My experimental seed sowing strategy

Evening all.

Tonight, I have just sown 36 tiny seeds. Seeds far to small to handle individually, and the same colour as the compost, so pretty difficult to get them where I want them.

So, having seen a number of threads on here about different people's techniques, I've decided to have a go at a sort of amalgam of several people's tricks.

I took:
* A clear plastic box with lid - like a sandwich box.
* A wooden kebab skewer
* A single sheet of white kitchen towel, cut to size such that it lines the bottom of the box and one end curls up to the top edge of the box.
* A water sprayer bottle
* Some tiny seeds (coreopsis on this occasion)

I placed the piece of kitchen towel in the bottom of the box. I left one end of the sheet curling up towards the lid, so that it would be easy to lift out the sheet without disturbing the seeds. I then dampened the paper.

I scattered a few seeds on the lid of the box, off to one side.

Now, here's the trick, I exploited the age old battle between two phenomenons of physics, gravity and surface tension. I dampened the blunt end of the wooden kebab skewer. Gently placing the dampened end onto a single seed made it pick it up, magic. This in turn enabled me to dot the seed onto the kitchen towel exactly where I wanted it.

Then, further dampening of the whole assembly was done, ensuring that the seeds got wet, but that the nothing was going to go soggy. The lid was put securely on the box, and the whole assembly is now in the window.

My plan is to keep a close eye on the whole thing over the coming days. I'm hoping that most of the seeds will germinate at roughly the same time. If it goes to plan, I intend to carefully remove the paper from the box, germinated seeds still attached, and then carefully cut the paper around the seeds to remove individual ones. In theory this should be easy, as I've arranged the seeds in a neat grid formation. If it further goes to plan, I'll simply place the germinated seeds, individually on their little inch square piece of paper on top of a small pot of compost, water spray it on, and then cover with a sprinkle of sand. Time will tell if it goes to plan though.

 

Clueless, sounds ike a good experiment but..........if you were to do that with bedding Lobelia, you'd still be 'at it' this time next year.

 

Is coreopsis hard to germinate?

I don't do anything fancy for seeds that will grow if put in a seed tray / pan sprinkled on the surface (add silver-sand to tiny seeds as John says ), lightly drizzle some vermiculite over them, put on a clear plastic dome (or put pan in a plastic bag) and provide some bottom heat.

If a seed needs sowing one-per-pot or to avoid pricking out from seed-compost (e.g. Parsnips) I sow on damp kitcenh-paper (in a tupperware box, or if fewer seeds in a ramekin and then covered with cling film to prevent evaporation).

For things like Broad Beans I germinate on kitchen paper in Tupperware box, and as soon as they chit I pot them up (3" pots). I could easily sow them direct into 3" pots, but then I would have a couple of failures, and I want an exact number of plants.

Sweetpeas and Sweetcorn I do the same, then straight into individual pots (made from newspaper) - again, I want to avoid any waste from a one-seed-per-pot approach. Other soak-and-wait seeds, such as Cannas, I do this too.

 

This thread has exposed my ignorance! What is silver sand?

 

My attempted new process is aimed at negating the need to do the 'pricking out', even for very fine seed. I've had two goes so far at pricking out and while I think I've done ok, its something I'd rather avoid if I can, hence the experiment. Although it sounds like Kristen's technique is already pretty much what I'm attempting. The key difference being the grid formation, and that I don't plan to remove the seeds from the paper, but rather cut the paper up with seeds still attached so the paper squares act as a handle on the tiny seedlings.

 

It's good to experiment!
I've just spent two hours pricking out various Nicotiana and Lobelia valida seedlings and can see the attraction of your method at this moment in time!!

 

Longk - I call silver sand - kiln dried sand , the stuff you use to brush into block paving . Unless their is an actual horticultural grade you can buy

Sounds a tad long winded Clueless mate . If you let most seeds grow so they have at least one set of true leaves and the second ones are just forming . Then wait until the seed tray is on the dry side , empty a section of the seedlings into a gravel tray and a little poke here and a tug on the leaves there ( never the stems ) and away comes the seedling ! Poke dibber (aka index finger ) into the celltrays full of sieved compost , pop in seeding with as much compost clinging to the roots as possible , tuck it in - then off to the next one Most times you are not after saving every seedling. So no need to be super precise.

 

Thanks Harry!

 

Silver sand is quite fine in texture and is very pale in colour, similar to the sand you get around sand dunes. I know it's sold by pet shops for the bottom of parrot cages, but where else you'd get it I don't know.

 

Thanks Sheal!

 

Just a quick update. I've just checked. I think now we're getting more sunshine, my cheap heated propagator (no thermostatic control) baking things. I lifted my experiment box out and the first thing I noticed was the heat of it. It felt very warm, not hot, just too warm. However, one seed has germinated. Nothing exciting yet, but signs of activity nonetheless.

 

Hi Clueless,

This year l wanted to try to do my own plug plants. So l bought off EBay 2 x 360 cell trays. The seeds l wanted to plant were Double Petunias. Well, let me tell you, they are tiny.....really, really tiny. When l saw them, l thought, how on earth am l going to be able to sow them, they were so small.....dustlike really. Anyway, l saw on EBay a seed sowing device. It has 3 different size, sort of hollow needles, and a coloured chart which tells you which size needle to use with each different seed. It is fantastic! I sowed my second batch on Monday, in a heated propagator, and today, Saturday, l would say that about 2 thirds of them, are through. I am well pleased.

PS You can use one of the needles for sowing little batches of Lobelia, which l have done.
Kind regards, Josie

 

I get 25 kg bags of horticultural sand from Homebase when they're reduced to 50p because the bag is torn. I let it dry and use by pouring from a jug.