March 2014 Project of the Month

It’s time to

Fire up your Green Thumb Sale Dates: 2/24 - 3/26

20% OFF SEED STARTING SUPPLIES! Seed Starting Potting Mix, 8 Qt • Excellent for germinating 451666

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79

3

19

Jiffy Strips Peat Pot, 50-PK • Includes 5 trays • Biodegradable 270561

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43

Jiffy-Strips Greenhouse with 50 Pots 169102

Jiffy Pots, 5” • Grow 6 plants 134001

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79

Jiffy Pots, 3” •G row 6 plants 271353

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Project of the Month: March

Don’t Let the Cold Hold Back Your Gardening Satisfy that urge to grow by setting up your own seedling nursery. It’s fun, fulfilling, and saves you money.

Here’s how to get started.

Choose the Right Growing Mix

Choose a potting mix specifically formulated for seed sowing, such as Miracle-Gro® Seed Starter Potting Mix. You don’t want disease pathogens that could damage young plants. A good potting mix will hold moisture and drain well, and have a fine texture that allows young leaves to emerge easily.

Choose Good Starter Containers

Look for small trays or shallow containers 2-3 inches deep and something like plastic wrap or glass to cover them to retain humidity and warmth. Even the clam-shell containers from strawberries and cherry tomatoes from the grocery store work fine. The seedlings won’t be in these containers long so they don’t need to hold much soil mix.

Some Seeds Like It Warm

Lettuce, beets, and spinach seeds germinate easily at room temperature. Warm-season plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, require a boost of heat to encourage sprouting. A sunny windowsill or the top of the refrigerator are commonly used to start seed.

Sowing Seeds

Moisten the soil mix to the consistency of a wrung-out sponge. Fill the container with mix and tamp it down lightly Sow seeds on soil surface taking care to space them from 1/8 to ¼ inch apart depending on the size of the seed Cover your seeds with a thin layer of soil mix and press lightly. Soak the seed tray in a shallow container of warm water until soil mix is thoroughly moistened but not saturated Remove it from the water and allow it to drain. Cover seed tray and place in warm area to germinate.

Keep an Eye Out for Growth

Look at your seed container daily to check for signs of germination. As soon as the first leaves break through the soil, move them to a place with at least 6 hours of bright light and good ventilation. Then, remove the cover.

Water Seedlings Carefully, Evenly, Consistently Too much water encourages fungal growth.

Yet, too little water dries out delicate roots, making your seedling wither. Test to see if your container is ready for water by weighing it. Lift it. If it feels light, it’s time to water.

If it’s heavy, wait another day or two. Use a spray bottle to water them or set them in a shallow tray of water to soak for a few minutes.

When to Transplant Seedlings

e first 2 leaves that emerge from the seed Th are called seed leaves or cotyledons. The third leaf to emerge is the plant’s first true leaf. When the plants have 2 true leaves, it’s time to transplant them from the seed tray into small pots of their own.

This article was used with permission from Scotts.com