Sprouting my seeds!

My very first batch of lettuce, was in January 2011, but I shouldn't take all the credit for it. I actually bought 2week old lettuce sprouts from DOST (department of science and technology) since i thought it'd be faster that way. Of course, nothing beats growing your own lettuce from seed! You feel that great achievment when they look fresh and crisp, and when someone admires it, you know that all the credit goes to none other than yourself.


SOWING SEEDS - Coco choir or Vermicompost? 
Around mid January, I started sprouting my own seeds - now, having no experience what so ever with seed germination, I simply threw in a few seeds in coco coir and waited. Coco coir is natural fibers taken from the husks of a coconut husk. This is commonly used in many potting mixes and can be found in most gardening sections of hardware stores. Coco coir is a good medium to use since it keeps moisture in longer than soil and its entirely organic, so it gives extra nutrients to the plants. Not to mention, it's easy to handle and not messy.

However, I wanted things to move faster. So I ventured into Vermicompost. This is another growing medium purely made of poo (deposits) from worms that eat compost (rotten leaves/vegetables, manure, etc). I was able to get some from my school mate who I shared a booth with in Ayala USC Business Enterprise Exhibit. And the results were drastic!

In coco coir, within 7 days, sprouts were approximately 3-4cm high and had 2-3 leaves. In Vermicompost, within 7 days, sprouts were 5-6cm high and already had their 4th leaf, begning on their 5th. They were significantly fatter and greener than those grown in Coco coir.

So in my personal experience, VERMICOMPOST RULES! 
If you do plan on using vermicompost, you can contact me - since i also sell some for those who are interested, at php15 a kilo.

SPROUTING SEEDS - in clusters or in individual cups?
CLUSTERS:
If you're the type who likes to conserve space and growing medium (soil, vermicompost, cococoir, etc), then I'd suggest that you grow them in clusters.

My first try at sprouting my seeds were in clusters. I continued this habbit from January to March. This is when you vertically plant seeds into a container of growing medium and let them sprout. When they're big enough (about 2-3 leaves), then they are transplanted to individual cups and into the soil, or in my case, my hydroponic system.

Advantages -

• Save space : since you get to cluster all the sprouts, you wont need too much space as compared to growing them in cups where one sprout = 1 cup.
• Save growing medium (temporary) : Why temporary? Because you'll eventually have to transfer them into individual cups when they're big enough. But for the mean time, you only need about 1-2 cups of medium to sprout about 50 seeds. Growing it in cups, you'd need 1 cup of medium per seed. 
• Germination rate : if 15 out of 50 seeds don't sprout, then it's alright. Since you have 35 sprouts to take note on, where areas, if you sow one seed per cup, you aren't sure that that one seed will sprout.
• Easy watering : you only need to get a sprayer and spray it over the containers. If in individual cups, you'll have to be moving to every single cup and placing water in each one (trust me! it's tiring)

Below, is a picture taken earlier this year (approx. February) when i planted my lettuce sprouts in clusters.

Several types of lettuce sprouts: lollo rossa, romaine lettuce, loose leaf, grand rapids and correlle lettuce in clusters.
Medium used: Vermi compost
Conatiner: recycled Jolibee take-out containers I rescued from my trash can. I pierced a few holes on the bottom for drainage.

Growing in clusters may have its advantage, but there is one major disadvantage that it does have. 

When the time comes to transplant the sprouts, the roots are all tangled with each other and breaking them apart would mean to a shorter root system for the plant to thrive on for the next few days. Thus, the plant focuses on growing roots rather than growing leaves. And that leads me to the second way of sprouting seeds --- 

IN INDIVIDUAL CUPS:

If you're like me, who's impatient and too lazy to keep transfering sprouts into cups after a while, then you'd love this method. 

Since the seeds are already into their cups, there is no more effort in transplanting after 15 days. Just pop the cups into the hydroponic system or into your home garden pots when they're big enough, and tada!

One advantage that I did consider in this method is:

You do not rip out any roots.

Since the plant is left alone and no longer tampered with, the roots are free to grow as long as they way, rather than compete with each other and tangle. In this way, the plant can still continue focusing in growing above the ground after transplanting rather than trying to rebuild it's lost roots, which usually happens in growing in clusters (as mentioned above).In other words, the plant can grow faster. 

I started growing plants in cups after March and i've continued this method ever since. Below is a sample of the plants in their cups (about 6 days old and 15 days).

Please excuse the mess - this is my work station, which  i dont tidy up very often. :p

Romaine Lettuces - no need to transplanting into cups anymore. Just pop them into the system and wait till harvest.

ENVIRONMENT CONTROL:

- You must keep your seedlings away from harsh sunlight in the times from 10am-3pm. They tend to wilt, dry up or die from too much heat. 

-PROVIDE SUNLIGHT! This is very very important! If you want short , fat, and healthy sprouts, they must have sunlight. If they don't get enough sunlight, they will grow tall, with thin stems. This is their way of searching for sunlight. If this happens, after some time, they will topple over and break every time you water them or even spray them. 

Also, if they don't have enough sun light, they will be pail and frail. Sunlight is an important element in producing chlorophyll to keep your plants lush and green. 

-Don't forget to water!  One of my biggest mistakes is that i sometimes forget to water them in the morning. the sprouts need to be watered 2x a day - early morning and late afternoon. They need the moister and as much humidity as they can. If not, the heat will evaporate even all the moisture within the medium, it'll start to crack and your plants will wilt and eventually die. 

-Some people grow their seeds indoors. This is a good idea since they aren't at risk of any pests or harsh heat. Just make sure that you have a light bulb to supply light until you transfer them outside, or keep them near a window.

Below, ill show you some of the results from how i've treated them, and how well it's worked out.

So based on my own personal experience, i'd vote for growing in individual cups. But to you, and to anyone who has their own garden, i suggest any method that you feel comfortable with and confident with. Remember, it's your garden and you grow it based on your preferences and no one else. I'm just here to share my experiences in hopes that you might find it useful in your own gardens. :)

'Till next entry!

Ulyssa