Planting seeds in mini pots indoors a few months before the spring growing season is a good way to get started early and have a variety of plants ready to put in the outdoor garden when the temperature is right. In New England you need to start seedlings indoors a few months before the last frost which is after Memorial Day (the last Monday in May).
However, this method does take time and patience. You
also have to be careful watering the seedlings so that they get just the right
amount of water and light once germinated. If you water too much, the bottoms
of the seed pots will be sitting in water and can rot easily. If you forget to
water on a regular basis the seedlings will dry out and die. To help prevent
drying, a dome cover over the plant trays will reduce rapid water loss. With
the dome in place, water will recycle through the soil, transpire through the
plants, evaporate into the air and condense on the dome roof. It will then drip
back into the soil and start the cycle over again.
Another method to supply water to seedlings is by the (Mat
Watering System). In this method the seed pots sit on a wet mat made of
absorbent cloth that wicks water up from a reservoir below. The seed pots
resting on the mat can then wick up the water into the soil as needed. In this
method, the seed pots are not sitting in water and not susceptible to root rot.
If you are careful, placing seed pots in plant trays with
a dome can be a sure fire way of keeping the pots moist but not too wet. Check
the plant trays often and make sure that the bottom of the tray always has at
least a quarter inch of water. Once the seedlings germinate, you need to have a
light source directly over the plant tray for continued growth. Using fluorescent
lights hanging above the plant trays and keep the bulbs close to the seedlings
at first. This keeps the seedlings warm and also gives them adequate light for
photosynthesis and growth.
Once the seedlings are a couple inches tall, thin your
pots to a few seedlings per cell. Overcrowding will kill the plants. Back off
the lights a little at a time so that they are always a few inches above the
top leaves of the plants.
You can buy a commercial (Mat Wicking Kit) but can
accomplish the same thing with a few items that can be found locally. Place
about ½” water in a plant tray. Cut a
piece of flat Styrofoam to fit into the (10x20”) plant tray. You can buy
insulation Styrofoam in sheets measuring (14.5 x 48 x ¾ inch) at Home Depot
($8.00 for a 6-pk). Use thin washcloths as the wicking cloth to wrap around the
Styrofoam. You can buy a pack of 18 washcloths for $4.00 at Wal-Mart’s. Lay
down about 3 washcloths on the top surface of the Styrofoam. Overlap the cloth
so that about two inches is under the Styrofoam on both ends. Place the
Styrofoam with washcloths on top into the tray with water. The water will
absorb or wick into the washcloth material keeping the top surface wet.
Now place the seed pots on the wet washcloth surface. If
you use Peat Pots for the seed pots the peat will absorb the water from the
washcloths and keep the soil just wet enough for good seed growth. If you use
plastic seed pots, you will need to cut small wicks (about 1x3 inches) and
stick them in the bottom of the plastic pots. The small wicks will absorb water
to keep the soil in the pots damp.
It is best to water the seed pots the first time with a
sprinkling can from above. Make sure the soil is good and damp but not
soggy. Once the soil is wet you can then
plant seeds in the soil. Use a pencil to make a small hole in the soil surface.
Place a few seeds in each hole and lightly cover with some loose soil. Usually
seeds are planted at a depth equal to the thickness of the seed. Future water should now be added at the ends
of the plant trays and not sprinkled over the surface since this will disturb
the seeds. Water will now wick up from the bottom of the tray into the cloth
mat and into the seed pots as needed.
You can see a YouTube video of this whole process at the link below …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjpIX2rGA1c&feature=youtu.be
