For fifteen years of my forty five plus years of experience in horticulture and floriculture I served as a head grower and production manager in the greenhouse field.
Among my many areas of responsibility was annual flower seed germination and without a doubt this was high on my list of favorites.
Along with annual flower seeds came those of trees, shrubs and perennials but that’s another story as here we will concentrate on annual flower seeds.
The home gardener without a greenhouse even a small hobby house will find it a little more difficult to germinate seeds especially the tiny ones but still can be quite successful if certain steps are followed.
We will cover two areas as follows: Seed germination in flats and directly in the ground.
Annual seeds small as petunias and on down in size to dust fine begonia seeds should be sown in flats for best results.
Planting Seeds Into Garden Soil
Always check seed packets for cultural information such as planting depth, distance apart in the rows, space between rows, light requirements and average number of days to germination.
Be sure that all clumps of soil the size of quarters on up have been either broken up or removed from the bed.
Be sure to mark both ends of the row with stakes or labels. You can write the variety name on the stakes or simply insert the seed packet over the top of one.
Row depth will vary with seed size as small varieties will require very shallow rows as only a light coving of soil will be necessary. You will need to make the rows deeper for larger seeds as they will need to have additional soil placed on top of the seed bed.
For uniform germination be sure to keep the newly seeded areas moist. You will not need to water for depth at this time but rather applying just enough moisture evenly to allow the seeds to swell and then sprout is what’s required.
As the new seedlings begin to grow it is now the time to begin to water for depth as you want the root systems to go down as deep as possible which in the future will help to make your new plants a little more drought resistant.
I prefer to apply a good liquid fertilizer at this time and many are available on today’s market. However if you choose to use the one that is available in our internet store you will have excellent results if directions are followed.
Our product, Turf2Max Plus, is a combo of a liquid soil conditioner and N, P, and K which are the major nutrients that are required at this time.
This covers really all the steps that you are required to know for success in germinating annual flower seeds in garden soil.
As your experience level grows you will find that some varieties are frost germinators whereas others require roughing of the seed coat but please don’t be confused by this additional information but simply learn as you go.
Planting Seeds in Flats.
If you do not have some plastic flats on hand you can construct them using scraps of wood. If making your own flats you will find that laths are inexpensive and make great trays. Proceed as follows:
Purchase a good germination mix from a local garden center or better yet from a commercial greenhouse as they will have on hand an excellent mixture that works well for them. Nothing like buying from the pros.
Fill the trays almost to the top with the media, water thoroughly and press down in a firm manner on top with a board cut to fit just inside of the tray. This last step is important as it will prevent dust sized seeds from falling too deep into the media.
You can now make rows or can broadcast the seed on top of the media.
Check the catalog or seed packet in order to determine if the variety that you have planted is a light or dark germinator. If light is required it will not be necessary to cover the seeds, if it is a dark variety you will need to cover the seeds with media.
In greenhouse production for seeds that require a dark environment I have simply inserted them into black plastic bags which work great. For ones that favor light I would place them inside clear plastic bags.
Covering flats with plastic helps to keep moisture from evaporating and you will need to water far less than if your flats were left open to the elements. However if covering with plastic do not place them in direct sunlight as the temperature inside the plastic bags will become to high and germination will not take place.
After the first set of true leaves have formed it is now time to transfer the seedlings to small three or four inch contains for growing on until they are large enough to be transplanted into the desired garden area.
After transplanting apply a balanced liquid fertilizer as mentioned above.
Be sure to maintain proper temperature for germination in flats and make sure that your garden soil has warmed to the proper level should you sow directly into the bed areas.
