Quick Tips for Starting Plants from Seed

By Daryl Pulis

Keep it Clean - if using recycled containers, soak for 10 minutes in a 1:10 bleach solution and allow to air dry.

Use a soiless mix. Commercial seed starting mixes such as Pro-mix, Metro-mix or others are fine, or use a mixture of equal parts peat, perlite and vermiculite. Do not use garden soil. No fertilizer is needed until your plants are up and growing, then a quarter strength liquid fertilizer is fine.

Use fresh seed, or germination test prior to planting to avoid disappointment. To test for germination, place 10 seeds in a paper towel. Roll it up, dampen it, place it in a plastic bag and keep it in a warm place. Begin checking after several days. If eight seeds sprout, you have 80% germination. If five seeds sprout, your germination rate is 50%, so you should double your seeding rate. If less than five of the seeds germinate, buy fresh seed or expect fewer plants.

Don't start your seeds too early. Plants that are stunted early won't do as well in your garden. Consult your seed packet, catalog or other reference for starting times and special needs.

Bottom heat is useful to get seeds off to a quick start. Many common summer annual and vegetable seeds do well with a temperature around 78 degrees Farenheit. Once seeds are up, normal room temperatures are ok. Commercial heat mats are useful but not necessary. The top of a refrigerator or water heater might be warm enough.

Don't allow seeds to dry out. Plastic wrap or special domes help, but remove them as soon as seedlings are up.

Give the seeds strong light at soon as they are up. Fluorescent shop lights work well. Keep them just above the foliage so that seedlings don't have to stretch to reach the light.

Don't overwater. The seedling mix should be barely moist.

After seedlings are up, make sure there is good air circulation to prevent damping off, a fungal disease. A small fan is helpful.

Don't allow plants to become root bound. If plants outgrow their containers, give them larger quarters. When transplanting, hold plant by a leaf rather than a stem.

Before planting outside, harden them off gradually to accustom them to brighter light and wider temperature swings. "Hardening off" can be done by placing plants in the shade outside for an hour or so per day, increasing the time and amount of sunlight gradually. This process can take up to a week, so plan accordingly.

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Revised: November 21, 1999