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| I got some seeds on sale from Thompson & Morgan and am wondering if it would be better to set them aside rather than plant them and risk not getting any sprouts. I have Digitalis Purpurea 'Mountains Mixed,' Agastache Aurantiaca 'Raspberry Daiquiri', Echinacea 'Magic Box' and Coreopsis Tinctora Roulette.' I am thinking the coreopsis should grow and bloom and the Echinacea might sprout. Is it too warm to plant the Digitalis and Agastache (and maybe the Echinacea?) at this point? They were only on sale because it was May, LOL. I normally wintersow all of these seeds.
Becky |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by northerner_on Z5A ONCanada (My Page) on Sun, May 27, 12 at 4:47
| I also got some T&M seeds on sale and with free postage & handling a little while ago. They are mostly perennials, which I winter sow and I am saving them for next year. This way, I have a head start on next year. T&M seeds are very well packaged and if kept in a dark, dry place should be fine for next year. I would imagine that at this time of the year, we all have more seedlings than we can handle, but then I am way up north so things are different for us. You may want to check out which of them are warm, easy germinators, and which require a cold period for germination. That should determine your decision. |
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- Posted by river_crossroads 8b Central Louisiana (My Page) on Sun, May 27, 12 at 12:59
| Hi, I am too new this forum to help with timing, but in addition to northerner's question I'd add questions about bugs eating tender foliage and fried seedlings from the heat, as those might be problems sowing this time of year. Do you have a cool shady place without bugs (such as a concrete patio where there will be fewer snails on the ground), with good light but not too strong where you could grow your seeds and seedlings? Can you spray frequently with diluted dish soap liquid or similar? Do you have enough time to deal with the bugs? If you have a cool bug-free place for the seedlings, see what the experts tell you. If they give you the go-ahead maybe you could sow a small amount of each seed packet so you have seeds left to try again when the weather is more favorable and there are fewer bugs. See what they can suggest for containers as a milk jug is probably too hot now. They might suggest a 6 inch pot, for example, that could stay cool and not dry out as quickly in the intense heat, and see what they say about whether or not to cover with plastic with holes punched in it. Cool moist will attract snails and slugs so watch for them and a plastic covering could make the container very hot. My place has too many bugs to even think of direct sowing in the ground right now, as the delicious tender foliage is what they prefer. Good luck! |
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| Well, I would plant them in a manner similar to wintersowing, with lidded containers, and I am not going on vacation or anything. I do have a concrete porch off the back as well as a deck, which is where my other seedlings are. Primarily, I am wondering if anyone has planted these seeds in the spring successfully. I have grown all of these plants in the past, but I have wintersown them. I have two containers of 'home grown' echinacea seeds that I forgot to plant, and planted a week or two ago. There are a few sprouts, so obviously those don't need stratification. I am not so sure about the digitalis or the agastache, though. I held some agastache seeds over a year before, and I only got a couple of sprouts. |
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| I don't know about the Agastache, because I have never once gotten any of the western Agastaches to sprout for me! But Echinacea purpurea seeds don't need cold strat, although it may improve germination. Digitalis purpurea definitely doesn't need it, I sowed some more the end of April that is sprouting like crazy. To avoid the hazards of planting out small seedlings in the summer, you could transplant the seedlings into small pots or flats, and grow them on before planting them out in the garden. I've got a lot of Foxglove starting to bloom right now that was WS'n last year. It's gorgeous! |
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| Thanks for all of the input. I think I will plant half and save half. Except for the coreopsis, they will stay in pots until it cools down in the fall, and then go into the yard. The rest will be wintersown in December. Then I can compare results! Becky |
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