Producing Seedling From Home

Producing Seedling From Home

Seed Selection

Producing seedlings for the Home Garden begins with selection of good seedlings for planting. Ensure that seeds selection are:

1. Wholesome: not damage in any way
2. Viable: well developed and mature with enough stored food to support the growing seedling.
3. Clean: free from disease, pests and weed seeds.

 A healthy seedling

Requirements for germination

• Water
• Light
• Oxygen

Understanding Germination

Within each seed lies the material that will eventually become the shoot and root of a new plant. To ensure that the heat and moisture avail-able are adequate, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil at planting time. Some types of vegetable seeds take longer than other to germinate. For example, corn will germinate faster than either sweet pepper or beet. However, all seeds will germinate faster, if the right conditions exist. Most vegetable seeds germinate within 3 to 7 days. Seeds from fully mature fruits germinate better and maintain their ability to germinate for a longer period if not planted out when compared to seeds from a fruit that is not fully mature. Seeds used from hybrids generally do not produce as well as the first crop even though they germinate quickly.

Seedlings

Sow 2 to 3 seeds for every seedling to be transplanted.Thinning out involves the selection and careful removal of individual seedlings from where they were sown. Each seedling which is removed is planted into another container to further develop. Thinning should only be carried out when seedlings get to the 2 - leaf stage.

Seedlings before thinning out

Seedlings after thinning out

Care For Seedlings 

Too much sunlight is bad for young seedlings. Some shade is required. Shade can be reduced as the plants get older.

Water the seedlings twice per day. The afternoon watering should be done in the early afternoon (2 to 4 p.m.) to allow plants to dry out before nightfall. The practice will help to reduce disease problems at the seedling stage.

Apply a complete NPK fertilizer as a foliar spray once per week. It is very important that pest and diseases problems be properly diagnosed before any control measure, (especially chemical) is undertaken. Pest and diseases management is best achieved by daily inspection of the nursery.
Transplanting is usually done when plants are about 2 to 3 weeks old (approximately) 4 to 6 leaf stage.