The best tips for growing pansies from seed are to decide whether they will be grown indoors or outdoors, to give them the necessary care for either location, and to learn how to identify and prevent common diseases. Pansies can be successfully grown from seed in both indoor or outdoor setups, although each location will have different requirements, such as lighting and watering times, for optimal results. Diseases are a relatively common occurrence, particularly for gardeners growing pansies from seed for the first time. Fortunately, most issues can be identified easily enough, allowing the grower to adjust the watering or the placement of the pansies.
Growing pansies from seed indoors usually requires a seeding tray or nursery containers. If a tray is being used, the most important tip to keep in mind is to give each seed enough space and to plant the seeds at the correct depth in the soil. Pansies have the best chance to thrive if placed 2 inches (about 5 cm) apart and at about 0.125 inches (about 3 mm) deep. The soil should be kept slightly moist and only watered when the surface begins to appear dry. Growing lamps can be used, but it may be easier, and is just as acceptable, to place the container on a sunny windowsill.
When one is planning to grow pansies from seed in an outdoor location, it is important to remember that the seedlings need a minimum of six hours of full sunlight every day. One of the best tips is to plant the seeds in the mid-summer months, which gives the pansies enough time to grow and to become strong enough to live through the winter. Watering should only be necessary once every two days, although if the soil becomes dry sooner, it is acceptable to water more frequently. The soil should be moist throughout the daylight hours. When the outdoor temperature becomes colder and wintertime begins, watering is usually only necessary once per week, or even every ten days, depending on the weather conditions.
Diseases that can interrupt the process not only of growing pansies from seed but of pansies in all stages of life, include root rot, mildew, and leaf spots. Root rot can be identified by a yellow tinge on the leaves or a drooping or weak-looking plant or seedling. This is most commonly caused by over watering, which causes the soil to be too wet. Mildew is a common problem encountered by many gardeners and can usually be prevented by ensuring that the pansies are not placed too closely together, in order to allow enough air to flow between them. Leaf spots are generally brown or reddish in appearance and may be caused by watering the plant from above, causing excess moisture to remain on the leaves.