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| Hi all,
long time no 'see'! hope you are all well and getting ready. I have a bunch of artemsia seeds, which I haven't collected before. Before I trade them I want to make sure they are viable. So I know the basics of - put the seeds in a paper towel, keep moist and warm, but something isn't working for me. The towel dries out, the seeds roll out, and the only warm place I have is over the heating element of the stove, which maybe is too warm. Has anyone used this method?
When I looked up the method, it seems so simple. but not. :) thanks. and happy sowing. ellen |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by river_crossroads 8b Central Louisiana (My Page) on Fri, Nov 18, 11 at 7:55
| Hi Ellen, good to see you! I use a light brown / natural brown coffee filter instead of a paper towel (funnel shaped filter that I use for making coffee), folded in 2 lengthwise to fit in small ziploc bag, empty fold placed down so seeds get more light than if placed the other way, sprayed with hydrogen peroxide initially instead of water to prevent mold, ziploc bag on top of my fridge (sunny place chez moi), zip closure left open about 1 inch. I check & spray with water every so many days if getting dry. I learned about coffee filter from forum members - paper towel can stick to seeds, coffee filter usually doesn't stick. I am sure that there are different versions of this method & I am looking forward to seeing other people's technique. Good luck! |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Fri, Nov 18, 11 at 8:41
| ellenrr - I checked the Clothier database and it shows two types of artemesia, one that needs warm to germinate, the other that needs cold, moist stratification. Could be the seeds you've got need a cold chill in the 'fridge in order to germinate. Like you, I harvested seeds from my plant this fall and was going to try WS them. I'm going to just WS the seeds same as the rest and see what happens. Good luck with yours; hope they sprout! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Clothier's seed germination database
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| I do germination tests every winter. It works well for seeds that don't require cold stratification to germinate. I have never done a germ test on seeds that needed to be stratified, I just winter-sow those! I use a flat shaped tupperware container, line the bottom with paper towel, spread out the seed, and spritz. Put the cover on the tupperware loosely, and place in a warm dry place. I check the container daily, to make sure the seeds aren't dried out, or aren't too wet. The seeds or sprouts can mold if it's too wet. Here's a germination test I did in 2008 on some Cucumber, Tomato, and Pepper seeds. Believe it or not, these seeds were about 10-11 years old at the time (and I've used the Cucumbers every year since). Got great germination on all of them.
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| terrene, I tried to send you an email but it wouldn't go through to peoplepc. Has it changed? Linda |
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| Hi Linda jo. My email address hasn't changed. You can try the Garden web email system too. Recently I did a test on GW, sent an email to myself and it actually went thru! |
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| thanks all. I see one thing I left out - is I didn't put in a ziplock bag, which is probably why they dried out so fast. River you say you put them in a sunny place. I have lots of sunny places where I can put them. I don't know about cold stratification. If I think about that it gets too complicated for me. lol. thanks,, oh - and 10-11 year old seeds - amazing! |
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