Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: simbamara on June 19, 2017, 16:32
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Hello friends
I have two questions:
1.Is it entirely necessary that ground I plant seeds in my allotment must be wet BEFORE planting the seeds or can I plant the seeds & then water over ?
2.In very warm weather , how often should I water the news seeded beds ?
Thanks
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If it's dry I usually water the drill I've just made, sow the seeds then cover with dry soil, I don't usually water until I see the seedlings. It's best to water really well now & again rather than a sprinkle every day, that way the plants develop long roots to find water as opposed to shallow roots near the surface waiting for those everyday sprinkles - that then leads to the plants wilting on the hot day you can't get there.
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Thanks , I just planted the seeds day before yesterday & watered AFTER planting ! Need I make any amendments ?
What about seeds planted in Germinating trays ? How frequently should they be watered ?
Thanks
Simba
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As Snowdrops has said, watering before sowing makes sure you've got a reservoir of water under the seeds, but as long as you don't let the drill dry out they'll be fine. Best not to pour huge amounts of water onto a newly-sown seed bed or when the seedlings first emerge, but give them a really good water when they look strong enough to cope with the deluge (although in practice most seedlings will stand back up even if flattened - Nature has a habit of doing that anyway.)
As for seed trays, frequency of watering mainly depends on the temperature they're subjected to - the aim is simply to keep the compost moist rather than soggy to avoid potential problems.
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I also always make a drill and then water it thoroughly before sowing the seeds, covering afterwards with dry soil. The dry soil on top seems to act as a barrier to prevent the water in the drill from evaporating too quickly.I don't know if it makes any difference what type of soil you have, but this method always works best for me.
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As with others I water the drill. The exact method for small seeds. Make a drill furrow with a rake handle. Without a rose pour plenty of water along the furrow. Let it drain for a few minutes. Sow the seeds. Cover with dry soil. Tamp down with the back of a rake head. This ensures that the seeds are in good contact with the damp soil. Water again with a fine rose once the first seedlings emerge.
With the weather so warm I would put off sowing anything until it is cooler. Lettuce especially do not germinate when it is hot.
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Salmo
Thanks
So there is no need to water after the initial seeding watering until the seedlings emerge ?
What about in containers & germinating trees at home ?
Thanks