Hymalayian Blue Poppy

I saw on e-bay there were himalayan blue poppy seed for bid.In the add it said "due to a scientific break thru they are now easy to germinate".Does anyone know what this break thru is? I have some seeds that I have been waiting to start .My first packet was a no go so I bought more. Do I start them just like regular poppys?Do they need light to germinate?

I had a hard time getting my to sprout also....I haven't tried since...Any tricks to get them started??...meplant :) :)

The trick to getting Meconopsis growing is very fresh
SEED .... It is impossible for most seed companies to sell fresh seed picked from the plant , so that is the biggest part of the germination problem .

Perhaps the breakthrough is using giberrelic acid? I've germinated some by sowing them on the surface of compost and keeping them covered in the kitchen.

according to my book "as soon as the seed heads ripen shake out the seeds and sow right away".

Since I don't have the option of getting fresh seed ,I'd like to try that acid thing,what is it and where do I get it?

Ga-3 or gibberelic acid is a growth hormone use for a number of things from getting seedless tomatoes to germinating hard to germinate seeds. Try Advance Scientific & Chemical, Inc..thats where I get my GA-3. website is http://www.advance-scientific.com or phone is 954-327-0900, or 1800-524-chem. or 1800-533-4605. This company is extremely fast and reliable, anything more than 2 weeks waiting for plants or chemicals for my plants is too long of a wait for me.
Hope that helps,
Brugmansia

My son tells me not to use GA3, as it's a carcinogen. My seed has come from society distributions, seed companies or from trades, so wouldn't have been very fresh, and I have a couple of plants blooming now.

OK Mary ,don't keep me in the dark,how did you germinate the seeds. Brugmansia, Is this ga3 a powder? How do you use it?

Pure luck. I just thought they looked as if they needed to be tried indoors, so put them on top of moist seed compost, in a small unheated propagator, in the kitchen. I've just checked, and I sowed some this way in February and they took 10 days to germinate. They came from the AGS distribution, so were at least 4 months old. I've germinated others in 16 days, and none of them were fresh. I've posted a photo on the ID Forum of the one flowering now - I think it's a Crewdson hybrid I sowed in October 1999, which took 22 days to germinate. Can't advise you how to do it, though, as my growing methods are strictly hit and miss.

O.K. I'm going for it! TODAY! I bought a precooked chicken the other nite,washed the container out -perfect little domed greenhouse. I'm putting them in there with a good seed starter,and put them in the kitchen like Mary- and do my "Grow Plant Dance" (Don't ask) Wish me luck and thanks for all the suggestions! crestedchic

Ga-3 is best purchased as a power as in a liquid form it is only good for about 3 days. As for it being a carcinogen, Ga-3 is a naturally occuring plant hormone. Do you eat plants would be my question....I don't suggest you snort this white powder though. Of course tonic water has quinine in it as well, but enough about the hazards of being alive. Ahh, and my favorite, seedless tomatoes, formed with the help of GA-3. Insecticides are carcinogens for sure, I still use them though. I think what one must always do in such matters is to simply treat any chemical with respect. Regardless of whether it is naturally occuring or not. Colchicine is a naturally occuring chemical in some plants. Used to treat gout and to make tetraploid versions of plants. I would not advocate touching liquid colchicine though either. Of course there are other chemicals that one can use on seedlings to double its dna. Many of these chemicals are most valuable to hybridizers, people interested in tissue culture, and the agriculture industry.
Brugmansia

This message was edited Tuesday, Jun 26th 9:48 AM

there was an article in my mag about meconopsis and there were some basic tips:

1. Meconopsis need a cool, shady spot that is protected from strong winds which would blow down flower stalks and damage flower petals.

2. They need a neutral to acid, free-draining soil that is moist and rich in humus. If they are allowed to dry out at the roots, the leaf edges will turn brown and crispy.

3. Dig lots of horticultural grit into the planting site if you have heavy soil. This will prevent the plant roots from becoming saturated and starved of essential oxygen.

4. Water plants regularly, especially when the weather is warm and dry. Create a shallow dish in the surface of the soil around the base of the plant where water can pond and soak down to the roots.

5. Feed plants with a balanced fertiliser twice a year, at the end of February and again in June. Avoid applications of lime to the soil as this will cause foliage of meconopsis to become chlorotic and may result in the death of plants.

6. Lift and divide the plants every three years in the autumn, and replant in well-prepared soil. The centre of the clump can be discarded as it will be weak. Rplant vigorous sections from the edge of the clump.

7. Save seed from monocarpic (they don't flower for two or three years, and when they do they die afterwards) species after flowering to sow and grow again. Leave pods on the plants until they start to turn straw coloured then harvest into paper bags which will catch the seed.

8. Seed may need a cold period in the fridge for a few weeks before it will germinate successfully.

Hope this helps,

lil

Well ,that would be great info ,if I ever get one,To update,not a single seed has germinated.I am really dissapointed.If anyone ever has some fresh seed could they spare a little ?I'm not totaly giving up on the seed tray yet,but I hate looking at it and knowing what a falure I am at seed starting ,and rooting for that matter!!Sorry,just having a pity party for my self.

The famous blue poppies are fairly common up here in the PNW. guess the climate suits them. One tip is to never, ever let them bloom the first year. You have to make the ultimate gardener's sacrifice and remove anything even closely resembling a bloom. Next year you'll be repaid.

Well,it seems I am not going to get a single sprout.I planted the seeds a month ago and still have no sprouts.Am I being impatient or should I give up till I find some fresh seed?

I'll send you a baby plant. send me your address and I'll get you one sent on Monday.

Mark

Why don't you buy them from nurseries? I bought my own thisn year and it hasn't bloomed but maybe next year... It's very hard to grow them from seeds. Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh poppy/Yellow himalayan poppy) is easier. I'll try it.

Believe me if I ever saw one at a nursery or offered in a catalog I would buy it in a heart beat!!!!CC

Here they are common in nurseries, maybe you should visit next summer in Finland? :-)

Crested chik, Brugmansia, and Mary giberellic acid is indeed a plant horomone...it's function is growth and fruit/flower production in the plant. I have been using it for years, since I had botany as an undergrad. You can find it at www.mellingers.com it is in a spray. It works wonders!! They also have other supplies you might want to try out. The bonus is they are not expensive. (I believe that it is called super plant.)
Arlinda