sowing seeds

[gwynnethmary]

Can anyone please tell me what is the scientific reason for  sowing thinly (as per instructions on seed packets) and then pricking out to ,say 2" apart?  If the seeds are big enough to handle, surely they can be planted 2" apart to begin with, avoiding handling them when they are fairly fragile?

[gwynnethmary]

[elvis2003]

i think one of the reasons is that carrot seeds,for example,are so tiny that some may find it too fiddly to space them apart...i however,am like you and fiddle about! im sure there are more important reasons!
rach
x

[Ninnyscrops.]

I think it's all about germination success rates, some do and some don't!

My thinnings were dibbed in last year and some worked and some didn't.....so don't waste them ;)

Ninny

[Vinlander]

They want you to buy another packet next year!

There is a good reason for sowing maybe 2 or 3 times as many as you need - they don't all germinate, and not all of those will survive.

It depends on how OCD you are about perfect rows.

With some veg you can replant the thinnings in another row (but only with species that don't bolt when stressed - eg. lettuces are OK, don't try it with radishes).

Often transplanting sets them back a week or two - staggered cropping can be useful.

[Chrispy]

I sowed my parsnips thinly, but when I thinned them out, the distances ended up rather variable, and I missed a few.
This year I will be trying to `station sow` them, that is sow a few seeds every however many inches apart, then thining to the strongest at each station.
May try and make a 'seed sheet' for my carrots and radishes, everything else I start off in plugs/modules/pots/trays

[gwynnethmary]

I came up with a plan yesterday for sowing brocolli  2" apart -in the seed tray I used a bottle top to make a print in the compost, then just popped one seed in each circle- I could see where to place the seeds and just counted them out- I guess this is what comes of being an early years teacher for so many years!  I must admit, and being new to all this, I love the seed sowing part, but am not too sure how I'd fare with having to pull out weak seedlings-am a bit of a softie!

[GodfreyRob]

I came up with a plan yesterday for sowing brocolli  2" apart -in the seed tray I used a bottle top to make a print in the compost, then just popped one seed in each circle- I could see where to place the seeds and just counted them out-

Sounds like a really useful idea to me. I will try it myself next time :)

[Digitalis]

Seedlings too close together tend to suffer from damping off (a fungal problem).

[gwynnethmary]

Mine should be fine and fungus free then!

[Digitalis]

Haha, I like to be picky with my sowings, too!

Plus, if seedlings are too close together their performance may be inhibited as they compete with each other for nutrients and water.

[chriscross1966]

It's a good reason for module sowing as well.... you can get high-density modules (40 or 60 cells per seed-tray sized tray) adn put in one seeds per module. As long as you get enough individual modules germinated then you don't handle the seedlings at all when potting on (good for the seedling generally).... also cluster sowing at stations works for some things that you won't thin.... radishes and onions leap to mind but baby carrots too..

chrisc