6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Jiffy mix is nothing more than Peat Moss & Perlite with some hydrated lime to balance the pH to a neutral 7.0. It makes a great topdressing for (some) mushroom substrates because of it's total lack of nutrients...
It also has a bad habit of being infected with all types of trich and cobweb mold spores out of the bag and (if used for mushrooms) needs to be pasteurized first to destroy them.
For seeding, mixing in a little coco-coir and coffee grounds really seems to give it what it needs...but as always your results may vary.
heya,
i've also been wondering about this. usually, i mix my own soil of about 3 parts humus-y soil, 1 part peat moss and 1/2 part vermiculite (i've read about its connection with asbestos.. but they are chunky compared to the perlite which i accidentally breath in everytime i open the tupperware, and that freaks me out!). then i line the bottom of the pot with coconut fibres.
germination is not a problem with herbs and flowering plants. and true leaves also.
i've tried using a horti 'soil-less' starter mix, and they germinated at a slightly slower rate as my own mixture, with pretty much the same effect. so to save costs, i just continue using my own.
after i transplant them to bigger spaces so they are not crowded together anymore (using the same mixture, except i increase the amount of soil and lower down the amount of peat moss and vermiculite), most either grow painfully slowly or start to get leggy. not sure what the problem is.
but my balsams are growing wonderfully strong, and also a flower box of celosia which is growing like crazy and starting to look like a proper plant.
it's put in the same place (windowsill) as another flower box of celosia that isn't getting past the first true leaf stage, with the same soil mixture. so i really can't put my finger on it.
i've tried using starter solutions after transplanting, and they just accelerated the dying process. so i've stopped putting in any kinds of fertilizers or chems. is this the problem?
Here is a link that might be useful: my blog on the seedling process
hi there i would love to get some crape myrtle seeds if anyone has seeds to share. my mailing address is
elma remando
1216 ave k north
saskatoon,sask
canada s7l2n9
i would really appreciate a answer either way, i could send a sase envelope also. and one can send seeds to canada with no problems as i get seeds from the usa all the time . elma
scarecrow, the seeds are within the dried seed pods. Clip off a cluster of the pods and shake them over a table with some newspaper on it. Many scale-like seeds will fall out of each pod, unless they have already fallen out.
At this time of year, the seed pods will have opened up naturally, allowing for the natural spreading of the seed.
Most all of the crape myrtles sold today are hybrids. That means that the seedling offspring are not likely to carry all of the characteristics of the parent plant.
not to hijack your topic, but I have something yanking out my cosmos and bachelor's buttons and they're about 6" tall sprouts. Funny thing is that they just leave it next to the edge of the bed, I would be more happy if they actually ate the sprout, but just yanking it out and leaving it there isn't a very thing to do. I suggest using bricks, build like a fortress wall sround the newly sown seeds, then put a piece of wire netting over the rtop, remove once the sprouts out grow it. The milk crate ides will work also
I'm no expert at any of them, but I believe the pasque flower may need to be stratified (damp cold period). You can probaby sow the lupins now, but again I'm not too sure if they need the cold period. I've read before that you should rinse the seeds in cold water really well, then soak them in cold water in the fridge. I think this eliminate the inhibiters. Lupins I believe are in the legum family, I've foudn that anything in the legume famiyl grows pretty fast. For the commercial wildflower mix that I use, I just dump the whole packet over the soil and water. I usually see sprouts in about a week if not sooner.
I'd plant it in a well drained potting medium as soon as possible. I assure you that all of those rootlets will break away no matter what you do. Roots formed in water are quite different than those that the plant will get busy making once planted in a solid medium. You can trim the roots before potting up. Don't put into a container that is overly large.
cool! it's actually a labor of love because if I can make this rooting take, then I'll have a tree that was not only "effectively" born at the same time as my son (wifey is 39.5 weeks pregnant) but also will be a cutting from her floral arrangement from her baby shower.
How cool would that be?
Figure it won't be outdoor hardy until at least next year but then again, neither will my own little sprout. ;-p
There's the Winter Sowing Exchange and Growing from Seed forum. Also Hudson Seeds and Thompson Morgan have good help sections. For germination and seed identification I go to:
tomclothier.hort.net/
http://theseedsite.co.uk/seedpods.html
http://www.virtualseeds.com/Germination.html
There are members that are much better informed than I. The members at the winter sowing exchange are very into growing from seed.
Barbie
If you have the woody sub-shrubby type, stratifying isn't necessary -
Caryopteris bungei, and incana , Sow on the surface at 68ºF in light, germinates in less than two weeks - short viable seed (Clothiers)
I haven't grown c. divaricata, but 6 - 8 weeks moist cold seems like the way to go with those. This time of year, prepare your seed pot, write the date on it, wrap in Saran, and put it in your refrigerator.
Here is a link that might be useful: 
If you have dried cleaned seed -
Arisaema triphyllum , Sow at Max. 41ºF, germination irregular, often several months
If you have fresh, or seed not yet harvested, you might read through this article by Tony Avent
Here is a link that might be useful: Tony on the Road - Arisaema
I don't know if they need to dry on the plant or not but the seeds need to dry before planting. They germinate pretty easily but are slow to reach blooming size. I started some about 4 years ago and am getting my first blooms now. That might be because I'm in zone 7a and have a fairly short growing season (I did winter them over inside). I was pretty excited to see my first flower. So far I only have a blue one blooming, none of the whites have put up any flower stalks.
Karyn
Let them dry completely before planting. Usually they are left to dry on the plant, so your seeds may not viable, but are worth a try. They should germinate in about 3 weeks at 70 degrees. Al