Starting Out - Correct Ratio of Earth and Khaad

[PBGardener]

Hello everyone.

As some of you may have read from my intro i am an amateur gardener who starts gardening projects every year. My vegetable garden turns out quite well (i had an amazing crop of cherry tomatoes and broccoli last year)...but my seasonal plants was a non starter (started it from seeds).

I reckon the reason it doesn't turn out right is coz i get the ratio of Earth and Khaad wrong.

Can someone help me with how much khaad and how much earth should i use when planting seeds.

I am about to plant Petunia, Panola, Pansy and Marigold seeds. I am planing to plant them in pots. While i plan to plant my vegetable seeds in a planting tray.

Once i have planted the flower seeds should they be in the sun or in the shade and how often should they be watered. Is it the right time to plant them or should i wait.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you.

PBGardener

[tweedle2009]

Wow, these are lots of questions in one bundle but i m sure all of them will be answered here.

First of all please explain what you mean by Khad/fertilizer? There are two types of fertilizers .. Organic and in organic.

There's no need to use fertilizers when you are sowing seeds or transplanting them into ground.Yes, you can use decomposed leaves and a small amount of rotten cow manure.Cow manure shudn't be used in gr8 quantity as it can harm your plants if your composition is too strong for the young plants.For pots, you can use 1 part decomposed leaves + 3 part soil and a bit of cow manure.Gives you an idea abt the composition.

Once the plants are well established , you can fertilize with organic fertilizers.

Vegetables seed are OK in full sun but try to sow your annual seeds in half/semi shade.Keep moist.Dont over water, dont let dry.

[PBGardener]

Thank you for the reply...(most appreciated)...

and to expand on what i wrote earlier...Khad..as in the fertilizer component..i am using organic...(cow manure)...(wish i could doggy poop!!! ) but yes..i know that is lethal for plants...!

basically i want help with the layering, really...if someone could please help with that (if this topic is already covered i apologize in advance)...

see..the thing is i am doing 2 sets of plantings...the veggies (these turn out ok)...and the seasonal (which are quite disastrous)....

so what should be at the bottom and what should be at the top and what should the seeds be covered with..a mix of earth and organic fertilizer..or just plain earth?

and for the trays..should i use a mix of earth and fert..or just plain earth.. (sorry..again too many questions )

last year i experimented with wave petunias and not a single seed germinated!!! (the seed packet said not to cover the seeds) this year i am not even venturing into anything so fancy...just the basics..

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

To get started GET SEEDLINGS dont even think of sowing seeds. Even with my life long experience I Sow only a few special ones.

[khabbab]

I agree with Brig Arif. Beginners should start with large seeds which are easier to germinate. An example is sweet pea seeds which even a child can germinate. Petunia seeds are very small and and not easiest of seeds to grow. Even i buy the seedlings of petunia. So my advise is to start from large seeds and with the passage of time go for the small and difficult seeds. Meanwhile buy the seedlings of annual plants and experiment on their khad - soil ratio.

Try different ratios in different pots. Killing your plants with incorrect ratio is the first step of learning which every expert has gone through

[tweedle2009]

Thank you for the reply...(most appreciated)...

and to expand on what i wrote earlier...Khad..as in the fertilizer component..i am using organic...(cow manure)...(wish i could doggy poop!!! ) but yes..i know that is lethal for plants...!

basically i want help with the layering, really...if someone could please help with that (if this topic is already covered i apologize in advance)...

see..the thing is i am doing 2 sets of plantings...the veggies (these turn out ok)...and the seasonal (which are quite disastrous)....

so what should be at the bottom and what should be at the top and what should the seeds be covered with..a mix of earth and organic fertilizer..or just plain earth?

and for the trays..should i use a mix of earth and fert..or just plain earth.. (sorry..again too many questions )

last year i experimented with wave petunias and not a single seed germinated!!! (the seed packet said not to cover the seeds) this year i am not even venturing into anything so fancy...just the basics..

Agree with Khabbab and brig Arif but I d say, you wont learn until you dnt experience it yourself.Gardening is my hobby and profession too.When I started this a couple of years ago I made some serious mistakes.I lost a HUGE some of money in seeds which never germinated.tHEN i became choosy and started recovering my losses.Last year I lost all the seeds that I tried to germinate indoors, this year I am having great success in germinating seeds which are a far more difficult.One never siezes to learn.

For starting seeds, use Soil + decomposed leaves only.If you have precious seeds then go with vermiculite that you should be able to find at any garden store.Never use in organic fertilizer when starting seeds.Another good option is to use coco peat / peat moss to sow and cower seeds with.

For trays , use coco peat/ peat moss only or in conjunction with decomposed leaves.

[PBGardener]

Thank you for all your replies.

So the consensus is that i shouldn't bother with seeds?

PS. Will try the peat option.

[tweedle2009]

yup ... as long as you get seedlings cheap.Another thing is that you might be doing everything right but the seeds might not erminate because their viability is long gone.Our seed providers are known for selling bogus seeds.