Apartments, no matter how comfortable they are for people, are not the most suitable place for growing seedlings.
Due to the peculiarities of urban development or the location of windows relative to the cardinal directions, plants may not have enough sun. But this is only one of the reasons.
Let's figure out how to properly place seedlings on one windowsill to cause minimal stress to the plants.
Choosing the best window sill
For seedlings, it is better to allocate the most illuminated window sill - this is the southern side of the house. If this is simply not possible, then you will have to compensate for the lack of sunlight with phytolamps.
Number of plants
It is not difficult to calculate the norm. On average, for normal growth and development of seedlings, no more than 14 eggplants or tall tomatoes aged 8 weeks can be placed on an area of 100x10 cm. Low-growing tomato varieties will fit 18 pieces, if these are bushes up to 6 weeks old.
Cabbage and pepper seedlings up to 8 weeks old are more compact, and therefore, in the same area, we can safely place up to 36 and 30 bushes, respectively.
You can increase the useful area by 1.5-2 times if you install a rack on the window sill. But the second tier should be installed no lower than the middle of the window.
Preparation
First, you need to close all the cracks through which cold air can come in. Dry and hot air coming from the battery also needs to be insulated with improvised material or periodically cover the radiator with a damp cloth.
Temperature
Before emergence, it is necessary to create conditions in accordance with the crops being grown. For tomatoes, this is 20-25, peppers and eggplants 25-30, for cabbage 18-20, and for cucumbers 25-28 degrees Celsius.
Light
In sunny weather, seedlings are watered every 1-2 days, and in a hot room up to 2 times a day. In cold and cloudy climates, watering is reduced.
As for additional lighting, it is set individually for each crop. For example, for nightshades, it is 12-15 hours a day.
Air humidity
In the room where the seedlings are growing, the optimal humidity levels are as follows:
- for peppers and eggplants – 60-65%;
- for cucumbers, zucchini and cauliflower – 70-80%;
- other crops feel comfortable at 70% air humidity.
