Seed Starting

One of my favorite jobs on the flower farm is to start seeds. There are some flowers that are very easy to start and others that take a little more patience. It never ceases to amaze me how a tiny little seed and turn into a stunningly gorgeous flower.

This blog will take you step by step through the process of starting flower seeds.

Lemon Sunflower

Step 1. Choose your seed

Determine where your flowers will be planted after they are started. Will they be in full sun, full shade or a little of both? The best source of information are the seed packets. They will tell you how much sunlight your flower will need. Some provide more information than others. I rely heavily on Johnney's website. They provide a lot of useful information.

Step 2. Decide when to start

If you are planning to plant your flowers outside after starting, you need to consider the temperatures they can survive in. For example, zinnias and celosia love the heat, you need to make sure the temperatures are above freezing before they move outside. You also don't want them to get too big before planting outside. To time this correctly, look at the back of the seed packet and it will tell you how many weeks before your last frost to start the seeds. In Southeast Nebraska, our last frost date is April 30th. This has recently changed. We are now a zone 6a.

Knowing your last frost date, look at a calendar and count back the number of weeks the seed packet indicates you should start the seeds.

Zinnia

Step 3. Choose your container

You can invest in growing trays to start your seeds or you can use something you already have, like an egg carton or solo cups. Just about anything will work.

Step 4. Fill your container with soil

Fill your container with a good quality seed starting soil. This soil should be light and airy, allowing your seeds to easily germinate and grow.

I like to put my soil in a bucket and add some water and mix it up good. It reminds me of making mud pies.  The soil should be moist to the touch but not soupy. (Making mud pies was a favorite pass time when I was little. We would decorate our pies with rocks, flowers and leaves. I guess it has carried over into adulthood. 😁)

Gently pack the soil into your container, to avoid air pockets which will collapse the first time you water.

Hollyhock

Step 5. Sow Your Seeds

Time to go back to the seed packet! We need to determine if the seed you are sowing requires light or darkness to germinate. It will indicate if the seed needs to be covered or if it should be set on top of the soil. This is an important for the seed to sprout.

If the seed requires light to germinate, simply place the seed on top of the soil. If it requires darkness, the seed packet will tell you how deep you need to plant the seed. I like to use a pencil to make a hole and drop the seed in. Then use the pencil to push soil on top to cover.

When using trays, I usually start 2 seeds per cell. This give me a better change of germination and I can always pluck out the weaker seedling if they are crowded after they sprout.

Step 6. Cover to increase humidity

If you have invested in seed starting trays, you have probably received a humidity dome that you can place on top.

If you are using egg cartons or solo cups, you can cover with plastic wrap. If you did not cover your seeds, make sure the plastic wrap is not touching the soil. Otherwise, when you remove it, you may pull up the plants. You can use toothpicks to keep the wrap off the soil.

Daisy

Step 7. Place in warm location

You can invest in a heat mat or simply put in direct sunlight for warmth. Windowsills work great but be careful that the container isn't touching a cold window. You can place them on a table that gets direct sunlight, and they will be fine.

Step 8. Monitor

Now you just need to keep an eye one them to make sure the soil doesn't try out before they germinate. (If you are like me, I'm checking several times a day, because I'm so excited to see the little guys germinate! That is totally overkill, but I can't help myself.)

If you have placed the seeds on top the soil and need to water, I recommend using a spray bottle to mist them. This prevents the seeds from being displaced.

Once you see the little seedlings sprout, you can remove the humidity dome or the plastic wrap.

At this point continue to check to make sure the soil isn't completely drying out. You also want to be careful not to overwater. If the soil stays wet, you can end up with fungus knats and trust me, you don't want that. They are nasty little things!

Starting flowers from seed can be so rewarding. It takes a little patience and paying attention to detail, but be careful, it can be additive!

Good luck and thanks for being a friend of Old Red Truck Flowers!