Stages of Producing Vegetable and Flowering Herbaceous Seedlings

The production of vegetable seedlings and flowering annuals (herbaceous plants) is carried out through several key stages, summarized as follows:

1. Tray Filling with Growing Medium

Trays are filled with 100% sphagnum peat moss, enriched with essential nutrients.
The peat mixture (fine and coarse grades) is blended in specific ratios depending on:

• The type of crop (vegetable or flowering annual), as each requires a particular growing medium (potting soil) suitable for seedling size and growth rate.

• The growing season (summer or winter), with customized mixes adapted to temperature and evaporation rates.

2. Seed Sowing

Vegetable seeds are sown in multi-cell trays, with cell count depending on plant type and desired size at marketing:

• 6-cell trays: Fruiting vegetables such as cucumber, watermelon, and squash.

• 72-cell trays: Solanaceous crops like tomato, eggplant, and pepper.

• 128-cell trays: Leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower.

Flowering annuals are typically sown directly into 5-inch (12.5 cm) pots, although in some cases they are first sown in multi-cell trays and then transplanted into marketing pots once they reach a suitable size.

3. Covering Trays and Pots with Vermiculite

This process aims to:

• Retain moisture around the seeds to promote rapid and uniform germination.

• Protect young leaves from direct exposure to air and ensure even seedling growth during early stages.

4. Transferring Trays to Climate-Controlled Greenhouses

This step ensures:

• Precise control of temperature and humidity to accelerate germination.

• Seedlings remain in climate-controlled conditions until they reach optimal size for marketing.

5. Transplanting or Potting-On

Flowering annuals initially grown in trays are automatically transplanted at a specific stage into marketing pots.
For large vegetable seedlings, the plants are moved into larger-cell trays to allow further root development.

6. Hardening of Seedlings

Seedlings are acclimatized to prepare them for open-field or protected cultivation by placing them in screen-protected areas, isolated from insects.
During this stage, high-quality pesticides and biostimulants are applied to ensure disease-free seedlings with strong and healthy root systems.