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Step 9Germinating the Seeds
I've read a lot about how seed germiation is a complex and delicate process where only the most talented gardener can hope to have a 50% sucess rate. In my personal experience it was easy and I've almost never had a seed that did not germinate. You just need a few simple materials that are easy to obtain from any department store around spring and summer.
The main requirements are (Figure 9A and 9B):
>A humidity dome. This is basically a mini greenhouse that allows sunlight to enter and keeps moisture in. A developing seed's worst nightmare is drying out. These can be bought for pretty cheap but I've used cake domes and chicken domes before and they worked just fine.
>Rockwool cubes. It's just a piece of fibreglass-like-material with a hole in the middle. They hold in moisture well, are breatheable and allow the rootst easily grow through them. Peat pellets work great too but are not suitable for hydroponics setups.
>Some plant food. There's all sorts of fancy and expensive formulas especially for starting seeds but I just use the good ol' general purpose plant food. Just mix it with water in a spray bottle and use it whenever you water the plants.
Start by soaking the rockwool cubes in the plant food solution for a few minutes. Remove them from the solution and lay them in the bottom of the humidity dome. Drop a seed into the hole in the cube. Place the lid on the humidity dome and leave it in a sunny location indoors.
The seeds will need to be watered daily. A lot of condensation will collect on the lid of the dome. I just shake the condensation into the sink and mist the cubes a couple of times. Repeat this as long as they are inside the dome.
When roots are protruding from the bottom and sides of the cubes and they have developed a pair of secondary leaves, they are probably ready to be transfered to the hydroponics system (Figure 9C). It is now time to disinfect the nutrient reservoir and fill it with nutrient.
The main requirements are (Figure 9A and 9B):
>A humidity dome. This is basically a mini greenhouse that allows sunlight to enter and keeps moisture in. A developing seed's worst nightmare is drying out. These can be bought for pretty cheap but I've used cake domes and chicken domes before and they worked just fine.
>Rockwool cubes. It's just a piece of fibreglass-like-material with a hole in the middle. They hold in moisture well, are breatheable and allow the rootst easily grow through them. Peat pellets work great too but are not suitable for hydroponics setups.
>Some plant food. There's all sorts of fancy and expensive formulas especially for starting seeds but I just use the good ol' general purpose plant food. Just mix it with water in a spray bottle and use it whenever you water the plants.
Start by soaking the rockwool cubes in the plant food solution for a few minutes. Remove them from the solution and lay them in the bottom of the humidity dome. Drop a seed into the hole in the cube. Place the lid on the humidity dome and leave it in a sunny location indoors.
The seeds will need to be watered daily. A lot of condensation will collect on the lid of the dome. I just shake the condensation into the sink and mist the cubes a couple of times. Repeat this as long as they are inside the dome.
When roots are protruding from the bottom and sides of the cubes and they have developed a pair of secondary leaves, they are probably ready to be transfered to the hydroponics system (Figure 9C). It is now time to disinfect the nutrient reservoir and fill it with nutrient.
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