Are these fresh this season then? When someone shared fresh seeds with me last year, I just planted in potting soil, (approx 1/4" depth) kept the container moist and outside....all germinated. But - the late summer seedlings didn't winter well. They were on a semi-protected porch right next to zonal geraniums that sailed through winter, go figure.

If the seeds are older than a few weeks -
Baptisia australis, leucantha, and leucophaea , Pour hot water over seeds, let soak 1-3 days until swelling noticeable. Sow at 20ºC (68ºF) for germination in more than two weeks. Sensitive to damping-off

My seeds were received in trade and were dried. I held on to them for a while so they had to be more than one year old. My baptisia seeds took months to germinate. I put them in the fridge using the baggie method for half a year or so. Once in a while, I would try some warm without results. The seeds were still firm so I continued. Eventually some started putting out a root. I planted the bunch and they all sprouted over the next several weeks. Unfortunately, I tried pinching them and that seems to have been a mistake. Oh well. I have some yellow batisia that is just starting to sprout in the fridge after the same treatment.

I've grown thousands of B. australis from seed at this point, and I never bother to stratify them. I store my seed in the fridge at about 40 degrees and they remain viable for at least 4 years, perhaps longer -- that's the oldest seed I've dealt with and it came up like gangbusters, so I think longer is a real possibility. When I'm ready to sow I just hot water scarify them overnight and sow the next day. But I do make sure to use inoculant -- they are legumes, and they appreciate it. With inoculant I get better growth after germination, and I never get damping off, although my habit of using Banrot may have something to do with that. Germination is in 10-14 days, BTW, and I only sow in the spring to give them a growing season to get established.

Soeur

I wintersowed 2004 seed- started in Feb or March 2005- successfully. I also have many volunteers this year from the same plant. The seedling have not gotten very large or bulked up much so we will see how they winter over.

Winter sowing is the way I grow them too. The first year I ended up with 3 plants (75% germination) and this year, 8 plants (100% germination). I really have enough for my small yard but the truth is, I'll probably do a few more this winter too! They really are easy to grow using Winter Sowing.

Like Shari and Nurmey I winter sowed Baptisia and have 8 that germinated. They are still small but this plant takes 3 to 5 years to reach a good size. Patience is the key here. Good luck everyone!
Tina

baptisia were the first seeds I winter sowed in 2002.

{{gwi:247411}}

I scarify the seed with sandpaper and add inocculant. The most recent sowing from 3 weeks ago is about 5 inches tall right now and germination was excellent with no blank cells. The seed was from last year and had been in cold storage. Make sure the seeds are well covered or they get kinda funky and floppy. Definately sensitive to damp off. If you are ahving diffuculty I would doubt the quality of the seeds. They may have not been harvested at the proper stage. Baptisias resent transplanting. I would sow them in a 3" or 4" pot or in large plugs.

I have some seed which I got from J. L. Hudson, Seedsman, in CA, and it must be 4 years old. I have planted it from time and time and it still comes up. I only hope that when they get big enough to bloom, that they do well here. I just planted it in dirt and set the pot outside, no protection.

Just came across this post as a result of a search enquiring about transplanting or starting Baptisia from seed. We are moving in a few months fromw SW PA to north central Ohio. I have one well-established plant and the seeds I collected from it this past season so wanted to find out which would be the best option for carrying it to my new garden. I will try sowing the seeds, since I have time.
Some questions for anyone who is inclined to answer if you see this:
1. Do you feel that pre-chilling the seed is necessary, or at least helpful, and if so, for how long?
2. Which legume inoculant did you use? I know there are a number of differnt ones, from pea & bean inoclulant to various kinds for clover & alfalfa...
3. How deep did you cover the seeds in the cells?
Thanks!

Actually (unless I recieve a definitive answer) I think what I will do since I have a fair number of seeds is try the various methods (stratifying, scarifying, etc.), compare results, and post the info.
Whenever I presoak seeds, by the way, I do so in a kelp solution. I also use this to pre-moisten the planting medium and also to bottom-water newly planted cellpacks. I think the kelp and bottom-watering both are very beneficial in avoiding damping-off. I have not had any of the wide variety of seeds I plant each year damp off since I began using this technique. CK

Weedlady
I did baptisia several times- presoak with winter sowing method/ see FAQ winter sowing forum/- got good results every time.

The seeds I collected this fall were half dark (dk brown) and half pale yellow. After chilling all winter and soaking (presently) the dark seeds are sprouting but nothing from the lighter seeds. These seeds all came from seed pods on the plant. What is the difference?