That’s it! Now you wait (impatiently sometimes) for the first signs of germination. Check back often and one day you will see little green signs of life reaching for light. It’s time to move your little green babies to their new home… under the lights!
Light: As soon as your seeds have sprouted they need a lot of light and cooler temperatures (60-70 degrees). Light can be supplied in a few ways. A greenhouse is great. A very sunny south facing window is an adequate. (You need to turn the plants so they do not grow leaning in one direction!) If you have neither of those (like me), go with option three… fluorescent lights. Two small hooks in the ceiling will hang one adjustable 2-tube fluorescent light. Lower the light as close as possible to the plants without touching them. Yes, THAT close. The tubes stay cool so your plants are safe. The lights are inexpensive to keep on, a good thing because they will need to be on up to 15 hours a day. Special “plant” lights aren’t necessary. Two flats (24 plants each) will fit under each fixture lengthwise, more flats need more lights. If you don’t want holes in the ceiling, mount the lights to a shelf unit and set your trays under them.
THINNING: As the seedlings develop their first “true” leaves you will need to thin them. Thinning removes weak plants so the others have space to grow. It is a painful chore for some (me)… I just hate “throwing plants away”, but it’s necessary because overcrowded plants do not thrive.
So…in small containers where there are two (or more) plants growing select the strongest one. Then, using a small pair of scissors, cut the other(s) off at the soil. That’s it. If you scattered seeds in large pots to start your seedlings, thin as you transplant.
TRANSPLANT: (YOU’LL NEED MORE STARTER MIX AND CONTAINERS.) Carefully turn your seedlings out and gently separate the roots. Holding the seedlings by the LEAVES not the stems, transplant each HEALTHY seedling into a separate pot. Plant them a little deeper than they were originally. Don’t put them back under the lights or water them for 24 hrs. After 24 hrs. you can put them back under the lights and fertilize lightly. (See below) PLEASE don’t transplant every weak, spindly, crooked seedling you have… just the healthy ones!
FERTILIZE: Plants need nutrients to grow and sterilized starter mix doesn’t have them. You’ll need to feed your seedlings diluted fertilizer once they have true leaves. It’s your choice, but please consider reading my ORGANIC page before you decide. My favorite fertilizer for seedlings is fish emulsion. Yes, it is a little bit smelly when you open the bottle (and when it spills on your child’s shoes) so open it outside. One tablespoon mixed in one gallon of water is plenty to feed a couple of flats for a few weeks. If you aren’t sold on fragrant fish formulas, liquid kelp is another great choice. Dilute it the same way.
