Parsley plays a special role among the herbs. In contrast to most other herbs, it does not germinate in the light, but rather a dark germinator. That's why you need a lot of patience to grow parsley.
Is parsley a light germinator?
Parsley is not a light germinator, but a dark germinator. Therefore, the sowing of parsley should be covered with a thick layer of soil and kept moist. Germination can take up to four weeks and requires more patience than with light germinators.
This is how you sow the dark germinator parsley
- Let the seeds soak beforehand
- Sow in potting soil or outdoors
- Mix in marking seed or sand outdoors
- Cover seed rows with soil
- Keep soil moist
- Prick out after emergence
Water seeds before sowing
Parsley seed is very hard. If you let the seeds soak in lukewarm water for several hours beforehand, you can shorten the germination process somewhat. Spread the seeds thinly in the seed pots or the rows of seeds in the garden.
Cover the seeds with a layer of soil that must be two to four times as thick as the seed. In the case of parsley, this is approximately 1 to 1.5 centimeters. Gently press the layer of soil onto the seeds.
Place the pots in a warm place or outdoors ensure that the ground is not too cold. Keep the soil surface moist.
Parsley germinates very slowly and irregularly
It can take a good three to four weeks for the first green tips to appear.
Since not every seed actually germinates, you should sow enough seeds. Professional gardeners plant up to ten seeds per pot or sow additional rows outdoors.
When the plants are five centimeters high, you must prick the parsley at a distance of at least ten centimeters. Only one plant remains in the pot at a time. Places in the bed where the seeds have not germinated are filled with surplus plants.
Parsley grows slowly
Parsley not only germinates slowly, you also have to be patient when growing. Therefore, sow the parsley with a marker seed like radishes, which germinate in both light and darkness.
Tips & Tricks
Seeds of dark germs such as parsley react to long-wave light that penetrates thinner soil layers. Short-wave light inhibits the germination process. That's why the seeds of these plants must always be kept dark until they sprout
