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Article: Well, in the greenhouses it is time to be busy starting seeds for the season. That does take a little timing and planning because different flowers and vegetable have different lengths of time to germinate and grow to transplant stage. Most vegetables can go from seed to transplant stage in 8 weeks. Flowers can take from 8 weeks to 24 weeks. I make a chart of what I want to grow, how long it takes to germinate and how long it takes to be transplant size. After determining when I want the plants ready, I count back on the calendar for each one's seeding date. This information is usually on the back of your package of seeds, along with the ideal soil temperature for best results. A little hint, most seeds do not need covering at all if you can keep them moist. Flowers usually will germinate better this way(especially Impatiens). If you can't find an ideal soil temp on the packages, 68 degrees F usually works. If you cannot guarantee that the seed will keep moist, cover with soil to no more than twice the width of the seed. For all, give them a light pat to give good contact with the soil. We cannot possibly do all that by hand, so we water them in lightly with a super-gentle breaker head on the hose. I am sure you all are using sterile containers and a sterile light planting medium. Some seeds need a pretreatment to make them germinate, like freezing for 48 hours, or refrigerating for 3 days, roughing up the surface of others, soaking for some. Please check out http://www.seedsonline.com/chap2.htm Seeds School by Seeds Unique for different methods to ensure your success. One of my longest crops is Petunias. They get started in February to be sold in May. Unfortunately for me, February is usually a cloudy month and these little darlings require a lot of light to germinate. If I am doing pansies in the greenhouse as opposed to starting them in the fall outside, they get popped in during January. Seed geraniums need to be started in January to be ready for May. Anything requiring a start in November like Dracaena, I just do not do, it is too expensive for me to do from seed. I buy it in from someone running their greenhouses 12 months a year. Look at your objectives when growing from seed, and make sure the work justifies the cost. Also check out "http://www.plantea.com/seedstart.htm Step by Step Seed Starting, which also includes some time tables. Many people think that you do not fertilize your seedlings until the first true(second) set of leaves appear. They are partially correct. My seeds are regularly being misted automatically and the nutrients in the soil leach out. I actually water my seeds in with a good dose of 20-10-20 fertilizer(about 300 ppm) and then I water them with a concentration of 50 ppm every day after until they germinate. I continue the 50 ppm until they are ready to be transplanted. Some seeds are so small they cannot carry much nutrient in them and will starve to death shortly after germination if no food is available. High doses of fertilizer can harm a young plant, but no fertilizer can also harm a young plant. Please remember that my seed trays are being watered many times a day with a spray, so I need to replace nutrients daily. Adjust your feeding schedule to comply with your watering and when you think the nutrients need to be replaced. Have fun, I promise Spring will be here soon!
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