Common Mistakes Made While Growing Seeds Indoors
Seeds are often started too early. It is important to wait until the last frost has passed in your area before you begin planting your seeds. If you were to put them outside too early, they would die when the first frost hit.
Seeds are often started too late. If you plant your seeds inside and then wait too long to put them outside, they will end up being stunted because they don’t have enough room to grow properly.
Seeds are often started too shallow. You want your seedlings to be able to absorb as much sunlight and water as possible, so it is important that their roots get a good start in life by being planted at the proper depth in the soil.
Seeds are often started too deep. The opposite of starting a seedling’s roots too shallow is starting it’s roots too deep in the soil which causes it not get enough sunlight or water and results in stunted growth for those plants over time due to lack of nutrients from being planted incorrectly from day one!
Seeds are often started in the wrong soil. It is important that seedlings get off on the right foot with high-quality potting soil that has been amended properly for best results later down there life cycle – otherwise these plants may become stunted or even die if not given proper nutrients right away during their first stages of growth because their roots need plenty room so they can spread out freely without getting tangled up with each other while still retaining some moisture around them at all times (which means watering twice per week). Seedlings should also never be planted directly into garden beds because this makes them susceptible
Using the Wrong Seed Starting Mix
The best seed starting mix is lightweight, sterilized, and has a pH between 5.5 and 6.8. Most commercial seed starting mixes are made up of peat moss, vermiculite or perlite and sometimes compost. You should avoid using soil from your garden or compost because they may contain diseases that could impact your plants later on as well as weed seeds that might germinate in your seed trays! Also don’t use peat moss alone because it packs down easily and needs to be mixed with other things to provide enough aeration for the roots of your young plants.
Failing to Provide Adequate Water
One of the most common mistakes people make with indoor seedlings is failing to provide adequate water.
There are two main water-related problems that occur when growing seeds indoors: under-watering and over-watering.
Under-watering causes your seedling’s leaves to droop, or wilt, or sometimes be brown and curled. Dry soil will also cause your seedlings’ stems to be weak. You can try using a stick to test how dry the soil is, but it’s more reliable if you have a moisture meter, which you can pick up at a gardening store for about $20 US/CAD. When the soil is getting dry, simply add more water from the top until it begins seeping through the bottom of your pots (which should be able to drain).
Over-watering is less common but just as lethal for your plants. Fungus gnats will usually appear when soil has been overwatered; they feed on fungus in moist conditions and lay eggs in damp organic matter like compost or potting mix. The eggs hatch into tiny black insects that look like fruit flies and hover around your plants’ stems and leaves in clusters; they will also fly up from a potted plant if you disturb it too much while watering. To fix this problem, let your plant’s soil dry out completely between waterings – this may take several days – before watering again; use a moisture meter if necessary, as mentioned above above. If you don’t want fungus gnats in the house while you’re letting your soil dry out completely between waterings, move them outside or put them on an enclosed porch until they’re ready to be watered again.
Failing to Provide Adequate Light
One of the most common mistakes when starting seeds is failing to provide adequate light. Remember that seeds need both light and heat to germinate. This can be provided by using a heated seed-starting mat or tray, grow lights, or indirect sunlight from a sunny window. Long days are needed for good growth and strong plants. Set up a timer so that grow lights are on for about 16 hours per day and off for about 8 hours per night, unless you have an automatic light mover that turns the lights on different intervals throughout the day to simulate natural daylight periods. Position lights 6 to 12 inches above plants, moving them upward as the plants grow; this will help prevent stretching from insufficient lighting. If you use artificial lighting and your seedlings start to stretch toward the light source, try lowering your grow lights closer over your seed trays. Many people also use fans to help circulate air around their growing plants in order to prevent damping-off disease (see below), which can also increase plant health by strengthening stems and leaves as they move in response to breezes created by the fan.
Not Optimizing Air Circulation and Humidity
Humidity can be a tricky thing to manage, but it’s an important factor in the health of your seedlings. If there’s too much humidity, the seeds can get moldy and die. This is preventable by allowing air circulation around your seeds and seedlings. You can do this by keeping a fan on or running a small desk fan across the surface of your tray at least once a day. If you over-water your seedlings, you may end up with a dampness problem as well—make sure not to leave standing water in your trays for long periods of time!
If there’s not enough humidity, however, this isn’t good for the plants either; you want to keep them damp but not wet. The best way to ensure that you’re getting the right amount of humidity is to use a hygrometer (a tool that measures the relative humidity). If you find that you’re not getting enough moisture in the air where you’re growing seeds, consider using an indoor humidifier in addition to watering your plants as directed. Conversely, if it seems like there’s too much moisture in the room where you keep your seedlings, try using an indoor dehumidifier until things dry out somewhat.
Not Providing Enough Heat
You need to make sure that the seeds are kept warm. A heating pad set under the growing tray will help. The plastic dome covering the growing tray should be kept in place until seedlings emerge, trapping warmth and moisture for best results.
Figure out how to fix the mistakes that are keeping your seeds from growing.
Now that you know the reasons why your seeds aren’t growing, it’s time to figure out how to fix these mistakes.
You can start by getting a better potting mix. This is the biggest mistake people make because they don’t realize that different types of seed starting mixes have different uses. Some potting mixes are made for transplants, some for starting seeds indoors, and some for planting in outdoor containers. If you waste time using the wrong kind of soil, your seeds won’t grow.
Next you’ll want to learn how to water your seedlings properly. You don’t want to use too much water or not enough water. It’s important to keep the soil moist but be careful not to over-water it because this will cause your seeds not to grow.
Then you need an adequate light source for your seeds needs and proper air circulation around them so humidity does not build up on top of them as this will cause mold growth which can be toxic if ingested by humans or pets in the home environment. Using fans helps keep air moving through the room where plants are located which prevents mold growth on their leaves or stems while also providing ventilation which lowers humidity levels inside buildings during hot weather months when temperatures outdoors become too extreme outside making it difficult for people indoors having asthma attacks due to poor ventilation systems caused by high temperatures outside causing heat related issues inside homes such as increased heart rates.”