How to grow seedlings at home. What needs to be considered for healthy growth, how to water and transplant correctly In order to grow seedlings at home, you need to prepare the soil, a container for seedlings, free up space in the apartment for placement, where there will be enough light and there will be no drafts.
The soil for growing seedlings is taken on earthen plots where plants are planned to be planted. So it will be most prepared for the composition of the soil in open ground. The most suitable time for soil preparation is autumn. If you prepare the soil in the spring, there will be a lot of moisture in it. Because of this, many seeds may not sprout.
You can also prepare your own potting mix. For many crops (cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.), a mixture consisting of earth, peat or humus and sand in proportions (1: 2: 1) is suitable. For some crops, it is necessary to increase or decrease this or that part of the potting mix. And if you use pure peat as a soil, after adding ash to it (for phosphorus and potassium support), then the seedlings will be the best. In order to prevent the soil from compaction, dry leaves or sawdust can be added to it. This will provide a constant supply of oxygen to the roots. Also, plant stores sell ready-made mixtures for planting seeds at home. In such soil, you can plant seeds immediately.
Containers for seedlings can be plastic cups, cardboard cups, sachets, wooden boxes, and peat pots, which are specially created for this. In plastic cups, you need to make a hole in the bottom. This will prevent acidification of the soil with excessive moisture. You can germinate seeds, and then transplant the grown seedlings into open ground. In order for the seedlings to take root better in the open field, it is recommended to dive into a larger container before planting it and only then transplant it into the open ground. For a correct pick, you need to follow a few simple rules. Pour 2 cm of soil into boxes or trays. Put the seeds on the soil at a distance of 2 cm from each other, and then sprinkle them with a 1 cm layer of soil. Compact everything with your hand, and then pour from a watering can to soften the mechanical effect of the water jet. When the sprouts reach a certain size, you can make a dive. It is usually produced in plastic or paper cups, sachets, and boxes. The latter is undesirable, since the roots of the seedlings are injured. The best capacity for picking is a peat-milling pot, which allows you not to take out the seedlings, but immediately transplant with it. Before diving, it is necessary to water the soil with plenty of water in order to remove the roots with minimal damage. Make holes in the soil and plant the shoots there, sprinkling them with earth.
In order for the seedlings to grow well, you need sufficient lighting, air humidity, full soil composition, and drafts are unacceptable. If you grow seedlings until mid-March, then artificial lighting is needed after sunset for another two hours, which will not allow the seedlings to stretch out. Fluorescent lamps can be used. After mid-March, the seedlings do not need additional lighting. Depending on the planted crop, it is necessary to water the plants in a certain mode. If you water it less often, seedling growth will slow down. The contrast of cold air from drafts from window slits and warm dry air from batteries can lead to the death of all seedlings. It is necessary to tightly seal the gaps in the windows and shield the batteries with plywood or plastic plates in order to achieve a uniform thermal regime for the seedlings.
