ahh! What did I do wrong?

[Gardenwitch]

Can someonee help me please? I planted marigold, pansy and petunia seeds to start them off indoors near a window, kept them warm and lightly misted them for some water until they sprouted. They have their first set of leaves on pansy and marigolds.

BUT the petunias never even grew their pots just molded! AND I transferred the marigolds into their own seedling pots as they were just in a tray all togther so I divided them up into their own space during the last full moon; but now I've lost more than 1/2 of them!

I'm gutted; but I dont want to make the same mistake twice, so should I just be planting the seeds and keeping them outside in my unheated greenhouse to sprout and grow?

Seems the only thing doing well is the pansy seeds that I should not have even planted as their date was mid last year! I didnt even realize when I planted them; but they are the ones growing strong

Thank you for any help here xx

[zazen999]

Too early, too wet -if you are misting them they probably got damping off.

[Two_Sheds]

Why are you misting them?

It just leads to mould ... ah, you know that now

Seriously, plants need water on their roots, not their leaves

[Gardenwitch]

so I should be watering by the roots for seedtrays? I was misting the dirt to water the seeds to germinate them without drowning them.

[Two_Sheds]

You don't really need to water the seeds until they have germinated and are growing well.
the compost should be damp, not saturated.
Water by standing the seed tray or pots in a sink of lukewarm water. Not too long, about 5 mins.

In my opinion, all plants should be watered from the bottom

[Two_Sheds]

the petunias never even grew their pots just molded!

I'd give it another month before you sow some more, and have a gander at this: gardeners corner - subject 'garden chat/scented petunias, growing them'

[Gardenwitch]

You don't really need to water the seeds until they have germinated and are growing well.
the compost should be damp, not saturated.
Water by standing the seed tray or pots in a sink of lukewarm water. Not too long, about 5 mins.

In my opinion, all plants should be watered from the bottom

Oh thank you for clearing this up for me, I guess I was to antsy and went around a bit backwards. I dont normally grow from seeds so I'm learning I didnt realiz i didnt need to water the seeds until after they sprouted, will try again with this method xx

[spennysaint]

on the same note

I have seeds in unheated prop on the windowsill but the soil is dry now but there is condensation on the underside of prop lid. I sowed on sat but had warm sun yesterday. Do i need to water them or leave them? I haven't grown from seeds
before
claire

[FionaH]

Ok having read this I now know what I have done wrong! I have slight white mould on my aubergine seedlings and the leeks. Can i just take the mould off or do I have to chuck the lot and start again? Help please never grown from seed before

[Two_Sheds]

this is a good guide to seed-sowing: Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Sowing Seeds Indoors

[Snadger]

Haven't grown petunias for a few years but from what I remember the seed was like dust and just had to be sprinkled on top of the compost (no covering) with a sheet of glass and newspaper over the top to keep light out!

[FionaH]

Thankyou for the link two sheds however it is not clear on what is confusing me, or I am very thick Is a bit of white mould the dreaded damping off? And can i just scrape it off or start again?

[Two_Sheds]

it's just mould. scrape it off. I've got a bit on my seed trays too, don't worry about it too much. More explanation here: What’s the layer of mould on top of my seed tray? - Frequently Asked Questions - topical advice

Damping off is this: Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Damping Off

[FionaH]

thanks Two sheds

[Gardenwitch]

ok try, try, try again. So I planted some seeds today and started over. I didnt water them as the compost seems very moist.

I've also started them indoors my house OR is it better to put them straight out in my unheated greenhouse and let them germinate out there? My greenhouse is on average at 20 according to the temp gauge.

I tried parsley, sweet peppers, cabbage, leeks, pak choi as an expirement, and purple basil.

I read through your links thank you so hopefully I'm on to a better start. Wish me luck!