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Now I know what you're probably thinking. This is
going to be hard. But in fact, even the most advanced
seed starting techniques are easy. And knowing them
makes it much easier to start any seeds with confidence.
So let us carry on.
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| Morning Glories (Ipomoeia) |
This one sounds almost frightening, and perhaps it
is if you're a seed.
Here's how it works. Some annual seeds, such as morning
glories, have very tough seed coats. So in order to
get them to germinate in a timely fashion, it is customary
to soak the seeds in warm (not hot) water, for several
hours to overnight. This softens the seed coat making
it easier for the young plant to break out.
With some very tough seeds, scarification may also
be necessary. Scarification is much as it sounds.
The idea is to cut a small nick in the seed coat,
using a knife, just barely cutting into the seed coat.
Combined with soaking, this should get even the most
recalcitrant plant out of its shell.
Stratification is not more difficult than scarification.
It involves placing your seeds in a cold place, such
as an unheated room of your house or the refrigerator,
prior to planting. In general, the time period called
for is two to six weeks. Certain spring-germinating
plants, usually perennials, need a cold spell to convince
them that the time has to sprout. So if you're planting
them off season, or trying to start them indoors,
you'll need to simulate winter.
Some seeds, usually tiny surface-sown varieties such
as poppies, require light to germinate. Merely sprinkle
seeds onto a moist soil medium and press down with
a sheet of glass or other hard flat thing (taking
care not to take your seeds up with it). Allow plenty
of light from the start, and they should sprout in
no time. Just make sure they don't dry out.
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| Forgetmenot (Myosotis) |
A very few seeds are surface sown but require darkness
to germinate. Come to think of it, myosotis is the
only plant I can think of offhand that requires this
special set of conditions.
Start by surface-sowing your tiny myosotis seeds
in individual pots with a moist soil medium. Don't
even bother trying to press them in -- we're talking
dust here. Place the pots in a cardboard box of appropriate
size, close the box, and put in a warm place out of
direct sun such as the top of the refrigerator (it's
amazing how handy the refrigerator can be for gardeners).
Check daily (ok, hourly) and within 24-48 hours,
you should see tiny white root hairs resting on the
surface of the soil mixture. Once you see enough sprouts
to satisfy you, take the pots out of the box and put
them with the other plants under light (and keep moist!).
Within a couple days, the plant will start looking
more like a green thing, and less like a pale little
mutant. And within months, you'll have a vigorous
green plant, irresistable to slugs but loaded with
fairy blue sprays of flowers.
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| Begonia |
Some plants, such as begonias, require both light
and unusually high humidity. Not only that, but the
seeds are minute and the resulting plants are both
speck-size and slow-growing. This should not deter
you from planting them nonetheless.
To start fibrous (wax) begonias from seed, begin
by procuring a plastic shoe box available at any 5
and Dime. This is the only special equipment you will
need. Make sure it has a clear plastic lid.
Next, sterilize everything -- the pots, the shoe
box, and the dirt -- by pouring boiling water over
them. In the case of the dirt, sterilize the pots
first, then fill the pots with dirt, place the pots
in a hot water bath and pour more hot water over.
Remove the pots from the hot water bath and let drain
and cool.
Ok, now you've got sterile pots full of sterile soil,
and a sterile shoebox that everything will fit into,
even with the lid closed.
Open your seed packet and lightly sprinkle seeds
onto the soil in each pot. Tamp a little if you want,
but use a sterile implement to do it.
Now, put the pots in the box and cover the box (I
left one corner slightly open for a little bit of
air). Put the box in a warm place under your lights.
I put a dark colored book over the cover for the first
five days to keep it dark. After the seeds germinate
in three to five days (they will be tiny green specks),
take the book away but don't take the cover off.
Keep it moist by adding water occasionally, always
watering the box, not the pots themselves. Let them
suck it up from the bottom.
After six to eight weeks, your begonias should be
at about the 4 leaf stage. Believe it or not, they
are ready for planting out, provided it's warm, and
will grow quickly into robust flowering plants.
There, see? So easy. Now you should
feel free to start anything, having seen how easy
it all is. Just follow the directions on the seed
packet, and refer to this handy guide in the event
that any special methods are required.
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Guides
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