How to prepare flower seeds before sowing? This solves the difficulty of tiny seeds sprouting

In flower cultivation we often encounter this problem: when sowing some relatively tiny seeds, very few sprout or even not a single seedling appears. How can we get them to sprout better?

1. Understand the characteristics of the seeds, which of course also include the required temperature, humidity, light, soil, etc. This is very crucial. For example: German primrose (Primula obconica) must not be soaked; after soaking, this flower easily loses its vitality. The seeds of Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) like low temperatures, and the seedling-raising temperature should be around 8°C; above 12°C it is very difficult for them to sprout. The seeds of petunia and gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa), on the other hand, need around 25°C; if they are soaked and then left in a low-temperature place for 1—2 days, the seeds may rot and not a single seedling will appear. There are also some seeds that are light-loving and some that are light-shy; only under suitable environmental conditions can good seedlings be raised.

2. Selection of sowing equipment: choose a hard plastic seedling box 50-60 cm long, 30-40 cm wide, 8-m cm high, with many small holes in the bottom. You can also make one yourself from wooden boards, with the size determined by the sowing quantity, but do not make it too high. If it is too high and holds a lot of soil, prolonged waterlogging is not easy to [control]; if it holds little soil, the protruding four walls will affect light. The bottom of the wooden box must have drainage holes, and before use it must be soaked in water for 2-3 days, until thoroughly soaked, otherwise the box and soil will easily separate.

3. Substrate preparation: mix thoroughly decomposed and finely sieved barnyard manure, humus soil, fine sand and garden soil in a ratio of 2:1:1:1, sieve with a sieve that can sift down sorghum grains, and disinfect by exposing to sunlight for one day.

4. Boxing: first spread a 1-2 cm layer of cinders the size of soybean grains on the bottom of the box. Then spread the prepared substrate on top and level it, 4-5 cm thick. Then use a fine sieve to sift on a layer of fine substrate, about I mm, to fill the soil particles, so that the tiny seeds do not sink into the soil and cannot break through the surface. But the fine soil must not be too much, otherwise moss easily grows.

5. Sowing: mix the seeds with fine sand in a ratio of 1:1000-2000, place in a basin and mix well, then evenly scatter on the substrate. Immediately press lightly on the soil layer with a smooth wooden board, do not press firmly, just so the seeds combine with the soil. Finally, place the wooden box in water to soak, the water level must not exceed the soil surface, add water as it soaks, until thoroughly soaked. Take the soaked wooden box out of the water, cover with glass to retain moisture (do not use plastic film, because it easily drips water and damages seedlings), drain slightly, and immediately move to an environment suitable for seed germination. Depending on the variety, the fast ones germinate in 4—5 days, while the slow ones germinate only in 7—10 days. Once the seeds germinate, remove the glass; after most have sprouted, move them to a suitable growing place for care. Note that before two true leaves have grown, never water or spray from above. Otherwise carry out normal seedling-stage management. In short, tiny seeds have poor adaptability to the outside world and weak resistance, so sowing must be done carefully and meticulously.