Stratification?

Posts

• clarke.brunt Posts: 215

  February 2021

  That's a tricky one! I have grown it, by scattering in the autumn/winter, and then by it re-seeding in later years (it's an annual, so has to re-seed to continue). It does germinate very early in the year, probably to get ahead of grass and other plants, so it's flowered and seeded before everything else gets too tall. I believe that seeds have to be wet for cold-stratifying to work - cold but dry might preserve them, but is unlikely to help them to grow.

  
  

  The first hit I got with a web search for "sow yellow rattle" was https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/how-to-grow-yellow-rattle-rhinanthus-minor which said "[sowing] must be done by November as the seeds need about 4 months of temperatures dipping below 5C in order to germinate in spring. Seed sown after Christmas germinates poorly."

  
  

  If you tried the freezer-stratifying (I think occasional freezer, and occasional normal fridge or warmer), then by the time that was over, it would be way later than normal germination season for Yellow Rattle - not sure what the effect of that would be.

  
  

  You could keep them until next winter (they're said to be short-lived, but maybe not that short), or try just sowing them now, or try your stratifying. Depends how many you've got, and what you fancy trying. And then get more next winter in time to sow them by November!
  

  
  

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• connie77 Posts: 151

  February 2021

  oh well, Thanks Clarke, I thought that might be the case? Unfortunately my Allotment is on a island & we flood on a regular basis( had 5& a half feet last year!) I can’t leave it over Winter, it was an idea to grow it to shift the couch grass, 

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