I bought some TM non-stop Begonia seeds last fall, and stored them in the frig, and started them in January. Nothing happened for me; neither packs germinated for over 3 weeks. I had success last year from seeds I pilfered off my father's nursery bought plants and thought I could do the same with mail order seeds.

I don't know if it was the prolonged storage in the cold or what, but the pilfered ones were stored at room temp until December when I started them and I got a couple of nice plants for 'free' last year!

Long story short, start them immediately, in case it is a freshness thing! Keep them warm and moist and good luck!

They are extremely tiny, and slow at first, but then they do take off. I put mine on a SW sunny windowsill after they sprouted their first leaves and they handled sun great the rest of the season, never a burnt leaf with afternoon sun while my dad's nursery stock got all their leaves burnt by August. Your patience will be rewarded!

Good to know. I will probably start them, if only just to gain some experience with growing them. Thanks!

Hi Sara,

I am also growing these for the 1st time this year. I started mine in January, plus a couple last weekend since I had a few left. I got good germination in about 2 weeks. My seedlings are a month old now & still tiny as ever. Although they are starting to get their first true leaves, they are still only about 1/8 of an inch tall. I hope they start taking off soon!!

I'll be interested to see how yours do, keep us posted & good luck!

I agree, start them now. I have been having some trials and tribulations with mine since I started them in January. I would definitely avoid peat pots, as they seem really sensitive to the really 'hard drying out' that can occur w/ the peat pots. Mine are now starting to thrive and get bigger since moving them out of the peat pots and into a potting mix with plenty of vermiculite. I think this is because they seem to like the soil to be a bit damp most of the time, but the extra vermiculite allows for oxygen and drainage. Also, if you start them now, even if they don't bloom 'til later on, they should form tubers for you to save and use next year.

TIPS ON GERMINATING SEED.... No pretreatment... do NOT COVER SEED as light required for germination... soil temp for germination 75-78F taking 15-30 days to germinate.. Also apply 1/2 strength solution of fertilizer every week to promote germination. after germination..... 12 hour light / day needed for growth & run on dry side...

Thanks everyone! I will give them a shot, and keep you posted with results!