Seed plantation sounds alluring and it takes your home garden to the next level. Seeing those vegetables or pulses growing in your backyard or rooftop is a soul satiating experience and this is why everyone, at some stage of their gardening, turns to seed planting, instead of just buying plants from the nursery.
One such plant that you can grow not only for vegetables or pulses but for attracting bees as well is tur seed. But the bitter truth of growing tur seeds in your home garden is not everyone out there is good at planting seeds, especially in the case of tur seeds.
It’s true that every seed packet you buy from the market or from the online store comes with its own set of instructions. But in many cases, even after sticking to the instructions, the seeds fail to germinate. This is what thwarts many people from growing vegetable or pulses plants from seed and they rather turn to the costly plants from the nursery.
Instead of just sticking to the instructions, you should also know about the common mistakes that people make while planting tur seeds and this is what we are going to address in this blog post.
Delving too deep
This is one of the most common mistakes that most first-time seed planters do and this is also the main reason why your seed might not be germinating even after following the exact instructions you read online or mentioned on the seed packet.
If you plant the tur seeds too deep in the soil then the seed will fail to germinate since seeds have a limited amount of energy to come out of the soil surface and when the distance between the seed and the top layer of soil will be too much, the seed will end up rotting inside the soil.
According to the thumb rule, the depth should never be more than a fingernail and this is an ideal depth not only for tur seeds but every type of seed that you may plant in the future.
The wrong temperature
Not only the depth of soil you dig for planting seeds matter but even the temperature around which you plant your seed will play a crucial role in your success. Although different seeds require different temperatures, in most cases, seeds grow perfectly in gentle heat and the same goes for tur seeds as well.
Many people just plant the tur seeds and leave them at the same spot but this is not an ideal approach as the plantation must be moved at every stage of its growth to provide the ideal temperature.
Once the tur seed starts germinating, you must move the pot to a cooler and slightly brighter spot as this is a normal growing condition for any germinated seed.
The ideal temperature for tur seeds during germination is around 30-35 degrees Celsius but during vegetation, the plant requires a bit lower temperature (20-25 degree celsius).
Overwatering
Watering full-grown plants is completely different from watering seed plantations and therefore, most people who plant seeds for the first time end up overwatering. This can rot the seeds and you will never see your tur seeds growing into full-length plants.
Planting seeds is like caressing a pet, you do it too much and your pet will develop an aversion to it. The same goes for watering as well. You should never make a timetable of watering as with a timetable, you might end up watering your plant even when there is no need.
You should always wait until the soil starts to feel dry and here dry means only a little bit of dry, not like drought dry. Whenever you water the planted tur seeds, there should always be a little bit of moisture in the soil.
Not using the right growing medium
The one thing that you should always avoid is skimping on your seed growing medium as this is another common mistake that might prevent your seed from properly germinating. Always keep in mind that the growing medium is the foundation of plant stock and if you don’t get it right, all your efforts to turn your average garden into a kitchen garden will go astray.
If you want your tur seeds to grow properly, you must always choose a soilless seed starting mix. These are a mixture of coconut fiber, peat and perlite. The best thing about this mixture is its ideal consistency and fluffiness.
Growing tur seeds at home is not rocket science but there are a couple of things that you must keep in mind while planting these seeds. By following the common instructions and by avoiding the above-mentioned mistakes, you can inundate your garden with tur plants and attract bees and butterflies.
