From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Seed starting FAQ
Date: 17 Aug 92 15:09:40 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

From:	IN%"ceci@lysator.liu.se" 13-AUG-1992 14:51:06.75

Subj:	FAQ Starting Seeds Indoors

STARTING PLANTS INDOORS FAQL			August 13, 1992

Written by Ceci Henningsson, ceci@lysator.liu.se. Sources are various
Swedish gardening books and catalogues. Lists over seeds which are
started indoors in other countries and climates would be nice.
Contributions and criticism are both very welcome!


	CONTENTS: 

	I.   Reason
 	II.  Goal
	III. Method
	     A.  When
	     B.  Sowing
	     C.  Thinning out
             D.  Introduction to the garden
             E.  Fertilizer
	IV.  Material
	     A.  Soil
             B.  Containers
                 1. Jiffy pots
                 2. Jack pots
                 3. Plastic pots
                 4. Ceramic pots
                 5. Sowing box
                 6. Mini-greenhouses
                 7. Cleaning containers
	     C.  Tools
	V.   Common faults
   	     A. Leggy plants
	     B. No germination
	     C. Smelly soil
	VI.  Some lists
     	     A.   Annual flowers recommended for starting indoors in Sweden
             B.   Some vegetables recommended for starting indoors in Sweden

I. REASON

The reason for starting plants indoors is to prolong the cultivation
period. Depending on where on our planet you garden, some, all or none
of the plants grown in gardens will have to be started indoors, as the
length of the cultivation period varies. The cultivation period is the
frostless period of the year. 

II. GOAL

With flowers: To get flowers earlier or at all.
With vegetables: To get ripe fruits earlier or at all.

III. METHOD

Sow seeds in soil in a container indoors.

   A. WHEN 
The eternal gardening question is as always answered with "It
depends." March to April is common, but some plants need to be sown in
February. This information should be on the seed packet, hopefully. 

   B. SOWING
      1. Fill the pots with sowing soil.  

      2. Make the soil level and put the seed (1-3 is normal depending
         on the size of the seed) on top of the soil. Cover the seed
         with 5 times its diameter of soil. A common mistake is to sow
         too deeply.

      3. Water the soil. The soil should be damp but not wet.

      4. Put the pots in a light place, preferrably in a window or
         under plant lights. Too much heat from below or not enough
         light both produce leggy plants.

   C. THINNING OUT 
After 2-4 weeks (some species take longer!) you have little seedlings,
which can be put in somewhat bigger pots. Before replanting them, you
might want to thin them out. Most plants like to be alone in their
pots. Read the seed packet for information about the amount of space
the seedling needs.  Clip away all but the best established seedlings.
If you pull up seedlings, you risk damaging the delicate roots of the
remaining seedlings.

   D. INTRODUCTION TO THE GARDEN 
When to do this, and how careful you have to be, depends on your local
climate, how hardy your plant types are, and the weather of that
particular spring.  If you introduce them carefully, your plants will
tolerate the change much better. It does require some work, though.
Let them stand in their pots out of doors in a spot that doesn't get
neither any direct sun nor any wind for 3 hours the first week, to
start with. Gradually let them be outdoors for longer and longer
periods. And finally put them in their beds in the garden. Some plants
can take a few night frosts, and some can't.

   E. FERTILIZER 
DON'T FERTILIZE AT ALL, until the seedlings are rooted in their beds
in the garden. That takes about 1 month from planting time.


IV. MATERIAL
   A. SOIL
Use soil that is sold as sowing or cactus soil. It is mixed with sand
and Vermiculite and/or Perlite. It has less nutrition and holds water
and air better than normal soil. Seeds have all the nutrition they
need in themselves. This kind of soil is also sterilised to prevent
problems with fungi or bacteria.

   B. CONTAINERS
There are several kinds you could use:

      1. Jiffy pots. These are small discs made of compressed peat.
         When immersed into water for some minutes they expand. A
         plastic net holds them together. You don't need to remove
         anything before placing them in your garden at planting time.
         They don't need to be filled with soil.

      2. Jack pots. These are small pots made of compressed peat.
         Unlike Jiffy pots, Jack pots need to be filled with soil
         before you can sow in them.

      3. Plastic pots. Round or square. Use the smallest ones. If you
         take a pot that is too big, the soil will go acidic, which
         can kill the roots of the seedlings. You have to fill them
         with soil, and when you plant the seedlings in your garden,
         you have to remove the pot.

      4. Ceramic pots. The old-fashioned way. They need to be soaked
         in water for some hours before filling them with soil, or the
         clay will suck water out of the soil. Again, don't use big
         pots. You have to remove the pots when planting the seedlings.

      5. Sowing box. These are shallow boxes and are used only for
         plants with small seeds.

      6. Mini-greenhouse. You can combine the containers with the
         commercially sold mini-greenhouses. These are basically a
         deep black plastic tray with a high clear plastic lid. More
         often than not, they are sold together with small sowing
         containers already in them. There is also usually an
         instruction slip enclosed.
         Mini-greenhouses are especially useful if you have problems
         keeping the soil damp. Don't use them if you have a tendency
         to over-water! You can keep the mini-greenhouse and use it
         for many years.
         The mini-greenhouses with wooden or brass frames aren't very
         suitable for this particular purpose.

      7. Cleaning old contianers.Containers may be cleaned with
         household bleach and then thouroughly rinsed and left to dry
         upside down. If you do this with old containers you can
         prevent problems with fungi and bacteria build-up.

Which of these you decide to use is a matter of taste, storage room
and economy.  None of them is perfect from all perspectives, but
neither of them is all bad either. 

   C. TOOLS
      1. Very small spade or dessert spoon to scoop soil with.
      2. Spray bottle to keep the soil damp but not wet.

V. COMMON FAULTS
   A. LEGGY PLANTS
That a plant is "leggy" means that it has a long weak stem that can
hardly support the leaves. This may come from one or both of these
reasons: not enough light and heat coming from below. Try to increase
the amount of light, maybe by placing a plant light above the
seedlings. If you have a radiator directly below the window where your
seedlings stand, set it on less than normal room temperature.

   B. NO GERMINATION
Patience is a virtue. Some seeds take several weeks to sprout, others
sprout in days. If you are lucky this information is on the seed
packet. If the seed has still not sprouted after six weeks, you can
start to worry. And look for possible mistakes:
      1. The seed was sown too deeply. Five times the diameter of the
         seed is a rule of thumb.
      2. The soil was wet, so the seeds rotted.
      3. The soil was allowed to dry out, so the seeds died.
      4. The pot was too deep, so the soil got acidic and the roots
         died.  
If it isn't too late, you might want to start all over again being
very careful not to repeat your mistakes.

   C. SMELLY SOIL 
      1. Too big container. If the soil turns smelly, it might be
because the container was too big. Start seeds in the smallest
container available. A diameter of 7 cm (3") is all that is needed.
The important thing is that the soil gets filled with roots before it
can turn acidic. When repotting the seedlings, be careful not to
increase the volume of soil too quickly.  Increasing the diameter of
the pot with more than 5 cm (2") is asking for trouble.

      2. Bad drainage. Another reason for soil to get smelly, is that
it is standing in water. Be sure always to toss away any water
standing in the saucer, bottom of the mini-greenhouse, tray or
whatever it is your containers stand on or in. If you use plastic or
clay pots, make sure they have a draining hole and toss in some
pebbles before filling up soil.


VI. SOME LISTS
   A. SOME ANNUAL FLOWERS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED FOR STARTING INDOORS IN
      SWEDEN
Aster		Callistephus chinensis		(March-April)
Morningglory	Ipomoea tricolor		(March)
Lobelia		Lobelia erinus, L pendula	(use sowing box)
Impatiens	Impatiens walleriana		(use sowing box)
Sweat pea	Lathyrus odoratus		(March-April)
Snapdragon	Antirrhinum majus		(March-April)
Pelargonium	Pelargonium hortorum		(use sowing box, Feb-March)
Petunia		Petunia axillaris 		(March-April)
Tagetes		Tagetes erecta, T patula nana	(March-April)
Begonia		Begonia hortensis		(Feb-March)

   B. SOME VEGETABLES THAT ARE RECOMMENDED FOR STARTING INDOORS IN SWEDEN
Cucumber
Squash
Tomato
Maize (Corn)
Pepper

--Ceci

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