Seed Germination

Germinating Seeds Using Coco Peat 

Over the past few months I had read so much about Hydroponics and researched quite a bit both online and by meeting some of the experts around town that I really wanted to get down to doing it myself....yes I am a bit impatient.

I started my experiment about two months back. The developments at the farm were slow so I jumped into setting up my own Kratky system at home. This method of hydroponics is super easy and you can set it up at home with minimum investments. I will write more about it in my next blog.

But to get started I first needed healthy seeding.

I started by ordering some coco peat and seeds via amazon. Coco peat is an excellent alternative for soil. Because it is light and fibrous it allows air to flow and prevents moulds from forming. Moulds are one of the main reasons for low seed germination.

Received my packets of Cherry Tomato and Jalapeno seeds in a week and that got me going. I started by first preparing the Coco peat for sowing the seeds. As my Coco peat brick was quite big ( 1kg ) I broke about 2-3 inches from one side and put it in a small tub.

Next soaked it in about 1 liter of water for about two hours for it to swell. Before careful about not adding too much water. You can always add in a little water first and once it's absorbed if you think the Cocopeat is still dry add in some more. Coco peat on wetting expands about 5-6 times. So if you are using it for the first time break off smaller chunks, soak them in water and let them swell. Add in more Coco peat only if you think you need more.

Next, I divided the damp cocopeat into two containers that had transparent plastic lids. Once I had smoothened the fibers of cocopeat I started with making small 1cm holes. Next came the sowing stage for the Cherry tomatoes. I dropped in one seed into each hole and gently covered it with Cocopeat. At this stage be gentle when you cover the seeds. We don't want to push the seed way down. Gently brush the cocopeat over the hole to cover it.

Once I had finished with the tomatoes I moved over to sow the Jalapeno seeds. Followed the same steps as above. 

Then I covered the lids of the containers and place them under LED lights. In about 4 days the germination had started

Setting up the Germination Process 

Wait until the seeds have about one to two sets of true leaves. That's when they would be strong enough to withstand transplantation.

During the course of time that you are waiting for the true leaves to come out, you might need to sprinkle a bit of water in case the Coco Peat starts to dry out. Just ensure your water is JUST ENOUGH.....we don't want the Cocopeat to be runny at any stage. It should resemble lose fluffy damp soil