of all, of course, about tomatoes) it is said that they "love" picking.

Let's clarify: picking is pinching the roots of plants by about 1 / 3-1 / 4 when transplanting seedlings, which is carried out in order to obtain a good branched root system, since it leaves much to be desired in grown tomato seedlings. It would seem that a good operation (judging by the goals), but after picking (and after the usual planting) the plants slow down their growth and can even get sick and die under unfavorable circumstances (for example, high soil moisture at insufficiently high temperature, which happens quite often near because of the abnormal operation of our Russian heating system). In general, planting and, moreover, picking seedlings is always stressful, and any stress affects development negatively.

Thus, both at the stage of emergence of seedlings and at the initial stage of development of seedlings, many dangers lie in wait for them, which cannot always be prevented for a variety of reasons. For example, being at work during the day, the gardener cannot control the moisture level of the sown seeds, which can easily dry out during this period. And at the same time, watering "with a margin" can also lead to their death. And with the planting, and with the picking of seedlings, too, not everything is clear.

You can refuse these dangerous procedures, but then you will have to sow immediately in separate containers. However, this is not the best solution, since seedlings grown from seeds sown into large containers have an insufficiently developed root system and grow slowly. If you sow thicker, and then plant the seedlings, then they form a much more branched root system due to the gradual filling of the earthen coma with the roots of the allotted capacity (this, in turn, leads to more intensive plant development). However, it is very difficult, without damaging, to divide the seedlings when planting, which is fraught with their weakening and even death. In general, it turns out to be a vicious circle.

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The only way out is to sow seeds in a looser substrate than ordinary soil, followed by (after the development of a strong root system) transplanting the seedlings into ordinary soil. In such a substrate, the seeds sprout more amicably, and the seedlings develop faster and form a powerful root system (due to the greater looseness of the substrate), much larger than the size of the aboveground part. In addition, the plants subsequently, when seated in separate containers, do not notice the transplant (again, due to the looseness of the substrate), and quickly continue their development.

Variants of such a substrate can be different - the most accessible for most are ordinary sawdust, and the more expensive, but also more effective, is a substrate prepared on the basis of a soil hydrogel.

It is more convenient to germinate large seeds directly on sawdust

Sowing in sawdust

Sawdust is a good soil for seedling development for a short period of time. Why?

One of the significant problems with the growth of seedlings at the earliest stage is the insufficient looseness of the soil, since it quickly becomes compacted due to frequent watering, which cannot be avoided due to the excessively dry air in the apartment. As a result, the root system of plants forms slowly, which in turn leads to a slower than it would be possible under favorable circumstances, the growth of the ground part.

At the same time, sawdust is a very loose substrate (much looser than ordinary soil), providing an intensive development of the root system. On such soil, plants develop noticeably more actively, and their root system ultimately turns out to be much more powerful than that of seedlings growing on soil. This means that one of the advantages of sowing on sawdust is the formation of a powerful root system in plants.

There is also a second significant plus - seedlings growing on sawdust completely painlessly transfer the transplant into separate containers and are immediately taken into growth, since it is easy to carefully separate them during transplantation. In turn, attempts to pick seedlings growing on ordinary soil always turn out to be very painful for them.

For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the sowing technology for sawdust also has a minus - these are certain difficulties with the observance of agricultural technology. There are two points to note here.

Firstly, the seeds have to be sown in flat containers in which the sawdust dries quickly. Hence, there is a need for daily (and sometimes twice a day) careful watering with warm water, which not all gardeners can do. And if you do not keep track, then the seeds will die from drying out.

Secondly, you should carefully monitor the development of plants so as not to miss the moment of transplantation. Here you will have to act promptly, since it is absolutely impossible to delay the transplanting process - plants on sawdust soil will quickly show a lack of nutrients (primarily nitrogen), which will immediately affect their development.

In general, both premature and too late transplantation from sawdust into the ground is harmful. When transplanting ahead of time, the advantages of sawdust over the soil will be lost (the sawdust is loose, and it is easier for weak roots to develop in them). If you transplant too late, you risk losing time - the plants need more and more nutrition, and the minimum supply of nutrients available in a thin layer of soil poured over sawdust does not last long.

In addition, when choosing the option of sowing on sawdust, you need to keep in mind the following. Firstly, we are talking about old sawdust - the use of fresh sawdust will require additional nitrogen input (fresh sawdust is very active in absorbing nitrogen), and this is impossible in the case of using sawdust as soil for sowing seeds (you can easily make a mistake with the dosage of fertilizer, which will lead to death of seeds). Secondly, it is the sawdust obtained as a result of sawing that needs to be used, and not the shavings formed during the planing process. Sawdust is much better suited as a substrate, since they have a finer structure than shavings (when working with shavings, the results are slightly worse).

With the emergence of seedlings, seeds on sawdust are sprinkled with soil

The nuances of sowing seeds in sawdust

Sowing technology in sawdust is as follows. A sufficiently deep container filled with moistened sawdust is taken, and seeds are sown in it at some distance from each other.

The containers are placed in slightly opened plastic bags and placed in a warm place, since during the germination of seeds it is desirable to maintain a temperature of + 24 … + 26 ° C.

The use of plastic bags is very important because it is easier to maintain the high moisture level required for seed germination.

With the emergence of seedlings, the seeds are sprinkled with fertile soil with a layer of 3-4 mm, and the temperature is reduced: in the daytime to + 23 … + 24 ° C, and at night to + 16 … + 18 ° C.

The containers are moved under fluorescent lamps, maintaining 12-14 hour daylight hours. When the first true leaf appears (cotyledons are not counted), the seedlings are planted in separate containers with ordinary soil.

Before transplanting, it is necessary to water the plants well so that the sawdust becomes not just wet, but very moist - this will allow you to separate the roots of the seedlings completely painlessly.