Decided to do an Excel inventory of my seed. What a jumbled up mess my seed collection is !!! Before this year, I had planted very little from seed, only petunias and zinnias.
Some of the packets of seed I received in DG trades or new member welcome packet have "sow seeds at 70 F" or similar instructions. Hate to show my ignorance here, but in our area of north central Texas does that mean when it cools down to 70 degrees in the fall, or after it warms up to at least 70 degrees in the spring?
I have already planted poppy seed and they've come up thick as dog hair but don't have second leaf yet. The seed was old and I was afraid wouldn't germinate. Looks like every little one did. Do I need to cover them when it freezes?
Thanks,
Glenna
Seed question
Glenna, I am practically your neighbor in DeSoto...50 miles or so. I prefer to plant as much as possible from seed rather than plants. They seem to be better able to take whatever nature throws at them. My method is very unorthodox so you may take it with a grain of salt. I have observed that mother nature does not gather seed and store them for another day. When the seed ripens on a given plant it either falls to the ground or explodes to another area or the wind carries it far and wide. No gathering and labeling and anxiously watching the calendar and temperatures for just the right time. So I either let them fall or if it is something new....I just pitch like feeding chickens. Sometimes I might water for a few days, sometimes not. I have phenomenal luck. I do spend some time pulling up seedlings in places I would rather not have them. My style definitely would not suit most people as I love the "cottage garden" look and use as many heirloom varieties as I can.
As for your question about 70 degrees, I would interpret that to be 70 degrees at night in the Spring. Many seeds will not germinate until the ground is warm. Many others, as in the poppy,larkspur,sweetpea and others require a cold period, therefore Spring is too late.
So much for that advice.
Christi
Ok here is an assumption and help me out if I am wrong. I am going to try and grow some hard to find TX natives from seed. I figure since they actually live here I can put the seed out this fall and some will germinate in late winter, some in spring etc, depending on their life cycles. Is this a bad approach? I am going to try pots as my yard is too small to just scatter them.
Cheryl
Wildflowers and poppies need to be sown in the fall for spring blooms. I never cover my poppies and it has gotten 8* here. Its the heat that kills them. Natives will germinate when the time is right, they know what they are doing. :)
With poppies, I just toss 'em out there and let them do their thing. Last year, I had poppies up when we had all that snow. They did GREAT this year! I'm also a big fan of winter sowing, so I've done A LOT of my seeds that way.
When it says sow when 70º, that means SOIL temperature, not air temperature. Since most seeds are covered in order to germinate, they germinate when the soil reaches various temps. Most late blooming plants germinate when the soil temps are higher. Most early blooming plants germinate when the soil temp is cooler.
Glenna, The 70ºFrefers to the best temperature needed for the best germination rate. If you are using a heat mat, set your thermostat at 70ºF. If sown outside, sow when the soil temperature reaches 70ºF. Whether it is during the fall or spring depends on the plant species. Not all wildflower seeds are planted in the fall. Some wildflower seedlings will freeze if sown in the fall. Fall sown seeds germinate in the fall and spent winter as small rosettes lying close to the ground where it is warmest. Then in the spring they resume grow.
The packets usually tell you when to plant. There are other sources for seed planting information, but one of the best for wildflower seeds is Wildseed Farms as they pack a lot of information into each species description including a photo of what the seedling looks like. For other seed, the back of the packet has most of what you need. You can also google for individual species information.
well lou c you inspired me to toss some seeds!
Betty-What Wildflower seeds go out in the Spring? I'm not trying to start an argument I really want know :). I sow them all in the fall/winter some don't germinate until spring but the seeds need the cold.
Linda, there is nothing to loose and a possibility of a lot to gain.
I just looked at the packets I got and they didn't have any info. I got them from the native seed co. Guess I should go online to find out about specific species.
C
Some species have an annual cycle, so I guess those are the ones that need cold? Others are opportunistic - they'll drop seeds which will sprout all summer with moisture. The ones that get dropped late hang out until it's warm enough the following spring, so the cold doesn't hurt them, but it's not essential.
1lisac,
I forgot to add the link to Wildseed Farms:
http://shop.wildseedfarms.com/searchprods.asp
I went to the site and searched for seeds to sow in spring and came up with the list in the link above. You try the same for fall planting.
As far as wildflowers go in Texas, species that bloom in early spring are usually sown in the fall while those that bloom in summer are sown in early spring after all frost is gone.
Some seeds need stratification (cold exposure), but those are usually perennials. Here's a partial list of seeds that need stratification:
http://www.alchemy-works.com/fall_planting.html#Seeds
Opportunistic seeds are usually called weeds or at the very least invasives. All kidding aside, some plant species produce seeds that remain viable for many years while others may lose viability in a rather short time. I think itt depends on the amount of stored energy that the seeds contain, but I may be wrong. Usually the larger the seed the longer it remains viable. Most seeds that do not require stratification will germinate anytime conditions are right especially if the species produce large numbers of seeds. Now whether those new seedling will get a chance to produce seeds is something else. :-)
You may find these links is useful :
http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6703958_texas-seed-fall-planting-information.html
http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=5725
http://www.suite101.com/content/fall-sowing-of-seeds-in-the-flower-garden-a66952
http://www.americanmeadows.com/QuickGuideToWildflowers.aspx
Most of the species I am going to try are perennials so I guess I will plant those this fall as in now!
C
bettydee, thanks for the links. Lots of information there that I need to take time to read.
The only problem with information I find when I do an internet search is it is not specific to zones. As an example, the old-fashioned vining petunia that my mother grew in New Mexico self seeds and comes up in the fall here in north central Texas (usually not where I want it) and then starts blooming very early spring until the heat kills it. In New Mexico, it didn't come up until spring and then bloomed most of the summer. The same with the larkspur seed from her.
In an effort to get it to grow where I want it, this year for the first time I'm planting seed that I saved and trying to follow timelines I've observed when it self seeds. I have a very thick stand of petunias right now - again sown too thick, doubting my ability to get it to germinate. LOL. But the larkspur hasn't shown up at all yet.
It would be very helpful to me to have information from members in Texas that's specific to area about planting seed and the results they get with different plants. Also, whether they plant directly in the bed, winter sow or start in greenhouse, etc. I don't have any place to start things indoors. DH is thinking of building a small greenhouse but probably not this year.
Thanks,
Glenna
This message was edited Oct 31, 2010 6:57 AM
I mainly work with Texas natives and mostly perennials so i can't be of much help with many other plants.
For the perennial seeds that need stratification I prefer to plant in the fall in pots and keep them outside on a shelf so they get their cold treatment that way. A clear cover is helpful to keep squirrels out.
For the annuals I plant in the spring the same way, I have no luck planting seed in the ground, those squirrels won't leave them alone.
Actually, I prefer to propagate by cuttings and divisions which I do a lot of, but that doesn't work with annuals and sometimes a plant is not available but the seeds are, so it becomes necessary.
This probably didn't help much, but that's my story.
Josephine.
Josephine, when you plant in pots and put them on a shelf, is that in a sunny location or ?? Also, do you water them or just let them sit for the winter and start watering in spring?
Glenna
My shelf is on my patio and faces east, so yes it gets sun in the morning but not all day, and I do check for moisture and water them when needed to keep them moist.
This has been fairly successful for me.
WOW, Betty Thanks that was a lot of work. Thats the seed company that I use too.
I'll try them in fall and we'll see how it goes. First we need rain tho.
Dogs-Wildseeds farms has a map with the zones and recommended sowing times.
ok--simple story
i can put out perennial seeds now--the ones that need cold to sprout will get the cold they need
the ones that don't need cold to sprout will not be hurt by the cold and will wait for the warmth of spring to sprout
is that correct
Yes, I believe so. The ones that sprout now Blue Bonnets (annual) are hardy and aren't effected by the cold. I buy seeds in Bulk from Wildseed farms and they told me they will germinate when they are supposed to but if we don't get any rain it wont matter (at least for me.)
I am sure there are tricks for certain species that might be more difficult but I still say if it grows here it must be able to survive the winter in some way. Annual seeds lay dormant until spring, I think LOL.
My story: I am too lazy to worry about details so all my seeds are going out this fall.
C
well ms newton--i also am not a detail person---so i love your method!
lisac-does it matter if they get any water when they will have the winter to get ready? i mean sooner or later rain right?
It is my understanding that they need water to germinate and once they have germinated they need to be kept damp until they are established. If they don't get enough rain/water they won't germinate but they will wait tell the conditions are more favorable, which could be years.
Have been told that bluebonnets can take up to 10 years to germinate. Now that doesn't mean if you spread 500 seeds that all 500 will take that long. I have had reseeding larkspur for some 3 years and they don't usually sprout until late April/early May. Bloom for about 4-6 weeks then the plant begins to go dormant as the temperature rises. I let them stand for a week or two while the seed dries and then "shuck" the seed where the plants stand, pull up the dried plant and compost it.
Last year the poppies were blooming in March/April and after they went dormant the larkspur started. Easy Peasy!
I don't think I can wait 10 years LOL. But I do like the idea of a succession of blooms from last years seeds. I might experiment with a few types of annuals and see how that works for me.
C
Most if not all annual natives will reseed themselves and the seeds can take their sweet time to germinate.