As of: March 1, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Ines Alms
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Every hobby gardener knows this about plant seeds that simply don't want to sprout. Sometimes they are light germinators that need special treatment.
Have you ever wondered why your plant seeds, for example tomatoes, just don't germinate in your area and others do?
Sowing vegetables in spring is a highlight of the year for many hobby gardeners.
But not all vegetables prefer the same start in life.
Some plants like it bright, namely the so-called light germinators, which require special treatment.
Find out here which types of vegetables are light germinators and how to sow them correctly.
Cover light germinators with as little soil as possible
Carrots are light germinators and sprout faster than seeds that are covered with soil.
© Shotshop/Imago
Light germinators are plants whose seeds require high intensity light for germination.
Unlike dark germinators such as eggplants, pumpkin or cucumbers, which have to be placed a little deeper in the ground in order to germinate, light germinators are simply placed on the surface of the soil or only covered very thinly with soil or a little sand.
As a rule, dark germinators are thicker and larger seeds whose strong seedlings have no trouble fighting their way underground to the light.
If you accidentally cover light germinators with soil, they can sometimes still germinate depending on the light spectrum available - the seeds just have a harder time.
The light germinators include the following vegetables:
tomatoes
Carrots
celery
Numerous herbs and salads such as lettuce, romaine lettuce
,
basil, dill, lavender, thyme and cress are also among the light germinators, which can usually be recognized by their small, fine seeds.
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How to sow light germinators correctly
Since the seeds are usually very light, you should moisten the soil thoroughly before sowing rather than after - otherwise the seeds could be washed away.
Depending on the variety, distribute the seeds at the appropriate distance and press them down lightly.
If available, sprinkle a thin layer of sand.
After sowing, make sure that the substrate is still slightly moist, but not wet.
The best way to achieve this is to spray the seeds with water.
Place the seed trays in a bright place but avoid direct sunlight.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.