Subject: Re: Suggestion for planting small seeds

From: Dwight Sipler <[email-masked]>
Date: 12 Oct 1995 13:13:38 GMT

>Cwbsatx ([email-masked]) wrote:
>: When my Mother-in-Law received a dozen Roses in honor of her 70th wedding
>: anniversary they came each in their own little vial of water.  A test tube
>: size container with a plastic cap which had a small hole in the top.  I
>: have found these ideal for spreading seed which I had in the past spread
>: to thick.  Lettuce, parsley, Cal. Poppies, Poppies, etc all go into a
>: tube.  A "permenant" marker is used to label the container.  When it's
>: time to change seeds a little acetone removes the "permenant" marker and
>: even frosts the tube in preparation for the new name.  
>
>: You will be suprised how much farther your seed goes if you use something
>: like this and resist the temptation to remove the cap to hand spread the
>: seed because you think not enough is coming out.  It also eliminates a lot
>: of thinning later.  

Another trick I've heard is that you can "dilute" the small seeds by mixing 
them with sand. That way, you just pour out a stream of sand and the seeds go 
along. If you make the mixture something like 1% seed, 99% sand, you can use 
something like one of those sugar dispensers you see at lunch counters with 
about a 1/4 inch hole in the top. Pouring the sand/seed mix out, you are left 
with an easily visible line of sand showing where the seed is. It takes a bit 
of practice to get the right proportion and the right speed of pouring the mix 
out, but then it is still easier than trying to plant the seeds individually.

I usually start small seeds in flats, so I don't have to thin them in the 
garden. I start with one large flat of growing mix (peat-lite or similar), 
divide it into sections with wooden sticks (unless I want to start a whole lot 
of some plant) and sow the seeds into the sections. When they get 1 or 2 true 
leaves, I take them out of the flat, separate the plants and replant them into 
cells for further growth. That way I have only 1 plant per cell and I can then 
plant the resulting plugs at a controlled spacing which makes cultivation 
easier. It's more work to start but less work to grow.

The cells are those thin plastic cells that garden centers sell plants in. 
They come in different sizes and shapes. You will have to experiment to find 
the right size for a given variety of plant. You can save them and clean them 
at the end of the year. Use a weak (5%) bleach solution to kill any fungus or 
bacteria. Eventually they will get munched up, but you should be able to get 
several years out of them with some care. If you want a specific size, check 
your local greenhouse grower. (S)He might sell you a couple sheets of cells. 
They cost about $60/case of 100 sheets, so your cost might be $1 - $1.50 each 
for small quantities. The ones I use are designed to fit into standard 1020 
flats (approximate dimensions 10" x 20"). I've seen the empty flats for sale 
at garden centers.