Seed starting 101

12 years ago

For all those who requested the CA Sally seeds, they've been sent and should be to you by the middle of next week. Good luck with them! I also threw in a surprise ;)

These are just the basics of starting plumeria seeds.

Take a clean paper towel and wet it through, then squeeze out the water. Place the seeds on the paper towel and fold it over. Put it in a plastic bag and set it inside somewhere warm. I put mine on a shelf just below my kitchen light and they sprouted their tiny white root nub in two days.

When you see this bit of white at the tip of the seed, put it wing up into dampened sterile seed-starting mix or coir. This is important! If you re-use potting mix you risk watching these babies grow to an inch or two and then fall over from damping-off, which is caused by fungus in the soil.

You can mist daily as you see the soil dry out. You don't want it wet, just damp. After about a week the seed head will push up and the green of the cotyledon will start to show. Just keep misting and keep the seeds indoors.

I use a plastic strawberry container with a lid so I don't have to keep moistening the soil, but eventually you'll want the top off so they can get air circulation, around 3 or 4 weeks old. By then the tap root will be long enough to reach the bottom of the soil mix and the feeder roots will have started forming.

A fan for circulation is always helpful, too! If you weather is still above 50 degrees, then put the seedlings outside to enjoy the last warm days of summer or fall, when they're about 2 months old. They'll toughen up a bit in the sun and fresh air.

Then when the temps start dropping you can bring them in the house again, either in the original container or in their own 1-gallon pots, depending on how fast they're growing.

Light and warmth will keep them going--they shouldn't go dormant their first winter.

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Comments (7)

plumeriarainbow
12 years ago
Thanks for the tips! I wanted to share a photo of my 2 month old seedlings (followed those directions for the most part!).
barb13_gw
12 years ago
This is just to say that there is no right or wrong way to start seeds. I have used the paper towel way, floating in water way and a few others but this year just used cactus mix and perlite wet it down and then put holes in it and added seeds. I put them in the shaded (under the patio) and kept damp, not wet and before long most of them grow. I find that they are like most seeds give them fresh air, water and nice soil and they are off and running. I next am putting them in their own little pots but because they still are small do keep them damp. Barb
p.s. I have never had any problem reusing cactus mix and perlite but like I said each person does it their own way. Here is a picture of some of them in their own little pots.
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tikitropic
12 years ago
Hey Jen -

Got the seeds today! You are a total sweetheart Free Cali Sally seeds AND a bonus to boot!! (Miami Rose seeds)

I'll plant them tomorrow and post pictures of the progress as they grow. Any idea who the 'daddy' could be?

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity!!!
I'll try to make you a proud donor/momma!

Doug
phalanx_viridis
12 years ago
go mine today too! many mahalos Jennifer! They will be happy here in SoCal :)

thanks so much!
-stephen
chuy415
12 years ago
Jen- thanks a million - got the seeds today !! Can't wait to watch them grow ;). Thanks again and the surprise was awesome !! Woo hoo.

Chuy
njz7
12 years ago
I received the seeds today; thank you for your kindness and generosity.

It will be exciting to watch them sprout and grow!

Thanks again for your time and consideration.

Ron
jandey1
Original Author
12 years ago
You all are very welcome! I hope you enjoy growing them as much as I do!

I imagine the CA Sally were self-pollinated as she wasn't very close to any other bloomers. Maybe Maverick and Desert Sunrise were near enough but not necessarily blooming at the same time.

Miami Rose was close to Divine and Penang Peach at my mother's house, but again, it's a wild guess and they're more likely self-polls, too.

I get a lot of thrips, so they tend to stay put rather than fly around like moths. In any case, both should make some decent seedlings. So far CS's seeds are very small and making tiny seedling. Haven't seen MR come up yet here.