1. Starting seeds in cold, wet soil
Seeds need warmth to develop. A couple of days before planting, bring your seed mix into the house and warm it up. On the off chance that the mix is dry, this is additionally a decent time to include a cup or two of water to delicately moisten the blend. Give the mix a chance to come up to the surrounding temperature in your home before planting. When seeds are planted, utilize a heat mat to help move germination along and try to keep soil temperature in the 65 to 70 degree range.
2. Too much water
This may be the most common of all mistakes. Keep your seedlings moist, not wet. An excessive amount of water causes a parasitic condition known as dampening off – seedlings will rot in the soil and die. Give the soil a chance to dry a bit – it’s much better to be somewhat dry than excessively wet.
3. Planting seeds too deep
Most seeds can be placed on the starting mix surface and covered with a ¼ to ½ inch of mix. A few seeds e.g. lettuce, need light to sprout and should be scattered on the surface, not covered at all. In the event that seeds are planted too deep they may not sprout.
4. Using low quality growing medium
Don’t try to save money on your growing medium. This is the establishment for your plant stock. To get your seeds off to a decent start, pick a quality soil-less seed starting mix. These are usually a mixture of peat, coconut fiber, and perlite.
The consistency is exceptionally light. Avoid mixes that contain fertilizer – they already have everything they need to develop. Lastly, never use soil from your garden – it’s excessively overwhelming, it won’t drain well, and may contain infection or bug eggs that can influence your delicate seedlings.
5. Not enough light
Seedling need a lot of light to develop. They need around 12 to 16 hours of light for each day. Your bright window may not provide them with enough light. A cheap LED fluorescent shop light will provide all the light your plants need. Place the light around 3 inches over the seedlings.
6. Starting seeds at the wrong time
And finally, timing is everything! Regardless of whether you are starting indoors or direct sowing into the garden, it’s basic to know your area’s last frost date. Warm season crops should to be started in 6 to 8 weeks before this date.
If these are started from seed in late April or May, they might not have sufficient opportunity to developed and produce fruits in the garden. Cool season crops can likewise be started indoors now and transplanted into the garden in only two or three weeks.
