6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Andromeda Botanic Gardens attached to the University of West Indies. Contact them (linked below) for detailed info.
Dave
Heliconia Collection at Andromeda
Here is a link that might be useful: Andromeda Botanical Gardens
I am sure that the work to profit ratio is less than desirable AL...I personally would find a less labor intensive venture too ;) I once made a killing on snowcones as a kid. I remember making like $40 on one HOT saturday afternoon and that probably felt like a $1,000 to me at the time.
Here is my 2 cents.I live near St.louis Mo. I started Geraniums and Impatiens the day after Thanksgiving for the same reason except I am not selling mine. If you can provide quality light and take time to pinch them back occasionally you will be fine. I started some Ageratum(first time) and they are starting to bloom already. I'm cutting them back to promote new growth. Most Annuals will bloom all summer. some need more attention but not to worry.
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Here is a link that might be useful: gardening by the seat of my pants
Fungus gnats do not survive if the soil becomes dry, so one management option is to permit the soil to dry out between waterings. Remember though, you don't want to let the soil get so dry that you are stressing the plant, your goal is simply to not have soggy, wet soil all the time.
Treating the soil with a BT drench should kill the Gnats. They will be problem for your germinating seeds and you may think the seed did not germinate. The larvae of the fungus gnats can keep the seed leaves from ever being seen. There is a BT product specific to Gnat control. Al
That is fast. I planted some Broccoli and Brussels sprout on a Saturday morning and germinated the next evening.
Here is a link that might be useful: gardening by the seat of my pants
All I did was nick the seeds and soaked them in warm water overnight,then planted them in seeding mix and put them in my small table top heated propagator which I got from Canadian Tire.It doesn't get too warm but the bottom heat remains constant.I have been using this for years and have always had success with germinating most seeds, but never as fast as these,I was really amazed how fast the seeds came up especially since they were not fresh seeds,in fact the Hibiscus and snail vine seeds are at least 3 years old.
Glad you figured it out! :) Just in case you don't know (and I apologize for my presumptuousness if you do), chive seed loses viability rather quickly compared to other seeds that can last years, so I'd get those seeds planted or traded before they're a year or so old.
And for future reference, many people can ID a plant from just a seed pod. Or even just seeds ~ I'd think many of us avid seed-collectors and seed-starters know exactly what many kinds look like since we've planted hundreds or thousands (or even hundreds of thousands in some people's cases! :). So if you find yourself in this position again, post pics here or in the Name That Plant forum. Bet you'll get an ID quick.
Just want to add my agreement to a few points.
I have loads of native pecan trees on my small farm/ranch and I think Freemanhouse has it about right. I've never tried that exact method, but it sort of mimics the conditions I have here naturally, and I pull loads of seedlings every summer from the flowerbeds (Ugh) and see them pop up in the pastures all the time.
The nuts drop in the fall, just in time for a pecan pie for Thanksgiving. Most winter days are warmer than 40-45 and the ground stays warmer still, but I don't see where keeping them that cool would hurt them. And the most likely places I see new seedlings is where it's moist, so I'd think soaking them for a good while before planting would be a good idea, or at the very least keeping them well watered until they germinate would be smart.
Judging from where I see seedlings, they love organic matter as well. I have many of them popping up in old piles of leaves that have half-rotted, and they seem to thrive when I transplant them into pots with half compost and half potting soil.
I also agree on planting the nuts on their side. Some of the seedlings I pull up still have the nut attached and the sprouts come from the point. So planting them on their side makes sense.
I don't know for sure how old a tree must be before fruiting, but I'd say 20 years for them to get into full swing is probably right as well. I've seen some trees on a neighbor's place that were well taken care of (watering, feeding, pruning) and were maybe half that age when they produced nuts, but since the trees weren't that big there weren't that many.
I do know from my own experience that keeping them well watered and limbed up (pruning the lower branches off) helps them take off and grow taller MUCH faster. I have a few eight year old ones at the edges of my yard that I've taken care of that way and they're about fifteen feet tall with a good sized canopy, compared the ones about that age in the pasture that are around ten feet tall and not nearly as full.
link
Here is a link that might be useful: gardening by the seat of my pants
jaynine,
Let me know how it goes for you. I've been dancing around trying to be brave enough to purchase the t. tricolor. I under stand they can be tempermental.
Peggy
I've had t. speciosum in my garden for approx. 15 years now, but not from seed. When I bought it (Dan Hinkley, the former Heronswood not Heronswood as it is now), it came as a baggie of loose white roots that were about half the size of a pencil. No crown, not a plant - just roots (root cuttings). If you knew my climate, you would think it would have produced self sown seedlings from the Clothiers description of how to treat the seeds, but I've never found a seedling. It spreads around freely and comes up in some surprising places not of my choice, but by root not seed.
Clothiers: Tropaeolum ciliatum, and speciosum, Impervious seed coats. Shake in dry sharp sand or nick carefully with a file. Soak seeds 1-2 days or until swelling noticeable. Sow at 18-22ºC (64-71ºF) for 2-4 wks, move to -4 to +4ºC (24-39ºF) for 4-6 wks, move to 5-12ºC (41-53ºF) for germination. Short viable seed.