SEED STARTING

Presented by:Marianne Pelletier, CMG

Double Coconut

Rain Forest Orchids

Why Should I Start Seeds Myself

You can save money For a $2 packet of seeds there is a possible of getting 10-1000 plants Swapping with fellow gardeners Saving your own seeds

You have control. You know that you won’t be bringing something unwanted home

You get more variety The enjoyment of seeing your seedlings emerge from the soil

Before You Start

Determine how much to grow What you want to grow Varieties should be selected by:

Size Color Growth Habit What zone you are in

Determine if you want: Heirlooms

These are old, open-pollinated cultivars Hybrids

This is a cross between two different plant varieties to get the attributes of each variety If you see F1 it means it is a hybrid

Acquiring & Storing Seeds Acquiring

Buy from a reputable seed company/catalog Storing

Keep any left over seed in the packet it come in Store in a tightly closed jar or container Store at a low humidity at around 40 degrees such as the

refrigerator Use silica gel, powdered milk or cornstarch to keep the relative

humidity below 40%.

Wilson County Planting Guide

Seed Starting SuppliesLabel/MarkerSpray BottleSoil-Less MixFlat/Cell trays/potsSeedsWarm Spot in Your House

Optional EquipmentArtificial LightsHeating MatsCold Frame/Greenhouse

Grow Lights

Flower SeedsThe Divas of the Seed World

How to Help the Seed to Germinate

Scarification Stratification Soaking Light Dark

ScarificationTools Needed

Small Sharp Paring KnifeSandpaper

What is it?To remember what scarification means just think of the word “scar”, which is what you are doing to the seedHappens naturally when a bird swallows the seed and then passes it through the digestive systemNot all seeds need scarification. The following website is a good reference www.chestnut-sw.com

How To

Nick the seed with the paring knife or scratch the surface of the seed with the sandpaper

All seeds don’t need this method and you may kill them. Refer to www.chestnut-sw.com for a list of flowers and vegetables and how to treat them

Flowers That Need Scarification Hollyhock Angels Trumpet Moon Flower False Indigos Canna Morning Glories

What is Stratification? Stratification is when a gardener purposely chills the

seeds. Certain seeds have a way of protecting themselves from

germinating too early or too late.

How The only things you will need for this method is a Ziploc

bag a marker, and your seeds. Make sure to label the bag with what type of seed and

the date that it is to be removed from the refrigerator Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator.

Make sure it the bag is sealed or the seeds will dry out and will not germinate

Flowers That Need Stratification

Snapdragon 4-6 wk Columbine 2-8 wk Blackberry Lily 4-6 wk Clematis 3 months Larkspur 6 wk Cardinal Flwr 10 days Salvia 1 wk

Coneflowers 3-6 wk Lavender 4 wks Peonies 2 months Jacobs Ladder 2 mth Pansies 4 wks

Light

Mainly the smaller seeds need light to germinate Do not plant seeds deep Place seeds on surface of soil and mist with spray bottle Cover with plastic and place in sunny spot Check seeds daily Once white roots or leaves are seen remove the plastic

Flowers That Need Light

Hollyhock Snapdragons Wax Begonia Foxglove Baby’s Breath Impatiens Petunia Salvia

Columbines Butterfly Weed Celosias Coneflowers Coral Bells Forget-me-not Balloon Flower Pincushion Flower

Dark Seeds won’t germinate while exposed to light

How Bury the seeds 3x their width and water in Cover flat with newspaper and a sheet of black plastic Check seeds daily Once you see white roots or leaves remove the

coverings

Flowers That Need The Dark

Pot Marigold Delphinium Phlox Pansy

Bachelor’s Button Sweet Pea Verbena Statice

Soaking

Seeds that require soaking usually have a tough seed coat You can also soak seeds to check on germination rate

How Place the seeds you want to soak in a small bowl Let the seeds soak for the appropriate time If seeds need to be soaked for more than 12 hrs.

change water every 12 hrs. When done soaking pour off water. Coffee filters work

great for this Plant immediately

Flowers That Need Soaking

Canna – After scarifying, soak for 48 hours Daylilies – Freeze 2 weeks, soak for 5 days Bells of Ireland – Soak for 24 hours Hibiscus – Soak 48 hours Sweet Peas – After stratifying, soak 48 hours

Vegetable Seeds

Vegetables Not to Start Indoors

Bush & Pole Beans Carrots Corn Garlic Peas Radishes

Vegetables to Start Indoors Beets – Start 5 weeks before last frost Broccoli – Start 6-8 weeks before last frost Cabbage – Start 4-6 weeks before last frost Cauliflower – Start 4-6 weeks before last frost Cucumbers – Start 3 weeks before last frost Eggplant – Start 4-6 weeks before last frost Peppers – Start 8 weeks before last frost Tomatoes – Start 6-7 weeks before last frost

Seedlings Have GerminatedNow What??

Seeds GerminatedNow What?

When sprouts appear move the seedlings into bright light

They need 14-16 hrs of natural or fluorescent light to keep from becoming leggy

Keep away from drafty windowsills Once the true leaves appear, water with a half-strength

solution of fertilizer You can use a water-soluble, all purpose plant food Gradually increase strength over time

Seedlings should be thinned to at least 1” apart or transplanted into individual pots

Damping Off Soil borne disease that attacks the seedlings as they

germinate causing them to collapse Stem turns brown, but leaves stay green Prevalent in warm, moist, muggy conditions or when

seedlings are sown too thickly. To prevent

Use only clean pots and seed trays Use a soil-less mix that is moist but not over wet

Transplanting to Garden Plants will need one to two weeks hardening off

This is to acclimate the plants to the outdoors Start by setting them out for a few hours at a time in a

protected, semi shady location Outdoor temperatures should be 45 degrees or warmer Gradually increase the time and exposure to direct sunlight

Transplant seedlings to the garden in the late afternoon or on a cloudy day and water