Seedlings and cuttings on the windowsill are a good way to independently obtain valuable plants for growing in the garden or on the balcony, even if we do not have greenhouses, tunnels or frames in the garden. In this way, you can sow seeds of vegetables and flowers, herbs, and also prepare seedlings of balcony plants. Here are the basic rules when and how to prepare seedlings and seedlings on the window sill.
On the home window sill you can sow not only annual plants and vegetables, but also herbs and perennials
Seedlings on the windowsill - advantages
Every plant lover looks forward to the arrival of spring every year. In order to shorten this time as much as possible, many people, already in February and March, start sowing plant seeds into pots, which in the summer will become a real decoration of the garden, balcony or terrace. This is an excellent way to obtain seedlings of annual flowers and perennial plants at a low cost. This procedure has many advantages, but also has its limitations related to the labor consumption and the necessary bright and warm place at home. That is why it is most oftenseedling on the window sill , on which, however, too many plants will not fit.
The advantages of early spring sowing on window sills include low costs (because seeds are much cheaper than ready-made seedlings), certainty as to the species and variety (provided that the seeds were purchased in original bags from a reputable manufacturer) and the lack of stress associated with changing the plant growth environment. Your own seedling is easier to get used to the new growing conditions on the balcony or in the garden, while the young plants purchased from the producer must 'get sick' with the change in the growth environment, which is usually associated with a minimum one week period of inhibition of the development of seedlings.
"The great advantage of reproducing plants on your own is the great satisfaction and pride of seeing an adult specimen grown from a small age.
The appropriate composition of the substrate that we use for sowing is of great importance for the proper germination and growth of seedlings. The photo shows peat substrate, sand and perlite
Seedling substrate on the windowsill
A very important element determining proper seed emergence is a suitable substrate. A mixture of universal soil or peat substrate and sand and perlite in a 1: 1: 1 ratio works best. You can also sow seeds into a mixture of deacidified peat, sand and clay in a ratio of 2: 1: 1 with the addition of perlite.Such composition ensures very good water-air relations in the substrate. This is of great importance for germinating plants.
Cover large seeds with about 0.5 cm with a layer of soil. While the small seeds are gently pressed into the substrate and covered with a thin layer of sifted sand
Before sowing the seeds, it is necessary to decontaminate the substrateby applying a fungicide. The Magnicur Energy preparation is perfect for this purpose, as it is used in the amount of 25 ml of the agent added to 2 liters of water, which is enough to decontaminate 100 liters of the substrate. The preparation can also be used for watering seedlings or seedlings in the amount of 15 ml per 10 liters of water.
Sowing technique and depth on the windowsill
The technique and depth of drilling are also important. Seeds in pots withseedlings on the windowsillshould be spaced evenly apart.The larger seeds are covered with a layer of about 0.5 - 1 cm of substrate, and the smaller ones are lightly pressed into the ground with a plank and gently covered with a thin layer of sifted sand. In this case, sand acts as a protection against drying out and, at the same time, it does not constitute a great barrier during the germination of delicate seedlings. Containers with sowing should be covered with glass or transparent foil to limit drying of the substrate. These covers should be removed every day to ventilate themseedlings on parepets
Make sure seedlings have enough space to grow
Saplings on the windowsill
Another way to get more plants to plant balcony boxes or garden beds is to prepare seedlings on the windowsill.Seedlings on the windowsillis a great way to get young plants without incurring large costs associated with the purchase of ready-made seedlings.This treatment is usually used for the propagation of plants such as fuchsia, English pelargonium and ivy-leaved pelargonium. And here's a surprise: if we keep garden dahlia carps, we can also propagate our favorite varieties in March by cutting young shoots.
In the case of fuchsia and pelargonium, forseedlings on the windowsill , mother plants wintering in a bright and cool room should be moved to a warmer place and strongly pruned, thanks to which they will produce many young , strong shoots suitable for cuttings. The propagation material here consists of well-developed middle parts with two or three pairs of leaves.
In turn with dahlias one should do a bit differently. In March, the stored stumps should be planted in pots with universal humic soil, and after the formation of shoots about 10 to 15 cm long, you can start cutting. It consists in cutting strong stalks with a piece of bulbous root (the so-called In all cases, it is worth immersing the ends of the cuttings in a rooting for herbaceous cuttings before planting. The rooting agent will accelerate the process of rootlets' growth and increase their number, as well as prevent the development of fungal diseases.
The seedlings obtained in this way should be placed in pots filled with a mixture of universal soil with sand and perlite as soon as possible, and then covered with a plastic bag to increase air humidity. Remember to take off the foil cover for at least 5-10 minutes every day to allow air exchange and thus prevent the development of fungal diseases.
Containers or pots containing seedlings should be placed on a bright and warm window sill and care should be taken that the soil in them is always moist, but not soaked. Fertilization can be abandoned if the fertilizer has been previously added to the substrate. If not, then the growing seedlings should be fed 2-3 times with liquid fertilizers in a concentration half the recommended.The point here is not to damage the delicate roots, but only to provide the plants with the right amount of micro- and macronutrients needed for proper development.
Emil Gwizdała
