Echinacea seed preparation

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mimandprue Andover, MA Feb 13, 2010

I have bought seed from different suppliers and directions are contradictory. One says to plant without prior cooling but another advises putting seed in a moist napkin in the fridge for three weeks first. Can both be right?

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dEmon80 greensboro, NC(Zone 7a) Feb 14, 2010

personally i don't know. but i did just get some echinacea and some forget me not. i bought a small greenhouse device. basically its two plastic trays. the bottom on is black and the top is clear, there are 25 small peat pods for the seeds to germinate. spring fever got me early this year so i was anxious to do something to get started. i bought the small box for $5 at home depot. maybe this is a good idea to look into.
guud luck

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mimandprue Andover, MA Feb 14, 2010

Thanks,I have done the same but I don't want to plant until I know a little more.

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dEmon80 greensboro, NC(Zone 7a) Feb 14, 2010

yeah, i might have jumped the gun abit, but we'll see how things turn out. i'm still abit of an amateur gardener so sometimes i will goof up. especially when the spring fever bites me. maybe i'll learn something here.

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amorecuore Ft Lauderdale, FL(Zone 10a) Apr 03, 2010

Planting directions can get confusing when they conflict each other. Have grown Echinacea from seed. I seem to get a higher germination percentage if I refrigerate them and they probably last longer that way. They always immediately go into the refrigerator, in a ziploc bag, until I'm ready to plant them. Sew them on the surface of the soil/seed starting mix and do not cover. You can give them a very light sprinkling of vermiculite....just to help hold the seeds in place. They should germinate in 7-10 days.

Jon

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lorvan Hamilton, ON(Zone 5b) Apr 08, 2010

I started some purple coneflower (echinacea) from seed this year. I started them in February, as I want them to be big before planting them out. I planted the seeds in Styrofoam cups with regular seed starting mix. I put the cups one of those greenhouse trays and they took about 2 weeks to germinate. I didn't refrigerate them, and it worked fine for me. That being said, I live in Ontario and got the seeds in the mail in the middle of winter, so who knows. Why not do an experiment and do both methods?

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crafti_trish Roanoke, VA(Zone 7a) Apr 24, 2010

My echinacea is just starting to sprout. I filled a small pot with regular potting soil, then an inch of seed starting soil, sprinkled seeds, very lightly covered with more seed starting soil, used a spray bottle to mist/water until the lightweight soil settled. Then I sat the pot outside on a chilly night. I've now had them inside under a plant bulb and they are sprouting at 9 days.

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