New Seed Starting Technique

Ozark · February 21, 2016

I did a germination test of Sweet Ozark Orange seeds recently (the ones I'm sending out to folks) and got good results. Rather than discard the best of the little germinated seedlings at the end, I transplanted 12 of them into Jiffy Mix in egg carton cells.

Those were the smallest transplants I've ever moved, and IT WORKED. I carefully picked up each sprouted seed on the point of my pocket knife, moved it to a 1/4" deep hole poked in the damp Jiffy Mix, then gently covered the seed. All 12 seedlings were up and looking good the next day, though they're getting a little leggy now - I need to get them under lights.

I think I'm onto something - sprouting tomato and pepper seeds that were kept in the dark in our furnace closet at 78 degrees in a folded, damp paper towel, then moving into starter mix ONLY seeds that are already growing. No empty cells that way from seeds that fail to sprout, and no cells with multiple seedlings that need to be culled or moved, either. There's much more control of the process this way, and I like it!

February 21, 2016	#1
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	New Seed Starting Technique I did a germination test of Sweet Ozark Orange seeds recently (the ones I'm sending out to folks) and got good results. Rather than discard the best of the little germinated seedlings at the end, I transplanted 12 of them into Jiffy Mix in egg carton cells. Those were the smallest transplants I've ever moved, and IT WORKED. I carefully picked up each sprouted seed on the point of my pocket knife, moved it to a 1/4" deep hole poked in the damp Jiffy Mix, then gently covered the seed. All 12 seedlings were up and looking good the next day, though they're getting a little leggy now - I need to get them under lights. I think I'm onto something - sprouting tomato and pepper seeds that were kept in the dark in our furnace closet at 78 degrees in a folded, damp paper towel, then moving into starter mix ONLY seeds that are already growing. No empty cells that way from seeds that fail to sprout, and no cells with multiple seedlings that need to be culled or moved, either. There's much more control of the process this way, and I like it!