Beginner Gardening: Peony Experiments Part 1, 3 by ammperry2

ammperry2 wrote:
This is my first post to the forums, so I first want to introduce myself. My name is Misty and I am a home gardener from Georgia. I have wanted peonies for about 2 years and decided to try to grow some from seed this year. I read that they are notoriously difficult to germinate and I could probably kill a silk plant so I decided to experiment with some from China that I bought on eBay. Since I can only share 5 pictures at a time I will show one seed on this post and another on another one.

I have not had much luck with finding information about the process of germination of tree peony seed. Especially since I want to germinate indoors and I am impatient and want to visualize the entire process. Thusly, I decided to experiment on my own. This is P6 Deep Red. I started the process on 05/22/2014. It started showing signs of rooting after about three days but I wasn't sure that was what was going on and didn't take any pictures. Now 13 days after planting you can really see it starting! This is the process I followed:

Step 1: soak in 3% peroxide for 20 min to kill any germs and drain
Step 2: soak in 160 degree water for 3 min to soften the seed coat
Step 3: drain and allow to cool enough to touch the seed
Step 4: using a clean general purpose utility blade cut the end off the seed until you see the whitish interior, but not too deep.
Step 5: place in seed starter mix that is damp in a clear plastic cup
Step 6: place in an opaque plastic bin with a lid on a window shelf to keep warm
Step 7: check for moisture and growth in the morning and evening
Step 8: when mix feels dry spray with Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster mixed at 1.5 TBS per gallon of water.

(I mix the Miracle Gro in an empty milk jug, then pour into a spray bottle and give 1 or 2 sprays until it feels damp)
I took the pictures this morning (6/4/2014)