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Seed sowing

Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
in Problem solving
I have just read Monty's article about sowing his seeds in this month's Gardeners World.  He grows his seeds in home made compost with a little soil.  I always thought garden compost wasn't good for seed growing.  Carol Klien in her article says don't grow seeds in home made compost.  Which is right?  I have sown seeds this year in a peat free compost and covered them with either vermiculite or fine gravel.  Should you water seeds before or after they have germinated.  I don't want them to rot but sometimes there are little black flies attracted to the dampness.

Posts

  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066
    I always use seed compost and cover with either more seed compost, gravel or vermiculite (depending upon what the packet says).  Once sown in seed trays I stand the tray in water allowing the compost to soak up the water.  I then put them on heated windowsill trays to germinate.  Once germinated I take them off the heat and keep them slightly damp until the second leaves appear and then pot on.  This method seems to work for me whatever seeds I sow.
    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    A mix of old (used ) MPC, top soil (sieved )  and vermiculite usually works.  Water, sow and leave. Top with the same or just vermiculate depending what the seeds are.
  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    edited March 2021
    Can't say about the home made compost - I either don't have any, or what I have isn't fit for sowing seeds in. So seeds go in either a purchased seed-compost, or a multi-purpose compost - sometimes I might modify it a bit with one or more of sand/grit/perlite/vermiculite, but that's because I'm sometimes sometimes sowing rather 'specialist' seeds. Maybe sieve it if it's got lumps much bigger than the seeds. I think most people would just cover with about one seed-depth of the same stuff, but nothing wrong with using a layer of something else. The packet should say if the seeds are a kind that might benefit from light, and not want covering. There's no right/wrong in this, as with so much of gardening. Seeds are designed to germinate - for the most part, they only fail if you do something terrible to them.

    I'm not entirely certain what you're asking about watering. If the compost was completely dry, then the seeds will no more germinate than if they were still in the packet. I'd normally use compost that was moist to some degree (if completely dry, can be very difficult to wet), then sow the seed, then stand the pot in water until it's soaked to the surface. With large seeds, you could water e.g. with a watering can - for small ones, it might wash them down the sides of the pot. If the soil is getting dry before germination, then I'd stand in water again until soaked up. Similarly after germination - they mustn't dry out, but needn't be soaking wet either.

    The 'little black flies' (sciara flies) often come (as eggs maybe) in the compost. They (or at least their larvae) like decomposing material, such as found in compost. They don't often harm seedlings (though I said in another thread that the larvae can be a threat to very small/slow seedlings, like the cacti I sometimes grow).
  • rebeccasophia5555555rebeccasophia5555555 Posts: 15
    Hello! The "received wisdom" is to use soil that's weed free, sterile and low in nutrients thats been sieved finely and mixed with something like vermiculite to aid aeration, moisture retention and drainage. So normally a fine seed compost mixed with perlite or vermiculite and then a covering of fine grit does it.  But each gardener seems to have their own methods - certainly Monty does :) For me, Coir pellets are amazing!
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    I've stopped using seed compost and now just use mpc after a recommendation on here. Is working fine so far...
    Lincolnshire
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    We all have different methods for seed germination, and judging from your comments I must be doing it right.  I use black trays, some with individual modules which are especially good for beetroot and radish - from tray to soil without losing any.  I use perspex lids for my trays but don't use heat mats or any other heat apart from the sun, and I am just beginning to sow my seeds now, in a conservatory.
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267
    I've tried both the above methods and both do the job.

    Using vermiculite though as a top dressing to cover the seeds also helps with watering.  After placing your tray of sown  seeds in the tray of water,   take the tray out when the vermiculite is damp.  The vermisculite drying out is an indication the seeds want watering again. Vermisculite also draws water away from the base of the germinated seedling helping to prevent the stem from rotting. 
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