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lolaky_gw

Is anyone doing Big begonia from seed?

lolaky
14 years ago

My big begonia seeds haven't germinated yet & I planted them @ 2 wks. ago. Since these are new, I haven't grown these yet. The pellets have opened 1 wk. ago like they are going to come out, but nothing yet. I have been starting many kinds of seed in my basement for 12 yrs or more, but these have me stumped. They are under shoplites & bottom heat on a timer & I measured soil temp the other day & it is @ 75 - 80. The packet said germ time is 10 - 20 days... I am getting nervous as they are going to be the main annual in my front yard this year. Any ideas?

Comments (4)

  • sleepy33
    14 years ago

    I haven't done the Big, but did quite a few Nonstop this year. I'm sure you do, but obviously you have a dome/cover of some type on the flat? Don't give up on them just yet, mine took a good while to germinate. Also, they won't start germinating until the coating has dissolved; the seed is inside the coating and isn't getting the moisture it needs to tell it to sprout. So you're really at only 1 week since the seeds really began germinating. I usually put my pelleted seed down and then spray it well with the spray bottle until the coating dissolves; otherwise it will dissolve either as you continue to spray/moisten the top or just eventually dissolve from the moisture of the environment. Oh, and I'm sure you also know how RIDICULOUSLY tiny the seedlings are when they finally do sprout. You seriously need a magnifying glass to see them for the first few days.

  • lolaky
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    thanks sleepy33- I think I need to be patient b/c after my post I went to check on them & 2 (out of 30) had germinated. Yes, i have them in half sealed ziplock bags, but I like the idea of misting the pellets, although it's pretty humid in there. It is looking like I might have that only a couple germinate, so what happens to the rest problem... when most don't germ. @ the same time, so to uncover (then it's not humid/warm enough for the rest) or try the delicate surgery of extricating the 1 or 2 that have come up. I have had 50/50 luck with the latter & I'll probably do this. What do you do in this situation? Anyone with any tips?

  • sleepy33
    14 years ago

    Well, with most seedlings, I uncover and let the chips fall where they may. BUT, in my limited experience, begonia seedlings don't mind a little humidity when they are still tiny. So I have done exactly what you are doing, with half closed or even open ziploc bags, or a loose tent of saran wrap, until more of the seeds have germinated. Or even just partially covering areas where the seeds haven't sprouted yet. As long as you are careful with the moisture, they should be ok, I haven't had any issues w/ damping off at all w/ the begonias. Heck, they are so slow growing that there is always some green mold hanging around mine, and they don't mind a bit. I have tried transplanting some when they were that tiny before, and had bad results. I think they'd be much better off staying where they are for now. You might try a little 'experiment' and spray a couple of the seeds until you can't see the coating anymore, and then see if those don't sprout up pretty quick. I just know that I've had instances where there was even a partial amount of that coating still visible, and the seeds would not sprout until I had completely sprayed it off. The seeds are SO tiny in that pellet, they just really can't get to the moisture until the coating is all gone. Good luck, hope any of that helps!

  • waage
    11 years ago

    I planted 15 pelleted "Big" begonia seeds on Jan 7/2013 under lights and with a heat mat and thermostata. All fifteen seeds are up and growing without any problems. Appear to be as easy as wave petunias to grow. Variety of begonias are the green and bronze leafed, both red and pinkred and pink.