pattypattwo, If you are going to be starting your flower seeds in a sterile medium, it will have no soil microbes to convert urea to nitrates and ammonium ions. For that reason, a lot of people recommend that you use urea free soluble nutrient formulations. Presumably the plant roots cannot take up and use urea, so it just accumulates in your growing medium and if you grow seedlings for a long time in that medium, the urea could build up to harmful levels. Hydroponic gardeners avoid urea for the same reason. So you could use some of the soluble nutrient formulations that they use. I have used a lot of Peters Specialties African Violet Plant Food because it is urea free. As of late I haven't seen it in our local garden supply stores, so it may be discontinued. I now purchase Better-Gro Orchid Plus water soluble orchid food (20-14-13) and Better-Gro Orchid Bloom Booster water soluble orchid food (11-35-15). They are also urea free because urea would be bad for orchids. All three of those products include essential minor trace elements. I get the orchid nutrients from our local Loews home store. Below is a zinnia plant that I grew exclusively with the orchid formula in a little 2½ inch pot. It grew quite a lot despite the small size of the pot. Many orchids grow with essentially no soil, so the orchid food has to be very effective for them to grow well with such limited root volume. MM

I often start perennial and biannual seed in July. Right now I have shasta daisy, sweet william, foxgloves, painted daisy already germinated and am waiting on delphinium, columbine, salvia and sage to get started. I find it much easier to get them started outside when the soil is already warm and the temps make germination faster. If you start seed in July you can expect the plants to flower the following year. Some perennial and biannual seeds are very easy and some are hard. I follow directions on back of packet as far as if the seed needs to be covered or needs light and some need to be frozen for a while, set them on wet miracle grow potting mix, water well, but gently and put in a shady place until germination starts and then I move them to an area that gets a few hours of morning sun a day. Once their first set of true leaves is out I will move them into a place that gets 4 or 5 hours of morning sun. When their second set of leaves shows up the seedlings will be moved to either a nursery bed in my veg garden or for some into their permanent spot right away. The bulk will go to the veg garden and those I might cover with shade cloth if it is very hot (it will be in Arkansas in August). The hardest thing is to keep the soil moist while germination is going on and when they are vey small. Sometimes I have a complete failure, but for some like shasta, sweet william, foxgloves, painted daisy, gillardia they are so easy you will get dozens of plants. Almost always I get at least a few. Well worth the couple of bucks the packet of seed costs. Hope this helps.

Thanks Karyn! I've ventured now into "hydroponic" tomatoes. . . setting up the DWC (deep water culture) to give that a shot. Got some an inch tall, and some are just starting to germinate. Gonna try to get a setup going where I can "harvest" tomatoes soon. . . .since they grow so much faster than tomato plants in the soil. (I didn't get around to starting it until last week. . .been brutal busy.)

I have been starting flower seeds indoors for years and have a great deal of experience with success and failure. I wanted some information on heating mats and saw the discussion. Last year was the first year I used a heat mat but had to buy new ones this year due to losing my home and contents to a fire. I bought one mat from a trusted garden supply (too expensive) 2 off the internet, and recently a kit with mat from a big box store. On this last one I was appalled that the directions stated you should put the mat on a timer. I was told by my trusted garden shop that I needed the timer on the lights but that mats need to be on 24/7, which I already knew. So when I read the box, I hit the internet for answers. I have used a small enclosure off the finished part of the basement for my plant room, with grow lights timers, shelves, etc. and have had some wonderful results. When they did the rebuild I told them I wanted the same but refined. I have four outlets with a programmable timer and 4 outlets without timer for heat mats. I just started my first tray last night with heating mat, dome and light about 2" above dome, giving them 8 hours of darkness each day. I do not have a thermostat but a thermometer. My home thermostat drops to 64 while at work 5 days a week, to 67 during the night and is around 70-72 the rest of the time. So I will am hoping the mat will make up for the fluctuations. Even though I have been growing from seed indoors for years, I still need lots of help. Over the years I have heard that seeds do not need light to germinate, only heat. Others say they need both. I have always heard that once the seedlings emerge, both the dome and heat goes off. I have notes that say light should be no more than 6" above plants while others say no more than 1". I look forward to hearing more comments from newbies and veterans by joining this group. In the meantime, I just hope my snapdragons, impatiens and coleus I started last night will be off to a good start. I started later than I wanted and will be adding more tomorrow until all four mats and four hanging lights on the new plant are filled with trays. (and by the way, I freeze the seed packs before planting which shortens germination time too) Just thinking about my sad stories of losing plants from damping off, leggy plants, etc. but hope I can help others while learning more while waiting for Spring and a new garden in my newly built home. To think of the great results I have had with just egg cartons, covered with elastic bowl covers, near home heat source in front of sunny window, transplanted to Activia yogurt (perfect size) cups friends saved for me. So much fun learning on a small investment! Your thoughts are appreciated.