6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

Karen
I have started heucheras, bergenia, some indoor plants- calceolaria. I have also started several primulas which I love. Primulas will be under lights until late Feb and then go into sunroom. Sunroom is not heated so plants that can not tolerate occasional dip in temperature will not be moved there. Heuchera and bergenia are very slow growing so I will not have problems with them till spring. there are some rare plants that I am looking forward to growing I might start now, mostly because I have time now and won't have time in the spring. I do several columbines now, not the common ones but those that I really want and cost me $$$. For germination of columbines and primulas I use GA-3/ read more on JL Hudson, seedsman website/ so I do not use cold stratification.
I also started some cyclamen hederifolium, I like to start it early and feed bulbs till they nice and plump when they planted into spring.
If you have seeds of begonias, tuberous or other kind you can start them now. They are slow growing and take indoor light well. I brought mine in from last year sowing so am not planning to grow new ones this year.
I will start couple of trays of pansies in a couple of weeks, I usually get them to start blooming in April and have full containers until early summer when I replace them with other plants.

thanks both of you. I have a few seeds started just for fun in the basement. I have a large window there with good light. Some have sprouted so maybe I can keep them alive long enough :)

karen

can these survive in zone 6? And how long does it take for them to reach flowering maturity? Thanks ill put them in stratification soon along with my cp seeds

Thanks i found out these are also known as buttonbush or Cephalanthus occidentalis and this helped me find info reguarding the plant.
Heres are a couple of links you can check out:

http://www.floridata.com/ref/C/ceph_occ.cfm

http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/cph.occid.htm

It sounds like you are trying to harvest the seeds before they are ripe. The petals will all fall off and the center of the flower will turn brown and hard. The stem leading up to the flower will also turn brown. You need to wear gloves when harvesting these because the pods are pretty sharp. Once the seeds are ripe, you can either put the pods in a bag to dry completely or break the pods open to harvest the seeds. They look like the picture in the link morz8 provided.

Becky
ramazz

morz8 and ramazz,
I may very well need to offer you both an apology. Razz described something different than what I am calling mexican sunflower. I will take a picture of what I have and maybe one of you will be able to identify it if I am calling it by the wrong name. Thanks to both of you.

hank2230@yahoo.com

I set the pots on a 70 degree heat pad in my unheated greenhouse with good air circulation. When they need water I set them in the sink, water half way up the pot for a few minutes. Al

Check the soil you bought from Lowe's and read the label. Some of the so-called organic stuff is NOT to be used for potting soil and it says so right on the bag, it's intended for mixing into in-the-ground soil. My sister had the same problem.

To plant your seeds in potting soil, make SURE it says it's potting soil, and not just soil. If you have some homemade compost, mix some in with your potting soil for good nutrition. And make sure it gets adequate sunlight.

Sue

Hi jaspereliot, thanks for your note. I did not know that moonflowers would grow like a vine. I will try them on fencing. Thanks.

moonflower can refer to two completely different plants. One is Ipomoea alba, which is a member of the morning glory family and is a vine, while the other is a Datura. You might want to look up the seeds you have. Datura seeds are usually black or tan, and are like a fat, flat coma. The Ipomoea alba has seeds the size of a pea with impressions on it and is usually tan.

Does anyone know if you need to stratify or chill seeds for Wave petunias and cleome. If so does putting them in the refrigerator work? How long do you need to chill them?

Petunias require light in order to germinate. I am also under the impression that they germinate the best at warmer temperatures: around 70 degrees.

Thanks!!!

Be prepared the vine is big but they have great yellow flowers and the gourds look cool hanging amongst the leaves. They do take quite a long time to mature so plant early.

Both are easy. Go for it.

thanks!

Thanks Morz8, nice of you to respond. Hank

Yep, it's the white peg between the spikes on the outside of the cone. Like chunky dandruff. I have to compete with the finches here, but I don't harvest that much and leave it for the birds.

Ive got the cones. I made a cone picker out of a coat hanger and a broom stick. The garage roof was a little sketchy, but I survived. Now Im debating how natural Im going to go. I found some great info at the forestry center website, although the link above is dead. That website seems to encourage cleaning the seed, stratisfying them (making them think they went through winter), and them planting them in january thru may, or somthing like that. I might take that approach with some of the seed, but for the sake of experimentation Im also going to try the planting method described above.

I found a baby fir tree on a two foot thick strip of dirt between my drivway and house the other day. Its barely three inches tall. I think Ill need to pot it and protect it from the cold over the winter because Im asuming it got a late start.

Its amazing what I find when I put my interest in a certain place.

Heres the link I ended up at.

http://www.rngr.net/Publications/rsah

If I buy pine seeds can I just put in pots outside all winter and they will spout in spring?
I have been growing trees from seeds but most are seeds that can be sown in spring.