6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
The likelyhood of your seeds being true to color is unlikely, you can always try it though and see what you may get. Who knows you may get something even prettier than what you already have or you may get something that is just plain ugly.
Yes you can self pollinate your own flowers, I use a paintbrush. Here is a website I found that tells about pollinating your own flowers and the reproductive parts of a flower.
Here is a link that might be useful: Seed Saving
I have leftover seeds still in their commercial packages that I have kept in the freezer for several years. I used a pack earlier this year that I had stored in my freezer for over 3 years germination was extremely good.
In other words I dont do anything special to wrap them just close the package by folding it and put it in a walmart sack and put it in my freezer door along with other seed packs.
Yes, today's weather was extreme! It was so hot! My external temp was saying 112F. I'm sure it's incorrect. But I think we reach 90+ today. I have a wintersown perennial which I need to move. It was doing great last week until the hot weather arrived. I should have labeled the plant. But my guess, it's the lunaria money plant. Or maybe the reason why it's wilting is because there isn't any mulch. Also, I can't believe 2 of my larkspur was wilting.
About four o clocks limelight, cosmos, calendula, agastache, cleome, zinnia, purple ruffles basil, I didn't see any sign of stress. :)
How's the rain up there? I've noticed stall outs twice in the last 8 years, and both time the spring seemed in perpetual rain. Not sure if that's the cause, but my friends and relatives in the area, ended up with poor gardens in those years, while mine was fine afterwards. Then again, I have the advantage of gardening in containers, so rain can drain, and I live in the city, so our temperatures are several degrees hotter then outside of the city. Don't know which, if either, gave me the advantage. Just my guesses.
Most brug seed is very easy to germinate and can be planted at anytime though the fresher the seed the better. I soak them in water overnight to soften the corky covering. After soaking remove the cork and just press the seed into the soil, barely covering it. Keep the soil lightly moistened but not soggy or the seeds may rot. Most will sprout within a few weeks but I have had some germinate after several months. I'd start them in pots and transplant to the garden when they are big enough to handle. In zone 10 you will likely get blooms in the first year. I'm in zone 7a and it usually takes until the second season for my brugs from seed to bloom.
Okay, I'm not a pro. But I just went through the same thing so I thought I would let you know what I did.
I planted my seed a week before the pain washed it all away so I had some sprouts. And during the week of rain we got the whole area at the base of the hill (which is a driveway for me) started sprouting grass which just proved the seed had washed away! The point? Without anything weighing it down there is a very good chance your seed is gone so reseeding is a good idea in my opinion.
So, of course, I reseeded and it's raining with no end in sight. I am in Reno NV. It NEVER rains this much - let alone in Summer! :) Anyways - I re-fertilized because I could see that the soil I had put down before was also washed away by looking along the base of the hill and seeing the white nodes of vitamins, small pieces of mulched bark, and overall black colored soil. It stands out on my sand! And of course I laid straw as well. I laid just enough to cover the ground - with about half an inch more at the top 6 feet of the slope because I wanted to weigh it down more up there. Then I got wood stakes (the ones used to tack down sod while it takes root) and put stakes in ever square foot to keep the straw from sliding down. It's been 4 days of rain and everything has stayed put:)
Good luck!
You can stratify anywhere from 3-6 weeks - after that they don't require overly warm (as in bottom heat)...just 65ish is fine. They aren't dependent on being surface sown or kept in dark either one, so you can lightly cover with your sowing medium to help keep them moist. Germination average is approx 14 days after bring back to warm.
So when the plants root in the 3 inch pots I'll graduate them to quarts. But when do you transplant? Early spring just before they bloom or in fall when they go dormant?
As for whether or not the varieties I am learning with are good in pots I chose ones that local nurseries often carry. Of course I do not anticipate all of them to do well - some simple will not root, others will not do well in pots, and so on. But I am learning:)
I can't find a picture of the seed to help you with which end down, but on their sides is almost always a safe way to sow...
How many days has it been? There may be nothing unusual going on with your germination -
"Seeds germinate very erratically. Soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours before sowing in moist sand. While there may be a sprout or two in 3-4 days, most seed germinates anywhere from 21 day to 6 months at 72°."
I have tried these for years and failed. This year I was tired of being afraid and soaked them and planted them outside. To my surprise they germinated and grew (about three inches) and there they are--only three inches for about weeks. They are not dying but they are not thriving either. As long as they hang in there I guess there is hope.
Ah, I forgot all about the the wet paper towel approach. It's been decades, so thanks for the reminder lesson.
And, don't worry about the stay-at-one-size stage. I'm not sure if that's usual, but the one that has emerged was doing the same thing. It's just been the last day or two, when it looks like it has finally started growing again. It's stayed at that stage for so long the nastutrium is competing with it, but I keep pushing them out of its way, until the time I have to keep pushing it out of thier way. lol