Here's the main problem: I have other seeds that have not germinated yet in the same trays You are right that is your primary problem and you have learned a valuable lesson about how to plant next year. Never mix different seeds or even different varieties of the same seed in the same pack/row/container. You have to be able to separate and treat each individually. You'll have to cut the cell packs into individual cells if necessary - commonly done - or prick out and transplant into other posts the ones that have germinated. And don't overwater the seeds that haven't germinated either. Seeds don't have to be wet to germinate. And if some seeds of the same variety that have already germinated don't pop up within a few days then they aren't going to. You seldom get more than 80-85% germination even with ideal conditions - and your aren't ideal. 6 cells wide and my cherry tomatoes take up about 2 rows and 2 cells) Not sure why you have rows in cells? Just not seeing that picture. How many cherry tomatoes are you growing? You can germinate 5-6 plants in a 1" square cell, 10-12 in a 2" easily. We germinate 40-50 plants of each variety in 4" cells routinely. Then transplant them to individual cells when the first true leaves pop up. I put a heater on in the room that the seedlings are in and the temp is up above room temp (in the 80's). Supposedly the rate of mold growth significantly decreases at this temperature. Not sure what the source of your info is for that. Warming up the air temperature only increases the amount of fungus growth. It doesn't reduce it. Heat is used for germination only, not growing once germinated. And even then it is soil heat that is needed, not air heat. In the greenhouse as soon as the plants break the soil surface they are immediately removed from any heat source and moved to an area where the temp is maintained at a constant 60-65 degrees max. That and minimal watering is what keeps any molds or fungi from developing. Young seedlings will tolerate too little water FAR better than they will tolerate too much water. Dave

Rebecca, As busy1 said, soil is full of disease and also sometimes carries some soilborne pests like nematodes. He mentioned the way native soil packs down too (as did some of the others) and with seedlings that's especially an issue because their roots are so tiny. Since you have to water tiny seedlings in flats frequently, the soil is constantly packing down more and more and more which means the plants struggle all the time to make new root growth in compacted soil. Seed-starting mixes are very lightweight and fluffy and drain very well and that's ideal for germination and good root growth. They are made from materials that don't pack down like natural soil does. They are sterile too, whch is of the utmost importance. Even with a sterile, soil-less seed-starting mix, your plants can become diseased because some diseases are airborne and some are carried on the seeds themselves (using treated seed helps avoid these). Sterile mixes help reduce the chance you'll lose seedlings to disease but doesn't totally prevent it from happening. If you overwater plants in soil-less mixes, they'll often get damping off and die, but not nearly as much as they will if you attempt to grow in ordinary soil. I wet down my sterile, soil-less seed-starting mix similar to the methods the others mentioned before planting as the even moisture helps seeds germinate more quickly, and I only water from the top as Jay does. Bottom watering has never worked as well for me. Helen, I like your suggestion to cut apart the flat so the ones that haven't got sprouted seeds can be handled separately from the others. I've done that before, just using small scissors to cut the flats apart. Carol, Looks like we're back to "normal" again here in Oklahoma...your soil is too wet and my soil is too dry. The more things change, the more they remain the same. My Fraction Water Index at 2 inches is down to 0.2. I haven't looked at yours but I'm guessing it is at 1.0. Y'all can send some of that rain down here when you get tired of it! Dawn

Haven't we learned the difference between "bedding" and "food" yet? Bedding is high in carbon. Food is high in nitrogen. What MichyTan is describing is probably balanced. It can be considered both bedding and food. Or neither, depending on how thoroughly it has been composted. Having said that, I, like Wormsome, wouldn't use it exclusively as bedding or food. Toss some in the bin and see how the worms respond to it. You describe 95% of what is in it. I would want to know what the other 5% is. It may be something the worms don't care for.

Yes I've grown them many times and like that variety. I do save some plants every fall for cuttings in the spring but I do grow 1 variety or color from seed every year so I can have different colors and combinations. Maverick grows very well from seed and has nice branching and flowers. Almost every seed sprouts for me every time. They do have to be started early though because they take a long time to reach the blooming stage. Right now I have Maverick rose, that I planted 3 days ago on my heat mat. They will be ready to set outside at the end of may and many will have flower stalks. Most zonal geraniums grow easily from seed but as I said they do take a while. I use pro mix BX and moisten it right through--not too wet. I use a heat mat and humidity hood to sprout them. I use a light set up until I open my greenhouse in the spring when I transfer them to it but they would grow well if I left them under lights. Just make sure you don't over water. Geraniums hate wet feet. I keep the seeds damp for geremination but once they are growing I let them dry out and then I bottom water