14 Rules You Should Follow When Growing Seedlings At Home

In this article we tried to collect answers to the main questions about seedlings, so to speak, general points and rules for growing high-quality and healthy seedlings at home.

So, here’s a reminder on growing seedlings at home.

Rule 1

Buy seeds only from a trusted manufacturer, in official specialized stores or garden centers. If you do not follow this rule and buy seed material in a Chinese online store (in a kiosk among Snickers, from a random granny from a stall on the street, etc.), at best you will get non-viable seeds or a grown plant of the wrong variety (species, color, size). At worst, you risk re-infecting all neighboring seedlings, because it is not clear where the purchased seeds came from, what they were treated with and how they were stored before they got to you.

At least for preventive purposes, soak the suspicious seed material in a strong solution of potassium permanganate and then rinse with running water.

Rule 2

Most diseases of vegetable and flower crops are transmitted with planting material. Therefore, even reliably high-quality seeds should not be lazy to sort, treat, soak and/or harden before planting to get rid of possible pathogens, enrich the seeds with microelements, improve their germination, and ensure friendly germination. The method and duration of treatment depend on the crop and age of the seeds.

Only pelleted and encrusted seed material does not require processing.

Rule 3

Take care of proper preparation of nutritious soil for sowing seeds in advance. No, ordinary soil from a garden bed or soil mixture left over from transplanting flowers will not work. Not only do seedlings require a completely different soil composition than an adult plant, but each crop also has its own preferences that will have to be taken into account.

You can buy soil for seedlings in a store if you trust the manufacturer (see rule 1), or prepare it yourself at home, it’s not difficult.

In any case, the prepared soil will have to be sifted and then disinfected thermally or chemically before sowing the seeds – you want healthy plants!

Rule 4

The rule of absolute cleanliness in growing seedlings applies not only to the soil – everything needs to be disinfected if possible.

These are:

• containers for growing seedlings from any material (pots, boxes, cassettes, cups, etc.);
• tools that are used for loosening, watering, picking and other manipulations with seedlings;
• “place of residence” of seedlings and nearby surfaces (table, windowsill, wall, window). 

The last point is especially relevant for rooms where houseplants are grown, which can easily become a source of infection for young and immature shoots.

For disinfection, you can use the simplest means, for example, a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Rule 5

Observe the timing of planting seeds for seedlings so that the seedlings develop well, do not stretch out, do not outgrow and are in the best shape by the time of planting. This postulate is especially relevant for plants intended for planting in open ground.

It would seem logical – the earlier you sow the seeds, the sooner the long-awaited harvest will ripen. However, do not forget how capricious the weather is in our latitudes – by the time of the planned planting, the ground may simply not warm up enough to make planting possible at all (if there is no snow at all). Follow the long-term weather forecast, study the climatic conditions of past years in your region.

When calculating the sowing dates, consider the characteristics of the plant and the specific variety, the characteristics of the garden plot, the conditions for further growing of plants and your capabilities. For example, if you sow seeds too early, the seedlings will have to be illuminated for the first time – are you technically ready for this?

It is also important not to overexpose the seedlings. The older your plants are, the worse they will tolerate transplantation and the longer it will take to take root in a new place.

Rule 6

The health of future seedlings depends not only on the right substrate and properly prepared seeds, but also on a well-chosen container for sowing. Currently, the range of containers is large, for each crop you can choose the right one – pots made of plastic or pressed rice flour, boxes, cups, cassettes, peat tablets and cubes …

Find out in advance whether the crop you are growing needs to be transplanted, how the seedlings of a particular plant will tolerate transplantation, what size the seeds are, and how the root system of the seedlings will develop in the future.

The type, size and volume of the container that you plan to use for future seedlings depends on all of the above factors.

Rule 7

Sowing seeds also needs to be done correctly – keep in mind that seeds of different crops, due to differences in size or development characteristics, may require different methods, density and depth of sowing.

Usually, especially small seeds are simply laid out on the surface of the substrate and sprayed with water from a spray bottle. In addition, for ease of sowing, they are often mixed with fine dry sand. Medium-sized seeds are embedded in small furrows, the size of which is determined by this size (the thickness of the top layer should not exceed the size of the seed more than twice), and lightly sprinkled with soil. Large seeds can, accordingly, be embedded deeper.

It is also important to adhere to a certain agricultural technology seed planting density for each specific crop, since in an excessively dense planting the seedlings will interfere with each other and compete for nutrition, moisture and light.

Rule 8

Do not forget about the temperature regime for growing seedlings, which lays the foundation for the resistance of grown crops to diseases and adverse weather conditions.

Although it is clear that excessively high and excessively low temperatures are equally harmful to seedlings, seedlings of different crops do not always require the same temperature regime for comfortable development.

Some plants (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers) are heat-loving and require daytime temperatures of 22-25°C and nighttime temperatures of at least 18°C. Others (potatoes, celery, lettuce) are moderately demanding of heat, and 14-18°C during the day and 12-14°C at night are enough for them. Still others are completely cold-resistant (all types of cabbage) and tolerate nighttime temperatures of as much as 6°C, and 13-16°C is enough for them during the day.

Rule 9

Provide your seedlings with the optimal daylight hours (lighting) to bring the growth conditions closer to natural ones. After all, by sowing seeds in February, we are, strictly speaking, trying to circumvent the laws of nature.

If the sowing dates are late enough, the seedlings can get by with natural sunlight – you just need to provide them with a place on a bright windowsill. In case of early sowing of seeds, you will have to buy special phytolamps and illuminate the seedlings. In general, in our not very sunny climate, it is useful to have at least one such lamp “just in case” for every gardener who wants to get strong seedlings.

Remember that even with the purchase of a phytolamp, you will have to understand the nuances – after all, at different stages of development, seedlings require different lighting modes in duration and intensity. So study the manufacturers’ instructions and agrotechnical “material part”.

Rule 10

Do not overdry or overwater the seedlings, make sure that the soil is always slightly moist. In the early stages of growth, excessive watering and stagnant water are especially harmful to seedlings, and later, insufficient, superficial watering of plants can cause problems.

Seedlings of any crop are watered when the top layer of soil dries out. Before the shoots appear, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle and must be covered with glass or film to create a special microclimate. In the first days after the shoots appear, the cover is removed, and the seedlings are watered by spraying water from a fine spray bottle or with a pipette under the root – so as not to damage the still fragile plants. After the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings’ need for water increases, so you need to ensure that the liquid reaches the very bottom layer of soil. At this stage, you can practice watering from below (into a tray) to stimulate the formation of the root system.

Pay attention to the water you use to water the seedlings. It should be settled or filtered and necessarily warm (about 20°C).

Rule 11

Do not forget that seedlings require regular fertilizing – even the richest soil is not able to provide them with nutrients throughout the entire growth period.

When choosing a fertilizer for seedlings (and there are many of them today, both complex and simple – for any needs), pay attention to the corresponding marking on the packaging, since the concentration of the active substance in fertilizers for adult and young plants can differ significantly.

The first application of fertilizers is carried out after the plant has taken root, the optimal time to start feeding is after picking. Regardless of the type of fertilizer, the interval for applying fertilizers for seedlings should be at least a week. In order for the plant to develop harmoniously, alternate feeding with mineral and organic substances with the application of fertilizers for seedling growth.

Apply fertilizer in the mornings when the weather is cloudy or overcast. Apply the fertilizer solution under the root, making sure that it does not get on the tender leaves and stems of the seedlings, otherwise it will cause burns.

Rule 12

Decide on the picking of seedlings – some crops need it vitally, others can easily do without it and, moreover, tolerate this procedure extremely painfully. Recently, the theory that all mechanical manipulations with seedlings should be minimized to avoid unnecessary trauma has become increasingly widespread among gardeners.

If you are still going to do the picking, remember that transplanting seedlings from a common container into separate containers is usually done at the stage of 1-2 true leaves (the older the plant, the worse it tolerates picking). Remove all weak, crooked, pale plants, leaving the strongest and most beautiful ones.

The first 5-6 days after picking, the seedlings are not watered so that the plant can take root better (in search of moisture, the roots will stretch out and grow).

Rule 13

Do not allow the seedlings to stretch. A stretched, and therefore weak and fragile plant may die or not produce a good harvest in the future.

Such a sad outcome can be caused by sowing seeds too early, insufficient lighting, incorrect temperature conditions, and even excess moisture or fertilizers – that is why it is so important to follow all the above rules for caring for seedlings.

If trouble has already happened, try to minimize the consequences – adjust the watering and fertilizing schedule, move the seedlings to a cooler and more illuminated place, transplant the plants into larger containers.

Another solution may be the use of special retardant preparations that suppress excessive growth of roots and shoots by regulating the synthesis of growth phytohormone. They suppress the stretching of stem cells during their growth, but enhance their division in the transverse direction without damaging other basic physiological processes.

Rule 14

Don’t forget to harden off the seedlings before “relocating” them to the ground. This procedure helps young plants adapt to new living conditions (changes in day and night temperatures, wind, bright sun, etc.).

To reduce the stress of such a future move, seedlings need to be hardened in advance. One or two weeks before the upcoming planting of seedlings in the ground, the window vents on which the seedlings are placed are opened daily for a couple of hours. Gradually, this time is increased to 6-8 hours, and three to five days before the transfer, the containers with seedlings are taken outside (preferably in calm, windless weather) so that the seedlings get used to the open air.

It is important to remember that for cold-resistant and heat-loving plants, the recommended temperature and time for hardening may differ significantly.

Of course, there are nuances – each crop requires an individual approach, special growing conditions. Therefore, our recommendations are not exhaustive, if you want to get a really good result, you need to study the issue more deeply. However, we hope that you have received a general idea of ​​​​growing seedlings at home, and this knowledge will certainly be useful to you.