Low Germination - What to do?

This is a bed of newly sprouting beets.  Beets need to be sown directly in garden beds.  The term "direct sown" means that rather than starting seeds in flats in the greenhouse, we sprinkle the seeds right on top of the soil, covering them lightly with more soil.  We then keep the bed moist until full germination happens.  Sometimes, that germination isn't 100% or even close to that. There are numerous reasons all of your sown seeds don't germinate.  It could be the time of the year (too cold or too hot).  It could be you've sown the seeds too shallowly (not enough soil on top of them) or too deeply (as often happens with carrots).  Perhaps you have accidentally allowed the soil to dry out between waterings, which often kills the sprouting seeds.  Whatever the reason, you can usually fix it.

A few weeks after sowing seeds, if they haven't sprung up in the numbers you expect, then you should probably assume you have reached the maximum germination you could hope for.  We sowed these beet seeds on January 3; we've done our best to keep them well hydrated.  As a veteran gardener, I am pretty sure that five weeks later, the reason we have a 60 or 70 percent germination rate is that it's darned cold here in the coastal mountains of California this time of year.  Temperatures overnight often dip into the twenties and low thirties (Fahrenheit), thwarting germination of even cool-weather crops like beets.  Not to worry, we can add more seeds to the bare patches.

Just sprinkle more seeds right on top of the soil in the bare spots.  Our aim is to get about one seed per square inch.  We don't go overboard creating grids and expending too much time on this.  We've got work to do!

Once you've added more seeds to the bare patches, go ahead and add more soil.  Don't have any more soil?  Take it from a too-full bed, or use potting soil to lightly cover the seed.  You're adding about a quarter of an inch on top of the seed.  In this photo, you can see the darker, new soil, in the lower half of the shot.  Don't worry at all if you get soil on top of your tiny sprouted plants.  Once you water, the soil will settle around them.

You will then need to water the whole bed in a bit, as the photo below shows.  Don't over-do it, as you only need to moisten the top half inch of soil if your seeds are only lightly covered, right?  It's not like you're watering a big tomato plant.  Every day thereafter, check the moisture.  Water if the top of the soil starts to show minor signs of drying out.  If you keep your re-sown seeds constantly moistened, you should see some good seed sprouting within a couple of weeks.  That way, you get full bed coverage.  No wasted space!

Comments

[Cheryl Z]

I've always had really good germination, maybe because I soak the seeds for 24-48 hours. Just put the whole pkt of seeds in a teacup, add 1/4 c filtered water, and leave it someplace you wont' forget it. I have mine by the kitchen sink, with the paper seed packet tucked into the handle of the teacup (I use a teacup since coffee mugs' handles are too big, the seed packet always falls out). I also pre-soak Swiss Chard, spinach, and snap peas.

[sue]

Sunland is the best!

Another tip or two: buy fresh seed, store it cool and DRY (not the fridge) till use.

Follow the planting depth instructions that come with the seed. Some companies provide more information than others. Don't assume. (some seeds need light to germinate, so need to be planted shallowly, others prefer darkness, so like a bit of depth)

[Love Apple Farm]

Lindsay: No I don't use lids. That impedes precious airflow around the new seedlings and contributes to damping off. I just use potting soil to start my seeds, but bagged soil does vary quite a bit. I use Sunland potting soil, which is sold through Orchard Supply Hardware. It's called Premium Potting Soil. If you don't have an OSH locally, try to find Fox Farm.

[lindsay brackeen]

Thanks for all the helpful info your blog contains! I love reading your posts. I just ordered flats/inserts/lids and rose pots to start my own seeds indoors. Do you use lids? And do I just use potting soil to start the seeds in?