Geminating seeds can be a bit of a ‘fingers crossed’ exercise, but you can significantly improve your chances of success by having the right tools for the job
We’ve picked five that we really rate…
This is coir-based and expands when water is added. It's peat-free but when we did a trial using this alongside everyday peat-free compost, we saw significantly better germination rates from seeds.
We've all ordered it again for this year
- It comes compacted and expands when you add water
- It contains coir which must be imported - but its very lightweight
Perfect for seed germination, this bundle of seedling widger AND tamper is what you need to give your seeds the very best chance of germination.
Tamper - It’s widely recognised now that you should firm and level compost in seed trays before seed sowing for improved germination.
Size: 8cm square.
Widger: The support from this widger helps avoid damage to delicate young plants – and especially those all-important root systems - while transplanting, allowing more of your seedlings to survive and thrive.
- Tamper is perfect for getting right into the corner of your seed tray
- Widger allows greater accuracy than a teaspoon
- Can't think of any!
Many seeds love a little heat underneath them to get going. Tomato seeds being a prime example.
This heated propagator will fit nicely on a windowsill (near a socket) and four compartments is probably all you're going to need at any one time as a hobby gardener.
Caroline has one with seven modules and it's really too long - plus one rarely needs to germinate seven different types of seed at once - spaces are being heated with nothing on them.
Especially handy at the start of the season - before the air temperature is dependably warm, a heated propagator is a God-send, and this one is a good size and reasonably priced.
Annoyingly they don't give its measurements but you could reckon on about 26 x 30cms
- Uses hardly any electricity
- Offers a very nice temperature for seeds to germinate
- Not so big it will be a problem to store
- It's only needed for a few weeks of the year so requires storing
Even the most delicate of seeds are able to grow up through a fine layer of grit.
It's the perfect material to sprinkle over pots of compost once you've sown your seeds. It has sufficient weight to press seeds safely against their growing medium and to hold them in place should someone have watered them a little too enthusiastically.
Horticultural grit is also handy year-round with many of us adding it to our compost to provide a bit more air and drainage in the soil.
Finally if you have damp areas in your garden (Caroline) it can be a good idea to throw a handful of horticultural grit into the bottom of planting holes to aid drainage - your plants will thank you for it!
- Very handy for seeds and still handy the rest of the year
- Easy and clean to handle
- Extremely heavy to lift, so buy it this way from Amazon and get it delivered!
Providing just a fine shower of water from every 'squish' this is the perfect watering can for your seed trays.
Refreshingly simple by design, it's a question of filling it up...and squeezing. It issues a fine mist which is all they need and much better than a 'gloup' from a spout.
- Practical and fun to use
- Great looking piece of kit
- Don't let children near it - you'll never get it back
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