Avoid these seed starting mistakes and seedling one-week update.

Seedling one-week update. Click get reminders to be notified when I go live. February 11 at 9 pm EST / 6 pm PST.

These seedlings used in this video were planted on February 4th but the video for that class was lost due to technical difficulties.

Mistakes to avoid:

• PROBLEM: Soil is too dense. Planting seeds in heavy soil will prevent them from fully growing. They will probably germinate but never get bigger than a couple of inches tall if they survive.
• SOLUTION: Use a lightweight seed starting mix or mix your own soil using coco coir, peat moss, or perlite. Please note, that while these mediums are fantastic for seed starting they are not soil. Your seedlings will need to be fertilized because the seedlings will not be able to draw nutrients from a nonsoil medium.
• PROBLEM: Moldy seedlings. Excessive moisture can lead to mold in your soil mix and on your seedlings.
• SOLUTION: Make sure that you monitor the moisture levels in your soil and provide airflow for your seedlings as they start to emerge from the soil.
• PROBLEM: Dry seedlings. Your seedlings cannot handle drying out they will die.
• SOLUTION: Do not rely on a visual inspection of your seed starting mix. Touch test the soil to ensure that it stays moist while your seedlings are developing.
• PROBLEM: Dampening Off. This is caused by mold on your soil. Your seedlings will germinate fine but the roots and stem will die. The seedlings may also get mushy or brown before falling over and dying.
• SOLUTION: Use lightweight soil. Make sure that your seed starting containers, tools and hands are clean before starting. I like to use peat pellets or coco coir for seed starting inside because they are not actually soil (They do not come with mold or fungus in them). I will also water my seedlings with a hydrogen peroxide solution to reduce the chances of mold.
• PROBLEM: Leggy seedlings. Your seedlings germinate but the stems grow very tall and thin before true leaves develop. This means that your seedlings are not getting enough light for proper growth.
• SOLUTION: As soon are seedlings emerge from the soil, place them under grow lights. The lights should be kept a few inches above the seedlings to help them grow strong stems.
• PROBLEM: Not labeling your seedlings. You aren’t going to remember what they were. All seedlings in the same plant family look alike.
• SOLUTION: Create your labels before you start planting to make sure they are handy.

If you would like to take advantage of the Lilies and Tomatoes Community 5% discount on seeds at Firefly Farm and Merchantile make sure that you use the code “Lilies” at checkout.