If you’re like me, you’ve started your seeds (see last month’s blog for more info) and have been babying them along. I like to check on them first thing and say, “Good Morning, Seedlings!”, and then tuck them into bed at night. (not really, but it kind of feels that way!)
Below are some helpful tips to help your baby seedlings grow big and strong:
- Water once or twice a week. Don’t drown them and let them dry out before watering again.
- Continue to bottom water seedlings until they have their first true leaves. Then you can water them from the top.
- If you’re starting them indoors under lights, continue to move the lights higher as the seeds grow. You don’t want them to touch the light, but instead keep them 2 inches below the lights so they don’t get leggy.
- Fertilize once per week with Organic Fish Emulsion. This is the one we use.
- Keep a fan on them so they get good airflow and to help stop any mold or algae from forming.
- If there are multiple seedlings per tray cell, thin them out so that there is only one growing per cell.
- If your seedlings start to outgrow their trays, and it’s not warm enough to transplant them outside, transplant them into a larger pot to continue growing.
- About a week before it’s time to plant them outside, start to harden them off. You’ll start off by placing your seedlings outside under a covered space for a couple hours per day and then bump up the time they spend outside each day. Working towards being a full day and night outside. If you don’t harden them off, they will most likely die from transplant shock because they are not used to the outside elements.
If you have questions about your own seedlings, feel free to reach out using our contact form.
We are happy to help you along on your cut flower garden adventure!