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Seeds not germinating

LeavesareburningLeavesareburning Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
I bought a bag of seed compost a month ago, and planted a variety of seeds (courgette, cherry tomato, marigolds, dwarf beans, broad beans, sunflowers etc) 3 weeks ago into plastic cups (with holes for drainage). The pots were covered with plastic and left in a window. In previous years all types of seeds have germinated well. Almost all seeds were new this year, if not purchased 2020. This year only one courgette and a few pots of tomatoes have germinated so far out of about 40 pots! Could the problem be the compost itself? At what point should I give up hope and start over?! Thank you for any words of wisdom!

Posts

  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    How much are you watering them Elizabethabbey ?
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    I used to use JI ,no 2 seed compost, now I just use  peat free MPC but I sowed my first batch of Cosmos they're 8 inches tall, sowed more 2 trays of a different variety, new seeds, exactly the same way,2 have come up in one tray, none at all in the other.Not much help I know,but I think that's the way it goes
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Possibly due to weather conditions.
    This has been a really, really cold start to spring.
    We rarely get frosts here over the years, but almost every morning for the last few weeks the grass is covered in frost here.
    If you can put your seeds somewhere warm to germinate, then soon as they're up move them somewhere bright you may get better results.
    Just don't leave them on a window sill over night

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • EustaceEustace Posts: 2,290
    I had poor germination rate when I used levington seed compost for tomato seeds last month. So I switched over to MPC and many of the seeds from the same packets are germinating. May be you should try another round of sowing seeds in MPC. HTH.
    Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth :)

  • LeavesareburningLeavesareburning Posts: 2
    Perki said:
    How much are you watering them?

    I've been checking them often but watered them lightly only once in 3 weeks as the soil has still been damp. Hoping I wasnt too heavy handed with the water when initially sowing, though I was careful not to soak it too much and dont think I've done anything different to my usual approach which has always worked in the past. A delicate science!
    Pete.8 said:
    If you can put your seeds somewhere warm to germinate, then soon as they're up move them somewhere bright you may get better results.
    Just don't leave them on a window sill over night
    Pete.8 great suggestion thank you. I have definitely been guilty of leaving them on the windowsill which seems an obvious bad decision now! I'll definitely find somewhere warmer and hope it's not too late, or start again...
  • Chris-P-BaconChris-P-Bacon Posts: 943
    I have a couple of heat mats that I use occasionally on seeds that seem reluctant to germinate. They're quite handy and you can plug them into a timer so they come on only at night.  Obviously the compost in the tray or module dries out a bit quicker so I need to water more often.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    The huge temperature swings from a sunny day on a windowsill then a very cold night by a window will stop germination.
    If you can keep them evenly warm until they germinate (ideally 20°C ish) then you should be ok
    Best of luck :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Eustace said:
    I had poor germination rate when I used levington seed compost for tomato seeds last month. So I switched over to MPC and many of the seeds from the same packets are germinating. May be you should try another round of sowing seeds in MPC. HTH.
    I agree Levingtons has really gone down hill over recent  years,  My parents always used Levingtons Professional, it was the best, not now.
    i bought some during lockdown as it was delivered free and I had no choice,  definitely not good, even pricking out in it wasn’t very good.

    I hate seed compost, heavy, craggy, stays wet, I don’t water my seeds as some say by dunking in a tray of water, my compost is damp, after that I use a spray bottle so they just stay damp not water logged. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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