How To Germinate Seeds - Part 2

Continuing from part 1: How to plant seeds

6. Watering the right way

Before you sow the seeds, you must moisturize the growing medium once. You can do that by sprinkling water on top or by allow the medium to wick water from the tray below.

Once you have sown the seeds you can water everytime the top surface, of the growing medium, goes dry. It is best to let the medium wick the moisture from below, so you can replenish water in the tray everytime the level goes down. So the most critical factor in how to germinate seeds is to provide moisture - both before sowing (by soaking) and after sowing.

7. Adding fertilizers

The question most people have is - how do I know that my seeds have germinated? Well the starting sign is the emergence of a tail or root, which is basically the embryo. But since the seed is embedded in the soil you can't see it, the visible sign is the appearance of the cotyledons, also known as the first leaves. They are not really leaves but food storage cells, but their arrival signifies that the germination has been successful.

How do seeds grow initially? Using the food stored in the fleshy part of the seed. Once this food has been used up you will need to provide it externally through fertilizers.

Once the first leaves appear you can get ready to fertilize the medium within a week or two. Water soluble fertilizers like Miracle-Grow are quite optimal for this purpose. The solution you use for seedlings should only be 1/4 the power of the one used for mature plants. Make sure you read the instructions on the label clearly.

Once the plants get strong and healthy you can start using a full strength solution.

8. Transplanting

If you use the right growing medium, and water and fertilize on time, the plants will grow healthy and would not succumb to any disease. Once they are sturdy, you can transfer them to a larger container or you can move them over to the garden soil. Transplanting is discussed in detail in this article: Starting Transplants

We hope you found this information on how to grow plant seeds useful in implementing a plant growing project of your own.