6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Hi
I was glad to see your posting because I love cacti and succulents as well--and I live east of Lake Wa. I would love to start them from seed (for the fun of it) and somone told me they are not that difficult. Is that a reliable source for fresh seeds?
I just winter sowed some last week and sorry to hear I have to wait until next year for bloom. Too bad! OH well...I am sure I will have plenty of others blooming to keep me busy. Thanks for coming back to this post and updating. I LOVE that!
:-)
pm2
Inside. If you want to do it outside in the shed you'll need 2x the lights and have to provide supplemental heating as well and that can get quite expensive.
As an alternative, check out the Winter Sowing Forum - a totally different approach to starting seeds. Their approach would likely work for some of your seeds at least.
Dave
Hakea and corymbia germinate quite easily. Put the seeds in a very sandy mix and keep moist. I find just putting the pots with seeds out in a sunny spot and watering daily is quite successful, but the fresher the seed is the more success youll have. C ficifolia does not necessarily give you a red flowering tree though when its grown from seed. over here in aust they sell them grafted to make sure you get a red flowering tree but from seed they can be white or red or lots of shades in between.
Unfortunately the clianthus are very temperamental, even for aussies to grow and they can be quite short lived. I cant really give you any advice, except give them a try in a well draining soil, plant them out and dont treat them kindly. they grow in very arid areas so even moderate kindness seems to throw them off.
Hi
I have a Corymbia Ficifolia in bloom and should like to grow another from seed that it is hopefully going to produce.
I require advice on the gumnut - when is the best time to harvest it? For how long does the seed stay viable? Is there a drying out period or is it best to plant fresh?
Aniya:
While the potting mix would do in a pinch, I'd call a local plant nursery that sells to the public and ask if they have soilless seed starting mix. They should, and if they don't have anything for sale, they might sell you a bag or two out of their own stock.
(Though now that I think of it, I seem to remember that most of the big box stores, including Wal-Mart, sell a proper seed-starting mix, as opposed to potting soil. Check around.)
Jason
To answer phyl345's question specifically about whether you should use potting *soil* or potting *mix* for starting seeds and why....
A seed starting *mix* is better for sowing seeds in because it is an ideal soiless mix of peat, perlite, vermiculite and a small shot of fertilizer. It is sterile and less likely to hold organisms that would cause disease or fungas in your seedlings than a true soil. The peat, perlite and vermiculite are good for providing the right combination of water retention and drainage that the seedling needs. You don't want them to stay too wet and you don't want them to get too dry.
ProMix is a brand of soiless seed starting mix that a lot of stores seem to carry. Walmart, HD etc. carry small bags convenient for the hobby gardener. Some nurseries may also carry the larger compressed "bales" of ProMix-about 3 cubic feet.
I buy a couple of those every fall so when I need them in the spring I don't have to find them buried and frozen under a snow drift at the nursery. :)
Hope this information helps.
I'll never grow them again! I grew them 5yrs ago and every year since, i pull them up. They are very very invasive!
All i did was throw them ON the dirt and they grew.
As stated in the post or 2 above; the 1st year they dont look like anything. But the next summer and thereafter, you are just about stuck!(forever)
And they dont look all that great either!
Just my 2cents.
I wonder if I have a few Mexican Marigolds myself! Or Crackerjack... this flower confuses me, lol! For two years straight now, our marigolds haven't exactly reached that stunning 8 feet (and growing!!) that yours have, but they have easily grown slightly over four feet. They aren't like those bushy, yellow marigolds- they are multi-colored and very spindly, and grow like weeds. I wonder if, aside from certain varieties growing very differently, seeds that were re-planted right from the last plant tend to grow more wild. I love marigolds- you keep 'em in the pot over the winter and they'll grow some new ones come spring all by themselves. ;)
Congrats! Good luck with your germination rates. The cell packs actually work best if used for transplants after germination and the development of the first set of true leaves.
Dave
Those things are waste of money IMO.
I germinate seeds in separate containers and transplant under lights as they go- saves space.
You can check winter sowing forum FAQ- your zone is perfect for it.