I read several publications about home gardening and agronomy in general and noticed how many contradictory recommendations different authors give. Therefore, I took note of the most accurate instructions, in my opinion (the suggestion to water seedlings with brine is not included :) ), and based on them, I worked on my mistakes:
| What I Did | How to Do It Right |
|---|---|
| I soaked the microscopic seeds of melissa and tarragon, which ultimately stuck tightly to the gauze. It was problematic to move them to the soil. | It turns out that small seeds do not need to be soaked; they should be sprinkled on the surface of the soil, lightly moistened (for example, from a spray bottle), and placed under film until they germinate. Then, the seeds should be covered with 2 cm of soil. |
| I removed the film from the seedlings just 2 days after sowing. I thought they had nothing to breathe. | The greenhouse in the form of a glass cap or film is needed until the sprout has 2 true leaves. |
| I kept the seedlings on the radiator. | The most pleasant temperature for most crops is between 16 and 22 degrees. However, some sources talk about 30 degrees for un-germinated seeds (with the risk of cooking the seeds). In this case, shoots will appear in 4-5 days. At 18 degrees, shoots will appear a week later. |
| I applied fertilizer to the un-germinated seeds. | Seedlings can be fertilized for the first time after the appearance of the first two true leaves. It is at this point that the plant switches to root feeding. Nitrogen and phosphorus are needed first. The fertilizer solution should be five times weaker than that recommended for adult plants. |
| I sowed the seeds in a very thin layer of soil, in a plate, hoping to transplant the sprouts. | The sowing container should be at least 6-8 cm deep. Use 2-3 cm of soil, seeds, and then another 2 cm of soil for most crops. |
| I watered very abundantly, up to 10 times a day. | In fact, you only need to water once (or better, use a spray bottle to moisten well) and place it under film until the first germination – then resume careful watering. |
Honestly, I didn’t think that the first days of caring for the seedlings would affect my harvest. Therefore, in the following articles, I would like to address the topic of sowing and caring for windowsill sprouts in more detail.
