How to Plant Flower Seeds Indoors
- 1). Lay newspaper on your work surface to protect it from dirt and moisture. Wear gardening gloves if you prefer to keep your hands clean.
- 2). Set your 2-inch clay pots on the newspaper. Use a permanent marker to write the name of the flower seeds you will be planting in each pot. Until seedlings begin to grow, they are often hard to tell apart. Having the names on the pot will be useful as you care for your young plants.
- 3). Place an inch of sphagnum moss over the bottom of the clay pots. This will help with drainage so extra moisture goes out of the bottom of the pot when you water, but the soil stays in.
- 4). Fill each clay pot 2/3 of the way with a sterilized soil mix. Add a layer of sphagnum moss to the top of the soil. Doing this provides a loose, airy seed bed for your flower seeds. Once they begin to establish a root system, the roots will reach down into the soil where the plant will receive fertilizer to help it grow.
- 5). Water the soil and sphagnum moss mixture before planting your seeds. Ensure the soil and moss is thoroughly wet by making sure excess water is running out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the clay pot.
- 6). Push three or four flower seeds into the sphagnum moss in each clay pot. Plant them at the appropriate depth, according to the seed packet directions. Push the sphagnum moss over the seeds to cover them.
- 7). Mist the newly planted flower seeds, using a spray bottle.
- 8). Place each clay pot inside a plastic zip bag. Seal the zip bag to retain moisture and provide your flower seeds with a greenhouse atmosphere for seed germination. Keep the zip bags sealed until your seeds begin to sprout. Avoid opening the bags to water the seeds; there will be enough moisture for germination as long as the bags stay sealed and sufficient water was provided during the planting process.
- 9). Set your sealed clay pots in indirect sunlight. Keep the temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 10
Remove the clay pots from the plastic zip bags when seedlings are a few inches tall and set them near a window with direct sunlight. Water regularly until the excess moisture comes through the drainage holes in the bottom of the clay pots. Allow the soil in your clay pots to dry out between watering but not to the point where seedlings begin to droop. Plant your flower seedlings outdoors when the risk of frost has passed.