Hi.

I am new here and new to gardening. Recently Ive tried to germinate seeds (and read gardening books eg dummies etc) and have had a hit and miss level of success.

Now I want to sow seeds and care for the ones that have sprouted but the watering bit is very perplexing.

I use clear pots with good drainage plus I could see how far the water goes.

When starting from seeds (eg lavender or dianthus), Ive read that the surface has to be moist. While Ive managed that using a water sprayer-mist, the underlying soil isnt (germination success rate is 50%). How do I properly water seeds (or what does it really mean to keep soil/soil surface moist)? Since I use a clear container, how far down should the water wet the soil when I water seeds?

Similarly, when they have sprouted, how far down should the soil be visibly wet when I water?

Please help. Im outta my wits trying to figure it out.

Thanks