Germinating seeds is a job that, although it may seem simple, is actually extremely complicated even for the seed itself. An excess of water, a land with poor drainage or a drastic drop or rise in temperature can be fatal.
To be successful we have to control the irrigation and the fertilizer, but we must also know what the weather is going to do in the coming months.. Knowing all this, we will be able to sow in the most suitable season, which will be the one in which it is neither too hot nor too cold.
When to sow seeds?
It is true, with this first advice it seems that I have not told you anything clearly, and that is that what for you can be a very cold day, for me it may not be so cold. So how do you know when is the time to sow without surprises? For that there will be no choice but look up information about the species we want to have in our patio or garden, or take a look at this article which can also be very useful to us.
Thus, if for example it is a tree originating in a place where frosts occur in winter, we will have to sow its seeds in a seedbed outside in autumn so that they can germinate in spring; On the other hand, if it is a plant that lives in an area with a warm climate (without frosts or very weak) we will have to sow them in spring or summer. The question is, how?
How to be successful?
The seeds, if there is something they all have in common, is that they have a very high germination rate, that is, they germinate all or practically all, but then with the passage of days many seedlings tend to die. What we must do to avoid it is the following:
- Use a substrate that has good drainage: as black peat mixed with perlite in equal parts, blond peat, vermiculite, or one for seedlings. (On this article you have more information about substrates).
- Do not sow the seeds too close together: it is always better to put a maximum of two in each socket or pot up to 13cm in diameter. In this way, they will be able to develop correctly and, when the time comes, it will be easier for us to transfer them to individual pots.
- Keep the substrate moist, but not waterlogged: it is very necessary to water it frequently, but it should never be flooded.
- Treating the seedbed with fungicide: fungi are microorganisms that cause many losses during the first year, they can even kill all the seeds before they germinate. For this reason, it is important to treat the seedbed either with copper or sulfur in spring and autumn, or with a spray fungicide.
- Do not pay until they have the first two true leaves: when germinating cotyledons arise, which can be one in monocots (grasses, palms) or dicotyledonous (the rest of the plants), and later one or two leaves will come out that will be those of each species. When that happens, we can start paying them.
Thus, we can have many guarantees that they will not only germinate, but also prosper .
