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[S935]Starting Plants From Seed

by Jonathon Hardcastle, Jon

To start, you will need basic materials like containers, soil or a soil-less mixture, light, water, a fan and a plastic cover that you will use for the containers.

Fill the container with soil, sow the seeds into the container, add water, then wrap the plastic over the container securely. Once done, transfer the container to a spot where it is exposed to the sun. There are exceptions here that you must note. There are seeds that need darkness to grow and these include nasturtium, schizanthus, phlox and verbena.

Now, wait for the seeds to germinate. Bear in mind that germination is not the same for all seeds. The marigolds, for example, germinate in three days. Other seeds may take as long as 40 days. Once you've seen the seeds germinate, expose the seedlings by removing the plastic top and turn on the fan. The wind's force tends to strengthen seedlings that are tender.

You will notice that your seedlings will develop a "true" set of leaves soon enough. These are actually the plant's second set of leaves. That's the signal for you to transplant the remaining seedlings outdoors or possibly into a larger container.

Once transplanted, remember to water the seedlings regularly and expose them to sunlight and warmth.

If you want to transfer the seedlings outdoors, leave the containers outside for a few days until the seedlings have acclimatized themselves to their new surroundings. You will know the seedlings are ready when they acquire a more hardened look. This usually takes a week or less. Once the time arrives, you're ready to transplant your seeds.

There are seeds that seem to tolerate extremes in the weather, either hot or cold, better than others. For best results, though, transplant those seeds during the warmer months even though they may be seeds that actually flourish in the cool air such as spinach, godetia, phlox or poppies.

Now the hard part is over and the easy part, maintenance, begins.

Not only do seeds perpetuate the species into the future, more importantly they create a variety of individual seedlings. Some of these individuals will be more successful at surviving changes in the environment and as a result the species is able to adapt to new environments.

Plants grown from cuttings are essentially clones of a parent plant. This is a very useful feature when plants are grown as crops, but a serious weakness in the wild. The reduced ability of clones to adapt to changes in the environment increases their chances of becoming extinct. Hence in nature seed production is vital to the survival of flowering plants.

Over long periods of time seeds that are the result of sexual reproduction will allow for the evolution of new forms of plants and eventually new species. This process is happening at the moment throughout the world. This allows the plant world to replace the species that could not adapt to climatic and environmental changes leading to their extinction. Many plant species are close to extinction for natural as well as man made reasons and these are classified as endangered.

Practical use of seed production can be made on the hobby farm. Apart from growing crops the farmer can also be a hobby plant breeder. I plan to do this with olives. Each year I plan to grow a large number of seedlings and select some according to their foliage. Eventually I may find a seedling that will have the type of foliage I am looking for and this plant can be developed into a new ornamental olive variety. The same principle can be used when developing new olive fruits, but the process will take much longer as there is a need to wait until the seedlings produce a crop.

Another interesting area of seedling production is in the production of plant hybrids. These can be produced when two closely related species are cross-pollinated. This may result in a new plant with features of both parents. An example of a hybrid is the plumcot. This was produced when an apricot and plum were crossed. This process also takes a long time in order to assess the features of the hybrids, but this is an important activity carried out by plant breeders in research centers. I have always wanted to cross a cherry and a plum in order to come up with a cherry- plum hybrid that is easier to grow in Melbourne then the current cherry varieties.

Maybe you can be the proud breeder of a new mouth watering fruit or vegetable and possibly make some money from royalties. Make up your plan, be patient and persistent, set your imagination alight!

This article on weeds is taken from Alf's Hobby farm site at http://www.farmforfun.com/Plants_From_Seed.html You can read more on hobby farming at http://www.farmforfun.com

Article Source : Pg. 105

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Both Jonathon Hardcastle & Bentan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jonathon Hardcastle has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Careers and Job Hunting and Cooking Tips. Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including , , a. Jonathon Hardcastle's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.

Bentan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Religion. Ben provides assistance and consultancy to real and virtual estate owners in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. His works include an Australian . Ben is also in. Bentan's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.