Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've tried parsley but nothing came up and only had 1 of 10 basil seeds sprout. Anyone have any tips or tricks for starting seeds without rockwool or peat or are these my only options?

Hi I have never had much luck with parsley or basil,try some lettuce and you will get about ten out of ten .I usually start seeds off in vermiculite or perlite.Most things should be easyer than basil or parsley.

Parsley and Basil are both easy, parsley grows as a weed at our place, for starting seeds I use coir peat.

Check the planting guide 'planting by the moon'

How does mooning help.

I have tried most things from seed in hydroton, and they just work

If they are really tiny seeds, chuck them in some wadded paper towel or cotton so they dont fall too far down.

+1 what obo said, it works fine for me.

So then do you all plant them just like you would in soil according to the package directions or do you just place them at about top water level? I'm used to using peat discs but would love to just be able to shove in seeds and watch them grow. Sorry if this is a super noob question.

Not at all a noob question...
I can only speak for me...
As per directions, though AP is more forgiving
as the available water, food and air, are more readily
taken up
Just bung em in!
But before you do that make sure they are coming into
optimal timing for germination.
...and that the moon is going to be favourable
Favourable meaning the seeds wont just sit there
and go moldy.

And for those new to the concept of sowing seed according to the lunar phase... what's the best time C1 ...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=328&hilit=planting+by+the+moon&start=0

Too much to tell better to read
currently quoting so my head is elsewhere

I just start Seeds in Propagating sand,
It's very loose,easy to wash off, maintains a level of moisture, is re-usable and I think inert.
The seed itself is the initial food source to get the plant started.
I hardly have any trouble getting Vegitable seeds to start.

Your problem maybe that the tempeture is to low for the seeds to germinate, Flowing water is colder than standing water.
The Waded paper or Cotton wool as mentioned may help.

People in warmer climates would have considerably less trouble.

Cheers
Ron

Goola - just seen your post about parsley. We grow loads of the stuff in rockwool,peat etc. We have found the secret of getting parsley seeds to germinate is to soak the seeds in water for 24 hours then drop them into the plugs. Don't cover them and they all seem to germinate. Get fresh seeds every year as biennial plant seeds don't seem to have a great shelf life, not the ones we have bought. Parsley likes a fairly warm temperature to germinate.
As for basil make sure that the plugs aren't too wet as the seeds will rot.
Our climate is very damp and we have to be careful that the plants don't damp off so getting the seeds away without a hitch can be touch and go.
At the moment our flat leafed parsley is doing great in the AP and hydro despite having suffered frozen growbeds and sub zero temperatures.Tough old plant.

WD

Yep, making sure you have appropriate temperatures for the particular seeds to germinate. Picking the right timing can help too.
Main things with seeds in media, you need to make sure the seeds will get enough moisture without being washed away by the water and still be in either light or dark depending on what the particular seed needs.

As noted, some tissue or wicking material (like clean cotton or rayon mop strings) to hold the small seeds and keep them moist enough to germinate can be very helpful.

Thanks WD and all. I will give the parsley soaking a try as soon as I get back from my 3 week trip overseas. I think C1, Ron, and TCLynx were all right in terms of the basil. I think my homemade LED light covers were keeping things way too moist due to lack of ventilation. I took the covers off, we had a nice week of sun through the window and combine that with I think C1's favorable moon mojo and I got a few sprouts directly in the hydroton. Now if I can just keep my two year old to leave them alone.