How to Germinate Nicotiana

Mix a palm full of nicotiana seeds with about 1/2 cup of sand and 1/2 cup of potting soil. Sprinkle the mixture around the area where you want your plants in the garden. Tamp the area down gently but don't worry about burying or covering the seeds. They are small and will easily begin to sprout in a couple of weeks if you water the area in well.

Use the same mix if planting several pots indoors. If you are instead using a flat to start plants to later transplant, begin about four to eight weeks before the last frost is expected. Fill the flats with potting soil to within 1/4 of the lip. Place one to three seeds within each small growing cell, and press them into the surface gently.

Water lightly. Put the flat in a warm location in your home. Watch and keep the flat slightly moist until seeds begin to germinate. This takes about a week or two after planting unless you are growing species nicotiana, which might take longer. Ideal temperature for germination is about 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Relocate the flat to a sunny area after seedlings appear. Alternatively, put the flat under grow lights. Thin to the strongest plant by pinching or cutting at the soil line. After all danger of frost has gone, you can move the plants into the garden. Harden them off gradually, giving them about three or four hours outside before planting them into the garden soil.