▷ 5 common germination mistakes and how to avoid them

There are several common germination mistakes made by novice gardeners. And further success depends on this: sometimes, due to a small mistake, a seedling stops growing and it is no longer clear how to help it. Let’s look at the most common mistakes made during germination and how to avoid them:

“Modern garden” – these are distance gardening courses where you will learn the basics of cultivation, based on science and many years of practice. The courses are led by the teacher Dr. Ingė Auželiene, and after the course we will invite you to a live question and answer session.

Error 1: Wrong terrain

It is often thought that it is not necessary to invest in a special substrate and that garden soil will be suitable for planting in nurseries. However:

If you use garden soil, the roots of the shoots may lack air, because such soil is heavier, it collapses faster;
Garden soil can be infected with diseases, and tender young seedlings are very susceptible to this.

That is why it is worth purchasing pure peat, peat substrate (preferably the smallest possible fractions) or coconut fiber for plant germination.

Is it necessary to moisten the support?

Sometimes thinking is wrong seeds sow in a dry substrate and only then moisten it. Supposedly, it is better to moisten the substrate first and only then sow it.

In fact, none of these methods are wrong! It all depends on how it is more convenient and pleasant to work.

If you prefer to sow in a dry substrate and then water it, it will definitely not be a mistake. It is important that the seeds have enough moisture. Just keep in mind that the substrate collapses when watered, so add more to nurseries so the seeds aren’t too low (the sides of the pot can block the sun for the seedlings).

The most commonly used method is to first moisten the substrate and then sow.

Mistake 2: Sowing seeds too deeply

Sowing seeds too deeply – the most serious germination mistake. And this is done not only when sowing in nurseries, but also when sowing in the soil in the field.

I saw a whole finger placed in the ground and then the seeds buried somewhere deep. If you sow too deep, it will be more difficult for the seeds to germinate: they have to do a lot of work to reach the surface!

To illustrate this mistake, I took some red kohlrabi seeds from Aseja and used a simple wooden sushi stick to sow them. Push the seeds with a stick to a depth of 0.5-1 cm – that’s enough.

Error 3: Unable to write name

It is very important to write down the name of the variety at the planting site. Even if you plant now and think you’ll remember the names later, I can guarantee you’ll be scratching your head when it’s time to transplant. After all, for example, cucumber seedlings are practically no different from pumpkin, so how do you know what they are and plant them in the right places in the garden?

To mark the shoots I used special markers from

What about various lettuces or tomatoes? You want to know the varieties that have been successful.

Make things easier for yourself in the future and write down the name of the variety as soon as you sow the seeds. By the way, I also advise you to write down the sowing date, because the more information you have, the clearer it will be when to transplant.

Mistake 4: Improper watering

Of course, the biggest mistake is not watering enough, because seeds always need moisture to germinate. But excessive watering is also harmful: make sure that the seedlings do not accumulate in a puddle, pour out excess water.

Another very important nuance is the temperature of the water. In no case do not water the seeds with cold water, it must be warm.

This rule applies whenever water is used for germination, for example when sowing seeds in coir tablets like these from Aseja (advertisement). The pills also need water to swell and should be used warm, not frozen

I put these pills seeds from Aseja. With the help of a wooden stick, push the seeds to a depth of 0.5-1 cm and cover them lightly with a swollen coconut fibre.

When you sow the seeds, remember to water them:

Method 1: bottom watering. I recommend watering the tablets from below to avoid overwatering. Place them in the container with the raised edges and simply fill them with warm water as if they were in a bathtub. The tablets will absorb all the water they need through the bottom and you can pour the rest away.
Method 2: Watering from above. You can also water traditionally from above, but it is important: with warm water.

Mistake 5: Wrong timing

The fifth common error in germination is the wrong time, when sowing is too early or when harvesting is not done on time.

General rules for piqué:

When the seedlings have grown together in the nursery and have 3-4 leaves each, we will carefully separate the seedlings from each other and transplant them one by one (in larger pots or in open ground outdoors). A few hours before work, water the seedlings you will collect, and water them after transplanting;
If the seedlings are growing in peat or coco coir, it is best to transplant them before the roots emerge. Then you can remove the tablet shell (optional) and transplant the seedling.

The pills were sown with flower seedlings that I had ordered for the house in early spring from Emedelynas.lt. I didn’t have time to transplant immediately, so the roots have already come out a little. However, the seedlings themselves are still healthy, so they will recover quickly once transplanted.

If you collect transplant-sensitive seedlings (cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins), first of all grow the seedlings one by one, and not in an ordinary nursery. To avoid damaging the roots while harvesting, try my trick, which I have detailed here.

Don’t be late with the transplant. If the seedlings have overgrown and you have not yet transplanted them into open ground or a larger pot, it may even happen that they stop growing and you will have a much later harvest.

Here are the 5 most common germination mistakes. Sow the seeds in the right soil and not too deep, don’t forget to water the seedlings regularly and also transplant at the right time and you will see that germination will be regular and the harvest will be plentiful.