EARLY SPROUTING

[gandolph]

when you sew seeds you cover them what if some sprout first, do you uncover them, all even if some haven't sprouted.or leave them covered.

 

[oneeye]

when you sew seeds you cover them what if some sprout first, do you uncover them, all even if some haven't sprouted.or leave them covered.

It depends on what type of seed sewing you are doing. Are you indoors, outdoors, using potting mix or in the ground?

 

[Meadowlark]

Some seeds need light to germinate; some do not.

This phenom is called photoblastic with positive photoblastic requiring light and negative photoblastic germinating better in darkness.

Quick Rule of Thumb​

Seed Size	Light Requirement
Dust‑fine seeds	Need light
Medium seeds	Varies
Large seeds	Need darkness (cover them)

 

[gandolph]

i am sewing alicante/sungold/gardeners delight. the gardeners delight are almost all showing .
just one or two of the other two.i have them indoors on a windowsill.
they are in a seed starting mix.

 

[Logan]

When the first ones appear you uncover them, the rest should follow, with some seeds it will take time for the rest to come up.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Sungold is an f1 hybrid, but the other two are good, old fashioned, heritage ones, so you can save seed from those for next year. Tomatoes mostly self pollinate, so they should come true. Scrape the seeds out of the best tomato, add a little water, let them ferment for a few days, then wash them and dry them out on a sheet of paper . Meanwhile those seedlings need light to grow, so yes, uncover them. The cover helps to keep the seeds damp, but provided you keep an eye on them and don't let them dry out the others should follow. I tend to use a transparent cover, best of both worlds.

 

[gandolph]

Thanks Logan and Oliver ,all information is thankfully received i file it away..

 

[Logan]

Thanks Logan and Oliver ,all information is thankfully received i file it away..

You're welcome.

 

[GFTL]

Covering the seeds isn't necessary but does help to keep soil moist while waiting for germination. If you do uncover them after a few have germinated make sure all the cells stay moist.

 

[gandolph]

Thanks GFFL that's the answer i wanted.

 

[DiggersJo]

Just planted beans yesterday to bring on indoors, used a fine water spray on them this morning even though the compost was soaked prior to planting yesterday. I'll spray daily until they show, then gentle watering.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Just planted beans yesterday to bring on indoors,

On my 'to do' list, I have cobra, climbing French bean, and a runner, Scarlet Emperor I think, most of my saved runners got damp and spoiled so I bought a packet.

 

[DiggersJo]

We have :-
lady di , hunter and cobra. For a change we also have x12 Safari (dwarf) this year.