Caring for Indoor Seedlings // Watering, Light, Fungus Gnats, Repotting, and Leggy Seedlings

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I’ve dug the outer layer on those cocopeat pods out of my allotment plot, in excess of 6 months later. They definitely don’t break down very fast at all!

[@christinebyrnes3164]

I agree those pots take too long to break down. I put them in my compost pile, do others do the same?

[@carollloydjones5735]

Some great tips. Thank you. Say hi to Maggie, nice to see her again 🐈😊

[@Lovelygreens]

She's been very busy basking in the sun (and fame since the last video 😹

[@learntobake2023]

Gardening with Maggie!

[@learntobake2023]

14:18 Maggie stealing the show

[@quarkstar2]

Always excited to see your new videos! Looking forward to your polytunnel, I’m living vicariously through you as I can only do a little bit of small container gardening here and my little apartment doesn’t get much sun either.

[@Lovelygreens]

I started with exactly the same scenario. Then the gardening bug got me and every home after got chosen for potential gardening space :) slowly moved my way up to this house!

[@andreaahlson9827]

I just want to let you know that I've really been enjoying your channel. Thank you for all the tips and tricks, and I can't wait to see the garden tour and the poly tunnel!

[@Lovelygreens]

Tomorrow 🙂

[@danlit7018]

The Master and the Apprentice. I just uncovered a bramble from 20 years of growth, 50 meters of it. Bethany bramble, i trimmed the lot layered it now im going to pin it to the fence so it rises and falls. Ploughed my neighbors plot on the corner, hes my buddy but hes useless. I know im getting control of it, now i have 3 fallow plots in the corner, it looks amazing. Taken 2 months off work to smash this. I was digging a tree out in the middle of the 4 plots. Now im turning it into a pond. Smashing it. Love you x.

[@Lovelygreens]

Smashing it 🙌💚

[@danlit7018]

@@Lovelygreens Keep us posted !. So cool.

[@goupigoupi6953]

I'm here for the cat!

[@stevendowden2579]

all looking great well done tanya

[@gardengatesopen]

I've had that same experience with those little peat pots. The instructions I had on mine said to plant them directly into the soil, leaving "the rim" above the soil line. Which I did. Having that lip in the open air dried the peat pot, the plant shriveled, and dried with it. That experience was a couple decades ago. I've never forgotten it. I think it must be a small gardening scar! I remember feeling lied to about the whole thing. They were a Big fail for me.

[@Lovelygreens]

Yeah, they don't break down at all. Definitely not to be planted into the soil.

[@judybaker1094]

I enjoy all your videos and news letters. I also am a hobby soap maker so I do like to see your recipes. Your gardening ideas are great, unfortunately I'm in the US in a zone 5 so many don't apply to me :(

[@tassiegirl1991]

Cant wait to see the poly tunnel going up. I was inundated last year with what I quickly learnt were those awful compost flies. I didn’t know anything about them so next time I’ll be armed with yellow sticky things. I learnt about pellet type things but too late to use. Luckily didn’t loose any seedlings

[@Lovelygreens]

It's difficult to avoid them altogether if you want to stick with natural-esque solutions. Sticky traps will be your best friend this year :)

[@christophermoltisanti4776]

I love spring and growing plants outside. Why don't we have the technology yet where your plant and light are connected? There's a transmitter on the plant, and receiver on the light. When the plant's getting too much light, the light raises itself and vice versa. These are the things I dream of, lol. Such a pain in the ass raising the lights every day. I admire the quantity and variety of plants you are growing, very inspiring.

[@jeanneamato8278]

Looking forward to your poly tunnel. Very exciting!

[@justinburch]

Very much enjoyed this one. Have had real struggles with fungus gnats and I just ordered this yellow thingies.

[@DerMelissa]

I see seed trays take over your house as well. Such a great way to get your hands dirty early in the season🌱

[@Lovelygreens]

Oh yes, and I've just got going :) I think once the polytunnel is up that most will move out there though. SOON 😍

[@juliemcgugan1244]

It really makes me feel better, having spent such short periods of doing any garden work due to the cold weather, over winter. Starting out my seeds makes me feel that there is light at the end of the dark, cold tunnel!

[@TuftyMcTavish]

🌱 I had dreadful trouble with fungus gnats last year. I did try to bake my moistened seed compost in the oven to get it really hot (even used a temperature probe) but I still suffered an infestation. Later in the season I resorted to watering in nematodes once I saw the larvae in the compost while potting on. This year I’ve been avoiding top watering entirely, to try and keep the top of the soil dry. And I keep anything that goes outside in the Greenhouse during the day out of this warm growing room. So I’ve not been putting the 🌶🫑🍆🍅 seedlings outside at all, even when it’s warm enough under glass. This is all helping enormously - I still have a few gnats zipping about, but it’s far more manageable than last year. When I was doing some salad crops inside in this room I did get a surge of gnats, which the sticky yellow fly paper managed for me, but that’s what made me separate the outside stuff from the wholey indoor trays. I also had aphids from VERY early on last year, so I’m really enforcing this aphid DMZ this time around!

[@Lovelygreens]

Sounds like you're a general going to war :)

[@weezerr2d283]

Thanks for the video…lots of great information…stay safe and take care !!

[@helenannetts6194]

Re fungus knats I’ve had a lot of success with butterwort carnivorous plants and nematodes for this issue.

[@riggscreekfarmhouse]

Great tips very encouraging

[@jennyjohnson9012]

I sowed my chillies, peppers and aubergines on 26th Feb. They are on a window ledge above a radiator which is on low at night too. No sign of germination as yet, but maybe way too soon? First time I've tried them. I hope I'll be lucky. Great video Tanya as always.

[@Lovelygreens]

Sometimes it can take a little longer to germinate. I'd have a look at how warm theledge is getting and double check that the potting mix never dries out, though. Fingers crossed 🤞 🙂

[@duncanrobinson3200]

I am growing some Globe Artichokes from seed this year for the first time and also trying celeriac or the first time, it is that busy time of year shuffling seedlings between sunny windowsills, propagators, grow lights and gradually moving them to the allotment greenhouse from home, I have started some things in just an unheated greenhouse, such as onions, leeks, lettuce from seed, but tomatoes, chillies, aubergines, cucumbers and melons started at home. I am looking forward to this year at my allotment.

[@Lovelygreens]

Sounds busy at yours! It's going to be a great year 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

[@danyoutube7491]

I tried celeriac last year but made mistakes; we had them in pots because of limited space in the raised bed (or so we thought; ended up with excess lettuce and spinach which fed slugs!) and they were extremely stunted, didn't bother trying to eat them. Having belatedly checked how to grow them I found out that keeping them well watered is essential. I had never checked on them because they looked healthy enough with nice leaf growth, but infrequent watering is probably what caused them to fail.

[@davidthescottishvegan]

Another great gardening video Tanya. Hopefully your seedlings/plants are Maggie proofed. I am starting my gardening season tomorrow ( Tuesday 15th March).

[@Lovelygreens]

I think to have them Maggie-proof I'd have to lock Maggie in a crate 😹 They'll be fine (for the most part!). Have a great time with seed sowing tomorrow!

[@davidthescottishvegan]

@@Lovelygreens Will do and it would be cruel to put Maggie in a crate or cage so would discourage that.

[@seanmurphy9804]

Hi Tanya, I love your vids. Just a quick question, do the grow lights consume a lot of power? What is the wattage?

[@Lovelygreens]

They can increase your electricity bill, especially if you have a big setup and are using conventional bulbs. If you're looking for lower-cost grow lights, buy LEDs. They're very economical in both price and in electricity usage.

[@baileycullum2392]

Pepper roulette honestly sounds terrifying! 😂

[@Lovelygreens]

Hahaha! My OH doesn't like spicy either 🙈😂

[@josealeman332]

I was lazy and used regular soil for some of my tomatoes I keep inside the house...dont do it , you`ll get lots of those flies. they kill some of my peppers and tomatoes , I whish I have pay more attention to videos like this. thanks and you plants look s very nice.

[@Lovelygreens]

A good many people have done the same so don't feel bad. Soil, and the life that lives in it, belong outside. Inside the house, there's no natural balance and so insdects, microbes, and fungi can become a problem.

[@dn744]

I do something each day. Rather happy with my onions and garlic.

[@dafyddrhobert2414]

I took delivery of a commercially produced houseplant that started life in a pod. They planted it in the pod straight into a larger pot leaving the top of the pod showing. 18 months later, and the pod is still there. They don't breakdown easily and it looked very unprofessional when I received it. No problems as yet, but I do fear that there may be some in the future.

[@Lovelygreens]

I'd try repotting it, and pull as much of that fabric out as possible. It could help 🌱

[@ufoman4468]

Hello Tanya Lovely Greens . Thank you for the heads up on transplanting seedlings when how where etc . Im going to sow some more Chillie seeds now as my first lot have not germinated. How long should they take ? .Looking forward to seeing the Polytunnel. When are you going to pot Maggie on? She is growing giddy . Hahaha. Cya next time Bye..

[@Lovelygreens]

About 10 days for me with a heated propagator. Always worth trying again but if you have a short summer (Britain) then it may be worth buying small starter plants.

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

HI Tania, great video as always! I tried to buy one of those big LED shop lights but I got it wrong and when they arrived they were small shop lights. Can you please send your link to the growing lights you are using , please ( the shop lights). Thanks and happy growing.

[@Lovelygreens]

I'll update the Amazon shop tomorrow 🙂

[@candiwallace6605]

Cheers Beautiful 🔥🥰❤🌱

[@ruthalvarado619]

So, your potting mix for your seedlings is just potting mix and perlite? And is the potting mix store bought?

[@Lovelygreens]

Peat-free compost and vermiculite. You can use homemade compost instead of peat-free potting mix but it should be hot composted. Otherwise it will contain seeds and potential pathogens that can cause trouble with your seedlings.

[@ECole-le7we]

This is my very first indoor seed starting adventure. I so appreciated this video, as one thing I've learned is that I have a lot more to learn! As I have a smaill growing space outside, I only planted one tray with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and sunflowers. I have a heating mat and grow lights. But I have some questions please: 1) Did I need to start the grow lights before the seeds germinated? Or could I have waited until something germinated" 2) The cucumbers popped up in a day, and now they are getting tall and bumping up into the humidity dome. But other things haven't popped up yet. I was torn as to what to do. So I just got the cucumber out of there and put them in their own plastic cups. Was that the right thing to do? 3) My understanding is that once seeds have germinated, you should pull them off the heat mat. So should the cucumbers in the cups be taken off the heat mat? 4) In general, when should I pull the heat mat especially when some cells have germinated, and others haven't yet? 5) When do I start fertilizer? Apologies for so many questions; but as I said, there is so much to learn. Esther in NC/USA

[@Lovelygreens]

Hiya! Unfortunately, it's far too early to sow sunflower and most cucumber seeds. They'll grow leggy and weak long before you can plant them outside and when you do they can fail to flourish. I'll sow mine in April. If you're growing cucumbers for the greenhouse it's okay to start them now though -- if you're in a similar climate (Britain/ zone 8-9) Grow lights are needed the moment that the seedling sends up a sprout. If it's green, give it light :) Heat mats are mainly to stimulate germination. You don't need them after the seed is sprouted. Unless the room the plants are in is very cold. I don't use fertilizer since they are synthetic and can harm soil life. I recommend never using them, especially with young plants. All the nutrition plants need is in compost. You can get organic feeds high in certain nutrients that can give a boost to mature plants though.

[@ECole-le7we]

@@Lovelygreens Thank you! So is an organic fertilizer like Espoma's Seed Starting Mix - which is what I used - is also considered synthetic?

[@gedhuffadine1873]

When seedings sprout in the propergater do you take them straight out and put under lights? Great vid!

[@Lovelygreens]

Immediately after I see any sign of a sprout. If you don't, then the seedling becomes leggy and potentially weak almost instantly.

[@gedhuffadine1873]

Tha ks for replies

[@Travellingwithakira]

Hi Tanya! Hope you're well, I noticed you said you bought some seeds from bakkar creak seeds, just wondered how it went for delivery for you? I'm worried if I buy some I won't be able to receive the seeds due to customs, I live in the Midlands and have seen some amazing unique seeds from them that we can't get here in the UK but only thing putting me off buying from them is whether I'll be able to receive my goods 😂

[@Lovelygreens]

I was concerned too but they arrived! That order was two years ago though.

[@alexandervarga8090]

Hello, love your content. My tomato seedlings are showing light bleaching from my 250W led growlights 5 inches above. Do u have experience using LEDs? Not sure what height they should be from the seedlings

[@Lovelygreens]

I have a LED grow light that I'll be fetching down from the attic soon! They're great since the light isn't as harsh and there's no heat that comes off the device. You can have them a lot closer to seedlings without the bleaching, burning, and drying out that can happen with conventional bulbs. Plus they're cheaper to run since they don't use as much electricity!

[@ianbrown5486]

What would you use to keep insects off the plants out side you are charming thank you

[@Lovelygreens]

There's nothing wrong with insects on outside plants 🦋🐝🐞👍

[@lkm4110]

Do you have a link for the sticky traps?

[@Lovelygreens]

I'll update the Amazon shop with dome recommendations 🙂

[@Elijah12459]

So can you bury the brasica seedlings deep if they get too leggy like you can the tomatoe seedlings?

[@Lovelygreens]

You can bury almost any veg seeding deep if they're quite young.

[@shakoormuhammad7769]

With you doing today

[@gedhuffadine1873]

When do I pinch out the tops of my chilli plants

[@Lovelygreens]

When the plant has ten leaves you can trim the growing tip off to get bushier plants. You don't have to do this though, it's just a technique for sturdier and potentially more productive plants.

[@ruthalvarado619]

What exactly is a propergater and where do you get it?

[@gardengatesopen]

People in the States call them humidity domes. Also called - a lid. They come with the seed starting kit/trays.

[@gardengatesopen]

You can also use plastic wrap. Just use anything that let's light in, and keeps the humidity inside. You don't actually need to buy a seed kit.

[@Lovelygreens]

I have an electric propagator and the simple plastic dome lids. Both are available from gardening suppliers or Amazon.

[@gardengatesopen]

@Lovely Greens oh, ok. What does the electric propagator do? I thought the dome lid is what y'all call the propagator in your country.

[@trevorwills3356]

@@gardengatesopen The electric propagator warms the soil which speeds up the germination of seeds.

[@aventureabeille9257]

M'y cat 🐈😁🤭🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃

[@gedhuffadine1873]

I have give up on cauliflowers! My nemasis

[@Lovelygreens]

A lot of people find them challenging.

[@duncanrobinson3200]

@@Lovelygreens I am growing 'All The Year Round' caulis this year, the main thing I have always found with cauliflowers is they like a rich soil with plenty of rotted manure applied in the previous winter ideally.

[@Lovelygreens]

@@duncanrobinson3200 I'm growing the same variety this year :)

[@ayobranch3305]

My cat peed on my kale seedlings 😡😡😡

[@Lovelygreens]

Oops!