While growing plants right from their seed stages come with a broad set of advantages, it is also a lot more challenging. Not to mention that it takes painstaking time and regular effort. But the efforts are worth it. This guide divides the whole process into seven easy-to-follow steps that significantly diminish the action you need to put in to grow a plant. These steps are as follows:

1. Plant Your Seeds Only in Suitable Periods

Like most other aspects of gardening, if you want your seeds to grow up to healthy plants, then one of the main factors for you to consider timing. If you plant your seeds too early, you make them vulnerable to unexpected frosts. If you plant them too late, it will not give them adequate time to mature into healthy plants. However, seed packets are usually stamped with planting schedules which makes the process a whole lot easier. If that isn't available, there are plenty of location-specific online resources like planting calendars to help you with that. Use them according to the situation at hand

2. Make Sure You Have All the Required Supplies at Hand

You don't need that many supplies to plant your seeds and watch them grow into healthy plants. The first thing you need is healthy seeds. You can order them online or from specialized seed catalogs. Another great source of high-quality seeds is local garden shops and even seed swaps. If you choose the online method, one great thing about the option is the plenty of available seller reviews. Please make sure the seeds are fresh, and remember to store them in a cool dark place. Other necessary supplies are as follows:

Seedling trays
Propagation dome or grow tents
Vermiculite and Rockwool cubes
Grow lights
Small fan(s)
An outlet timer

You can use other instruments devised to serve the purpose of many of these supplies. Before you use these supplies, make sure that you clean them; otherwise, the seeds might be exposed to various diseases.

3. Plant Your Seeds

It is the best practice amongst seasoned gardeners to soak their seeds overnight in the water contained in a shallow bowl. That serves to enhance both the quality and speed of the germination. However, it would be best if you did not soak tiny seeds that you can lose quickly or those who sprout well without soaking them. Half an hour before you intend to plant your seeds, thoroughly wash the Rockwool cube supplies you have acquired, and then only grow a suitable number of seeds. After you are done planting the seeds, you will find a seed hole on every used Rockwool cube. Fill each such gap with dry and coarse vermiculite. This will facilitate the germination of seeds by giving them moisture.

4. Try To Make The Conditions Conducive for Germination

You want the seeds to be comfortable once you have planted them. Temperature is a crucial factor regarding this. If the area where your seeds are planted is cooler than optimum, you need to consider heating options. Another thing to do is cover the seedling tray with the propagation dome, which helps create a warm, humid climate inside. You can also consider growing tents for the same, which is especially helpful if you are growing your plants indoors. Here is a review of the best grow tent, and once the germination is successful, make sure to remove the dome and turn off the heating, if any. Otherwise, your little plant may get fungal pathogens-led diseases.

5. Ensure That Your Seeds Stays Healthy

Plants, of course, need water. Accordingly, the Rockwool cubes need to be moist but not to the point of being oversaturated. At first sight of anything green emerging from the seed, you need to bring it to light. Despite conventional knowledge, the light received by a window, even if it's big and faces the southern direction, is unlikely to suffice, especially if it's wintertime. If the weather is, after all, cold, consider moving the germinated seeds next to T8 or T5 fluorescent lights and make sure the former receive 14-16 hours of exposure to light every day. After the first week, you will need to feed your plants with nutrients, so accordingly, keep your mineral blends ready

6. Make Sure Your Seeds Are Strong

If you intend to place your seeds outdoors and not keep them inside your house, you need to harden them a bit. You can achieve this by making a small fan softly blow on them. It will make them hardy and resist the natural wind swings they will encounter outdoors besides preventing plant disease. Another good idea is to weed out the other shoots when one has already grown a pair of leaves, i.e., keep only one plant per Rockwool cube. However, such practices depend on the nature of the plant- whether they are fruits or herbs and greens.

7. Transplant Your Plant

Once your seedlings grow as big as three inches in length, and their roots protrude from the Rockwool cube's bottom, you need to transplant it. Remember to harden your seeds one week before doing this. You can achieve the same by exposing the seeds to outdoor environments in increasing periods of hours. Lastly, plug these fresh, hardened seedlings into the garden and admire them as they grow up to be happy, joyful plants, not much unlike little children.

The growth of seeds into a plant is a process that the greatest intellect ever-nature has designed. These steps will ensure that your seeds receive adequate support as they flourish like it is meant to be. Happy growing!