@Lyn, it's not that most
things are not coming up. I have 8 large gravel trays filled with 9cm pots of
the fruits of my sowings (albeit two of these trays are tomatoes, peppers
aubergines and tomatillos.) So I am not at all discouraged. Some things come up
within days, which is very gratifying, but I am just as happy when things come
up after a few weeks. Just not sure what to do with the apparent duds - how
long to wait until I exile them from the propagator and possibly even the house. (I only have one useable windowsill and a shelf in the lean to, so the sitting room is getting a bit jungle-like.)
I have ordered some verbena plants and won't
bother to sow any more seeds. I have three plants in the back garden. I have no
idea what seedlings look like, but will investigate in due course to see if any
come up. I used to pass a grand house on the way to the station every day that
had them just behind it's front wall, and came to love them, and would like to
try to emulate that behind my small front wall. Last year, out the back, I
alternated them with sunflowers of a similar height against a sunny fence, and
they looked rather nice.
I might have another go with the violets. I
realize that wild seeds can be more hit and miss. I have a lot of dog violets
in the garden, which I love, but liked the idea of scented violets. In
the end I might just cast the seeds on the ground.
All but one type of Cosmos I sowed came up (very
quickly.) Fascinating to see how much they grow in the course of just one
day. The ones that didn't were seed bought last year or possibly the year
before.
The nigellas are dragging it's heals (I
wanted to have a go doing some indoors. I will sow some inside too. Some
cornflowers (same thing) came up, some didn't. I have to say my calendula have
been a bit patchy in their germination. New seed from Sarah Raven.
Meanwhile I am still getting a bit of legginess in
spite of using grow lights. I can't quite seem to get that right. But it's
better than last year.
I grew my V.Bon from seeds years ago, I seem to remember they took ages to come up so give them longer. I’ve never used a propagator or lights, I prefer to rely on nature’s own, no one goes into the garden and shoves a heat or a lamp over self sown seeds, they come up when they thing the conditions are right. You need to think about their natural conditions. There’s a lot of seeds you never cover, just lay on top of the compost. some need a cold spell, a propagator will ruin those.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I've not been very successful with some seeds either (first year concerted effort at growing from seeds). Some have come up beautifully, perhaps too much as I sowed too early and they got leggy, others are still M.I.A after weeks or perhaps only one or two tiny seedlings. Verbena has not been a success story for me. But, like @fidgetbones said, I have dumped the seemingly unproductive seed trays where I would have located the plants and am hoping for a surprise.
I’ve never used a propagator or lights, I prefer to rely on nature’s own, no one goes into the garden and shoves a heat or a lamp over self sown seeds, they come up when they thing the conditions are right. You need to think about their natural conditions.
I agree. Natural light all the way when it's possible. But I have very limited space in my house. Sash and french windows = no windowsills to speak of. I am also very much aware that once I have to start doing a two hour daily commute again, I am going to have less time to do all this so I wanted to get ahead... and also spread out the tasks associated with growing things from seed.
The grow lights were supplementing grey March light and in some instances, because I have so little room, replacing it. I am still experimenting (optimal distance from plant is an issue I have not resolved) and move things into natural light as much and as soon as I can. Hopefully problems will be ameliorated, althlough by no means eliminated entirely, by a greenhouse. (WIP)
Many of the seeds that didn't come up had companions, from the same packet, that did under the same conditions, so in most cases, I can't blame the propagator either. Seeds that need light and little or no cover have had that treatment. (My echinacea are coming up nicely.) Seeds that needed colder temperatures have been started off in a cold frame outside. i.e. I don't think I am necessarily doing anything wrong. (Although if I am, I would be more than happy to find out that I am.) I research what I am doing before I do it, and make records of what I have done to help me learn when things don't work out. I think though some seeds just don't come up.
However as I said, most things are coming up, but some aren't and I just wanted to know how long people usually wait until they give up, if they do. I am, though, coming to the conclusion that yes, inspite of what seed packets imply, things grow best in cooler conditions, ideally outside, later in the year (spring 'proper'). Nevertheless many people do start seeds off indoors. Presumably all the big growers do so in heated (?) polytunnels to be able to get plants to us as early as they do. If it works, it works.
Trouble with most seed packets they say sow and keep at 20c, impossible I reckon,I don't have anywhere that warm.a lot is trial and error.ive been gardening,60 years,and it wasn't that many years ago that I am read an article by Alan titchmarsh which said you could expect 80% germination,I thought I was doing some thing wrong.i haven't tried it myself but Terry Walton does his seeds in a bag of damp compost in the airing cupboard
Well that's interesting to know. I get about 95% germination success with all the veg I grow, I reckon, but flowering plants seem more pernickety. (And I am newish to non-edibles, so this was a bit of a surprise.) I have a propagator with controllable temperature... in principle, but it seems hard to keep it down below 24. Not sure if it's working properly tbh although this is the propagator with grow lights which throw off some heat. I suppose ideally it would be sited in an unheated room. (It turned out to be a bit bigger than I realize so can't go elsewhere.)
It seems from what people are saying about meconopsis, aquilegia and viola, is that they are best sown outside in autumn in a sheltered corner or cold frame, and presumably they shouldn’t ever see the warmth of the inside of your house or a grow light, but grown on outdoors closer to natural conditions. If I’m interpreting that correctly, if you sowed them recently and kept them indoors, isn’t that the principal problem rather than how much longer to give them?
I tried sowing cultivated aquilegia seeds my SIL gave me direct outside in the spring, following a decent period of stratification in the fridge but that didn’t work. However, I collected the seeds of the lovely purple aquilegias that grow wild about here and immediately tossed them under trees and alongside garden paths, so probably around May time. A fair number turned up the following year.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Has anyone grown Eryngium seeds before as I have relentlessly tried over the years. This year I've sown Blue Glitter after being in the fridge for a couple of weeks, and it's been two weeks under heat and lights - still no action. (I've also bought plants but they never thrived in the garden). I was successful last year with sown phlox Creme de Brulee and Cherry Caramel, but this year they haven't germinated at all. Maybe they needed to be new seed bought? There are loads of other seeds I'd love to grow but over the years, I ended up admitting defeat but still long for them...
Is there a decent comprehensive book on sowing flower seeds?
When I have a tray of seeds that don't/won't grow, I place it outside, water when I think to and have sometimes been rewarded with them germinating...... could be months later, always a lovely surprise.
Posts
@Lyn, it's not that most things are not coming up. I have 8 large gravel trays filled with 9cm pots of the fruits of my sowings (albeit two of these trays are tomatoes, peppers aubergines and tomatillos.) So I am not at all discouraged. Some things come up within days, which is very gratifying, but I am just as happy when things come up after a few weeks. Just not sure what to do with the apparent duds - how long to wait until I exile them from the propagator and possibly even the house. (I only have one useable windowsill and a shelf in the lean to, so the sitting room is getting a bit jungle-like.)
I have ordered some verbena plants and won't bother to sow any more seeds. I have three plants in the back garden. I have no idea what seedlings look like, but will investigate in due course to see if any come up. I used to pass a grand house on the way to the station every day that had them just behind it's front wall, and came to love them, and would like to try to emulate that behind my small front wall. Last year, out the back, I alternated them with sunflowers of a similar height against a sunny fence, and they looked rather nice.
I might have another go with the violets. I realize that wild seeds can be more hit and miss. I have a lot of dog violets in the garden, which I love, but liked the idea of scented violets. In the end I might just cast the seeds on the ground.
All but one type of Cosmos I sowed came up (very quickly.) Fascinating to see how much they grow in the course of just one day. The ones that didn't were seed bought last year or possibly the year before.
The nigellas are dragging it's heals (I wanted to have a go doing some indoors. I will sow some inside too. Some cornflowers (same thing) came up, some didn't. I have to say my calendula have been a bit patchy in their germination. New seed from Sarah Raven.
Meanwhile I am still getting a bit of legginess in spite of using grow lights. I can't quite seem to get that right. But it's better than last year.
I’ve never used a propagator or lights, I prefer to rely on nature’s own, no one goes into the garden and shoves a heat or a lamp over self sown seeds, they come up when they thing the conditions are right. You need to think about their natural conditions.
There’s a lot of seeds you never cover, just lay on top of the compost.
some need a cold spell, a propagator will ruin those.
I am also very much aware that once I have to start doing a two hour daily commute again, I am going to have less time to do all this so I wanted to get ahead... and also spread out the tasks associated with growing things from seed.
The grow lights were supplementing grey March light and in some instances, because I have so little room, replacing it. I am still experimenting (optimal distance from plant is an issue I have not resolved) and move things into natural light as much and as soon as I can. Hopefully problems will be ameliorated, althlough by no means eliminated entirely, by a greenhouse. (WIP)
Many of the seeds that didn't come up had companions, from the same packet, that did under the same conditions, so in most cases, I can't blame the propagator either.
Seeds that need light and little or no cover have had that treatment. (My echinacea are coming up nicely.) Seeds that needed colder temperatures have been started off in a cold frame outside.
i.e. I don't think I am necessarily doing anything wrong. (Although if I am, I would be more than happy to find out that I am.) I research what I am doing before I do it, and make records of what I have done to help me learn when things don't work out. I think though some seeds just don't come up.
However as I said, most things are coming up, but some aren't and I just wanted to know how long people usually wait until they give up, if they do.
I am, though, coming to the conclusion that yes, inspite of what seed packets imply, things grow best in cooler conditions, ideally outside, later in the year (spring 'proper'). Nevertheless many people do start seeds off indoors. Presumably all the big growers do so in heated (?) polytunnels to be able to get plants to us as early as they do. If it works, it works.
I have a propagator with controllable temperature... in principle, but it seems hard to keep it down below 24. Not sure if it's working properly tbh although this is the propagator with grow lights which throw off some heat. I suppose ideally it would be sited in an unheated room. (It turned out to be a bit bigger than I realize so can't go elsewhere.)
I tried sowing cultivated aquilegia seeds my SIL gave me direct outside in the spring, following a decent period of stratification in the fridge but that didn’t work. However, I collected the seeds of the lovely purple aquilegias that grow wild about here and immediately tossed them under trees and alongside garden paths, so probably around May time. A fair number turned up the following year.
Is there a decent comprehensive book on sowing flower seeds?