Filled in seed starting mix too tightly - sow seeds again?

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Kansas30 Shawnee Mission, KS Feb 02, 2017

I pressed the starting mix (miracle grow seed starter) in the cells with my thumb. I didn't press very hard, but I matted down each cell a couple of times, hard enough to bring the soil down. Do I need to start again?

I found this information on floretflowers.com about tamping down the soil when filling in trays:

"DO tamp down the soil into your containers or cell packs. Then pack it down a teeny bit more. By pressing down on the soil, you not only eliminate air pockets that little rootlets don’t like, but you also make it so much easier to remove your baby plants once they are ready to transplant. I remember mangling a whole mess of baby snapdragons because I had been sloppy about filling the flats with the soil. When it came time to transplant, instead of popping the plants out with a nice solid chunk of soil attached, the soil separated from the roots and I ended up with a crumbly mess and traumatized plants."

Here is the link to the site: http://www.floretflowers.com/2016/02/seed-starting-dos-donts/

I appreciate your comment

Thank you

This message was edited Feb 2, 2017 11:24 PM

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Dragunov79 South Florida, FL(Zone 10b) Feb 02, 2017

It sounds to me like the website your shared is saying to tamp down your starting mix. Maybe you misunderstood? Either way, I always tamp down the starting mix in my cells or peat pots. Not overly hard, but hard enough to make sure it fills the cells and gets rid of the air pockets. You don't have to start over. It sounds like you had it right the first time. Good luck with your seeds!

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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Feb 03, 2017

Don't worry about it. I often just tap the cells or pot on the table a few times, this also is enough to tamp it down some. Even watering will do it.

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