Hello,

The last two years I have tried to grow sourwood and wintergreen from seed. Plenty of the seeds germinate, but they don't progress past the cotyledon stage. I kept a couple wintergreen seedlings alive for 6 months, and they never got true leaves.

I've been able to grow a wide variety of plants from seed, only these two have given me problems. I'm guessing that it's not a coincidence that they are both acid loving plants from the family Ericaceae.

I've tried regular miracle grow potting mix as well as a homemade mix of 5 parts pine bark, one part perlite, and one part peat moss, which should be more acidic.

Any tips for growing these kinds of plants from seed?

Alex