Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Germinating sweet william

LittlegrowerLittlegrower Posts: 80
in Problem solving
I have some sweet william seeds but not to sure how to sow them. I have checked online and not too sure which is correct or if all work. One says to surface sow them and not to cover. Another says to lightly move the soil around so that its just covered. And the last is to cover them. 

Which method had worked for you?

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Lightly cover them, if you have vermiculite that would be better, but they’re not fussy, anything goes.   Once you have them, they’ll self seed in the garden, who knows how they get covered then. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    A few years ago I bought some sweet william plugs which I planted.
    I hadn't realised they are biennials and wouldn't flower until the following year, which was a bit frustrating, but they flowered beautifully when they did flower and have self-seeded since.
    I have picked the seed heads when ripe in summer and I sow them then. If you sow the seed in early summer and grow the plants on, you'll get flowering plants the following year.
    As Lyn says they're easy to grow and I cover them in just a little vermiculite or sifted compost

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    when in doubt, I put them on top of the compost and do a graduated covering, open at one side, barely covered in the middle and totally covered at the other side. 


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • LittlegrowerLittlegrower Posts: 80
    Thanks for the help, I'll be sowing sone tomorrow 
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    What a great idea @nutcutlet. I had never thought of doing that, despite all the years I have been sowing seeds.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Sign In or Register to comment.