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Seeds - big and little
Tootles
Posts: 1,469
Hello
im always unsure as to how deep to sow seeds in trays. Is it generally acceptable to apply a thin cover to tiny seeds and slightly deeper for larger ones?
also, is it always best to water from below or do some seeds need a drenching from above?
thanks for any seed tips.
0
Posts
I always find the seed compost is already damp, sow the seeds as per instructions on the packet, or if someone gave them to you, google them, some seeds you don't cover at all, just press into the compost. From then on I use a fine mist spray and never really water them.
if you water from above, you risk washing all the seeds together into hollows, or to one side of the tray if your bench isn't dead level. ( been there, done that )
The rule of thumb is indeed that big seeds go deeper than little ones. A few need light to germinate and are therefore sown on the surface. It will tell you on the packet, but the smallest measurement they appear to have heard of is a quarter of an inch, which is too deep for tiny ones.
Water from below if necessary, but if you start off with damp (not wet) compost you may not need to water again till they've germinated. Do, however, press small seeds into the compost with a flat bit of wood or similar, to make sure thet're in good contact.
I sow small seeds onto grit on top of compost and then water from the top. Seems to work. suits those that need light.
In nature seeds fall onto the surface.
In the sticks near Peterborough
That's true. So why do we bury them?
anything else?
Don't dry out so easily?
It's the way it's always been done?
In the sticks near Peterborough
Well there we are - that's four reasons...
Isn't the general rule to sow at a depth of four times the diameter of the seed in question? But from my experience, foxgloves for instance would then be covered but they need light to aid germination.
And nut makes a valid point. In nature seeds fall randomly onto the ground. I suppose its the lucky seed that finds a convenient crevice. Hollyhocks come up like weeds in my garden and I didn't bury a single seed
Hello Fishy
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hi nut