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Things you thought you couldn't germinate

17 years ago

Ok...are there things you have sewn you thought would never germniate for you. Either WS or under light because of the nature of the seeds or by what you had read on germinating certain seed.

I've read troubles folks had w/: Cleome lutea. I had about 7-8 seeds from a trade from '07 and read it was hard to germinate. I WS them a couple of weeks ago in un-heated greenhouse and just day before yesterday,I noted them sprouting.

Inside under light:dodecatheon/Shooting Star: I sewed these over a pot of seed starting mix w/ a thin layer of med grade vermucilite,seeds sprinkled over the top then I placed the pot in a zip lock bag and refrigerated 12/17/08 until 1/31/09 then brought them out under light/no heat and they sprouted 2/1/09

Chorizema cordatum/Heart leaf Flame Pea. These are old seeds from about '06 and I've been trying a few seeds every year to get them started.Last year I Ws,no pretreatment in un-heated GH. One germinated only to die shortly after. This year:I soaked some more seeds in hotess water from sink for 24 hrs.,changing water 3 x before sewing in seed starting mix "under" a thin layer of vermicilte under light on heat mat,pot covered with clear plastic wrap 12/30/08. One came up and kept wilting down so I removed it from the heat mat but still under light then several more popped up over the course of several days. I've still have the plastic wrap over the pot put loosely,proped up with the label and tongue depressor.

I had a 6 pk of mimulus pictus sprouting but it dried out to much and seedlings died. You win some and you loose some. I'm on my 4 or 5 th. time (traded and bought)with attempting to get columbine "Roamn Bronze"to sprout.

Let us hear about your trails and errors on getting seeds started you never thought you'd be growing form seed.

Peggy

Comments (10)

  • 17 years ago

    I got 6 geranium seeds as a bonus in a trade. Not sure of the variety, but I sowed them indoors. One sprouted. Now if I can just keep that one alive, I will take cuttings of it for more this summer.

  • 17 years ago

    Probably everything falls under the category of things I thought I'd never be growing from seed .

    I was not a gardener at all before WSing, and it was actually WSing that started me on my Indoor-sowing of some things.

    But every year, because I've noticed some things that said "difficult to germinate" on the package, yet found they gave me little to no problem in WSing it, I always pick at least one "challenging" type of seed each year to see what happens.

    This year, I'm WSing a couple types of Jack-n-the-Pulpits, Burning Bush (Euonymous, spelled something like that), and either late winter or Spring Sowing Big-Leaf Magnolia.

    In the past, I've done Ligularia and didn't realize it had germinated, yet it kept growing in the spot where I put it. It grew to a nice size last year.
    I Spring and Summer Sowed Bay Laurel and Gardenia back in 2005-2006, and the plants are still alive and kicking, and doing well. I bring both of them indoors when it gets cool.

    Then there's the plight of the Cherry, Cranberry, and Blueberry seeds. Still haven't suceeded in those and I'm taking a break from them this year, because I don't really know where I want them in the yard anyway. And may just find out they've been growing in my yard wherever I dumped the unsprouted container contents.

    Linda

  • 17 years ago

    Oh good Lord... before I found Winter Sowing, I thought the only thing that I couldn't germinate was a SEED!

  • 17 years ago

    I remember when I was a fledgling gardener,trying to start some aristolochia elegans seeds I purchased from Park Seed. I "buried" them in sandy soil behind the house in an un-prepared area and just left them to fend for themselves. Hmmmmm...wonder why the didn't grow....LOL Now I have about 4-5 var. I started from seed.

    I seed-napped some bayberry seeds from bushes at Baylor Un. in '08 while touring campus with DGD(boy,was she embrassed Mimi was "stealing seeds..."Do I know you?"...LOL). I sewed them ,they came up like gangbusters but then I forgot about them,they dried out and died so I still drop the ball on some things.

    Things I've killed is a whole 'nother thread.

    I'm still waiting two years on native witch hazel seeds to sprout...maybe this year.

    I'm amazed at many of the seeds I sewn "by the seat of my pants" that have germinated and grown only to read at some later point how difficult they are to germinate and grow(or not suppose to grow in my zone).Good things seeds can't read.

    Peggy

  • 17 years ago

    I'm still a novice at growing things. I've tried a few times now to grow hostas from seeds I have. No success. I'm hoping WSing them will work.It's my first time WSing.
    I've also tried to do day lilies from seed....I got my first babies to sprout this fall. I'm hoping to do better with them WSing.

  • 17 years ago

    I always read Clematis needed a warm-cold-warm cycle to germinate. I didn't want to wait a whole year, so I decided to experiment. I sowed some seeds of C. tangutica in moist potting mix in one half of a tray, put it in a vented plastic bag and kept it on the table in my workshop. My plan was to give it 3 weeks of warm, then put more seeds in the other half of the tray and put it outside with the other WS containers to see what would happen.
    Well... exactly 21 days later I have several sprouts from the inside seeds. Never got a chance to put the other seeds in and put it outside. SO now I have to try to keep these seedlings alive inside (which I usually fail miserably at). But I'm going to sow the rest of the seeds in another container and put them outside to WS as originally planned. I will get some viable plants of these Clematis this spring one way or another!

  • 17 years ago

    I'm having trouble w/ desert willow damping off inside under light. I think it maybe a wee bit too cool in here so I'll try some more outside once the weather is warmer.

    I haven't been able to get the variegated mallow to sprout under light on heat so I put the tray outside in my un-heated greenhouse to see if they'll sprout out there. Luckily I bought an extra package to give it another shot later when weather is stable.

    The roselle sprouted the next day under light on heat...I kid you not! Came up so fast it almost put my eye out....LOL. It likes heat and it's still too cold to go outside so some of the plants are getting leggy.

    Peggy

  • 17 years ago

    After doing this since 2001, I now think I can germinate anything I wish to grow. I kid you not.

    Now, if you had asked me the same question a few years ago, the answer may have been different.

  • 17 years ago

    I find the only things I can't germinate are the ones that I have read up on and followed sewing/growing instructions or the ones I get to germinate and read,they can't be germinated w/o standing on your head,crossing your eyes and sticking your tongue out....LOL

    I generally have better results w/o researching and flying by the seat of my pants.

  • 17 years ago

    "I generally have better results w/o researching and flying by the seat of my pants."

    Right on!!!!

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