Planting Help

HOW TO COLD STRATIFY SEEDS:

1. Moisten sand, vermiculite, or peat moss with water until it is moist enough to      form a ball in your hand.

Squeeze any excess water out of the ball – too much water can cause the seeds to rot or mold. You may also add a fungicide to the mix to help prevent this.

2. Mix your seeds into your moistened medium.

3. Place the seeded medium into a plastic zipper bag or plastic container with a      lid. (Plastic wrap makes a great lid for a cup or any other container.)

If you have enough room, you can sow your seeds in the moist medium directly in covered seeding trays to eliminate having to transfer them later.

4. Place your bag or container in the refrigerator for the # of days specified on        the seed pack.

5. At the end of the specified time period, remove the medium from the                    refrigerator & sow the seeds in warm soil to sprout them.

HOW TO SOW TINY SEEDS:

Some seeds are sooo tiny it may seem they could be a bit challenging to handle. Use one of these helpful tricks & turn your planting from stressful to successful :)

Add a bit of dry sand or fine soil to the bag of seeds. Zip it back up & give it a good shake to mix everything together. You can sprinkle the mix over your desired planting area without having to handle the individual tiny little guys.

For larger amounts of seed or to cover a larger planting area, you can easily make your own shaker with materials you likely have lying around the house to dispense a seed / sand mix. Grab an empty toilet paper tube & secure a piece of waxed paper over one end with a rubber band. Poke small holes in the waxed paper using a needle or toothpick. Stir your seeds in to the sand. When you're in position, pour the seed / sand mix in to the open end of the tube & shake it baby!

For more precise planting, shake the seeds out of the pack on to a piece of paper. (Cut the bottom & one side of the bag to open it completely if any seeds are being shy & don't want to come out.) Moisten the tip of a toothpick with water & use it to pick up individual seeds & place them exactly where you want them.