6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

I realize my answer only applies to crawling insects; in the spring my seedlings can get wiped out by crawling insects. This last spring I placed each flat on a brick that had duct tape dangling all the way around the 4 edges. The bugs got trapped in the sticky tape and never made it to the seedlings. Of course the sticky part is facing towards the ground.
If available stack two bricks under the flat to raise the tape high off the ground. I just planted 4 flats and will do the brick/tape trick tomorrow.
For a lot of flats there are a lot of ways to raise the flats as a group (I use plastic grids/grills) then only put the bricks with tape under the entire system at 4 or 6 points.
That doesn't address your flying insect issue. I started spraying this year for the first time for the ones that fly. I mainly do flowers.
Bob

why don't you look into kaolin spray ?
It's primarily an organic physical barrier insects do not like
I used it last year, looks like plants full of snow, however not harmful at all...

I'm not sure how small these are - could you lay them on a rag after soaking, give them a rub with the edge of it? Sometimes a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in the soaking water will help to loosen any pulp, especially if sticky or oily (like magnolia).

I like sterile vermiculite for the moist chill, or sterile moist sand. It only takes a teaspoon or two for many seeds in a small ziplock and at the end of the chill period the contents, seeds + vermiculite, can be sown without extracting the seeds again. Others will use the coffee filters but I'm not a fan of them.

Thank you for the information! I'll try perlite, it seems similar to vermiculite.
The seeds with the flesh attached didn't look as developed as the rest and the flesh is right where the root should come out. But they looked very nice, vibrant after the cold stratification in soil and still had that brownish stuff attached to them. Well, I'll try to rub them. Thanks!

Someone at a local nursery told me that you can grow them from seed, but they will get to blooming size several years faster if you grow cuttings.

I was asking for cutting on this forum but no luck as well. It was a failure with seeds, and I wish I would have better news to write about. I am still looking for someone who will be willing to share few cuttings.

You may have enough room for a tree which can reach 90 feet, and you may not object to digging out many seedlings which grow as fast as weeds, but you should think about this before planting Acer macrophyllum. Al

I am growing a few dogwood/cornus from seeds. I have not had much luck with purchased potted dogwoods. I agree with planting the seeds outdoors now. Let the weather do its' thing over the winter months. My cornus floridas only got about 3" tall the first year. Others grew faster. Protect them from wildlife chewing them up. I stake a "tube" of chicken wire around them. Then I don't run over them with the lawn mower either. Keep them protected for several years (or longer).