Lilies: Lily Seed Progress, 1 by Leftwood

Leftwood wrote:
I think I hear a time delayed message from your seeds, Mag:

Must, muuussst . . . . reeeeeaach . . . . suuuurrface!
aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, made it.

Even Ian Young doesn't recommend planting any lilies or frits deeply. Although he does say daffodil seed in general should be 1-2 inches below the soil surface.

But obviously, they have been doing okay. On the plus side, they won't need to spend so much energy producing the contractile roots to pull them down further.

I think 1/4 inch deep is probably best for the most part, and I also have seen it recommended. Most lily seeds don't have to be "planted" at all, merely have enough moisture to germinate with. This pic with the zig-zaggy embryo germinated in moist air (no condensation) inside a little ziplock. The darker part is actually green! If you keep the pots sealed inside a bag, planting depth is inconsequential, as far as germination is concerned. In addition, I have read in more than one place that lily seed in general needs light to germinate. I haven't figured that out yet, and basically, I just ignore it.

My first mistake in my seed growing forays was using 4 inch pots. When I when to transplant them, bulbs were usually sitting on the bottom, even though I planted seeds only an eighth inch deep.