Advice on teeny weeny, itsy-bitsy tiny seed handling please!

I just got some seeds today from seedman.com :)

Some of them, like ficus are EXTREMELY tiny, smaller than the head of a pin.

So far I have been dealing with larger seeds, anyone have any tried and true methods of stratifying and soing seeds so tiny?

thanks always,

Maureen

I have not tested this yet, but when I got poppy seeds, I asked a friend how in the WORLD I would sow those. She uses scotch tape and a ball point pen. Stick some on the tape, use the pen (a needle or stick pin may work) to knock each one off as needed.

I hope this helps, and i can't wait to hear some other ideas...

Make your own "seed tape" Affix the seed to paper towel, newspaper, toilet paper, etc with wheat paste or cornstarch. Here are a few internet references:
http://www.diynet.com/diy/ic_planting_seeding_maint/article/0,2029,DIY_13968_2270362,00.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_16122_make-seed-tape.html
http://www.boldweb.com/greenweb/g_tape.htm

Mix them with sand and sow.

Gum on tape can damage small seed, if you've used it to great success, then well done but a lot of care needs to be taken and the right tape used.

I'm with Darius, I mix tiny seed with sand and sprinkle it, if I don't have any sand available, I tip them onto white paper that has been folded and opened out again (so you can direct the flow via the creases). I also try not to touch it if I need to store some, the natural moisture on your hands carries bacteria and the moisture could effect tiny seed too.

I have noticed that when you have gravel paths . Seed big or small grow here, it's 1/4 inch . Just put your seed raising mix in , cover it with a light layer of gravel size mention and sprinkle in your seed It has worked for me.

Thanks all,

I'm thinking about trying the sand method. Can I get decent sterile sand at a garden center?

Also, I suppose it would be ok to mix the seeds with sand to do my soaking also?

thanks always,

Maureen

If soaking, consider the Deno Method http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/382293/

Thanks for that reminder, PotEmUp, I tend to forget that method.

I've always wondered why one must soak tiny seed. Once planted and kept damp, one would think that was soaking enough. I'm with Baa and Darius with the sand technique. The best sand I ever used was some sort of coarse mix used for iguana tanks! I recommend coarser sand so it doesn't form a crust on the surface, and don't use too much. Many of the really small seeds are surface sown. The sand enables light to get in and it helps to hold moisture into the soil.

Of course, there are small seeds and there are small seeds. If you've eaten a bun with the black poppy seeds on it, it's somniferum seed. Those are large enough to spread across the planting surface by rubbing them between your thumb and fingers as you pass over the soil. Lobelia or sedum seed, on the other hand, could use a bit of sand.

I am trying the Deno method with other seeds, fortunately these don't say they need to be stratified. They are so small I wouldn't be able to see them sprout on a paper towel without a magnifying glass.

My ficus seeds are definately not the size of poppy seeds, probably 1/4th that size at least. The seedman.com site says several hunderd seeds are in 1/8 of a teaspoon. However, the package says they need to be soaked first. I guess I'll have to strain them through a paper towel, because even my smallest screen, which is 1/16th inch or less, is too big.

Can anyone tell me if I can get sand at a garden center?

Thanks all,

Maureen

Maureen, you can get sand in small bags at a home center. Not sure about a garden center.

Maureen

Here's the info I found on the T&M germination database for ficus:

Ficus: Greenhouse Shrub
Germination: 15-90 days (irregular)
Light required for germination
Germinate @ 70-80F
Use peaty medium
Surface sow
Use Method #5 below:

#5. These seeds should be sown on the surface of the compost and not covered. The compost should be quite moist and we would recommend that you cover the seed container with a piece of glass or clear plastic and leave in a temperature of approximately 65 degrees F in a position which receives diffused light. Once some of the seeds have germinated air should be admitted gradually otherwise the seedlings may damp off.

Alternatively the seeds can be sown on to moist blotting paper or kitchen towel placed in a saucer. Cover with a transparent cover and place on a windowsill which receives plenty of light, but not direct sunlight. Keep the blotting paper wet at all times and when the tiny seedlings are large enough to handle prick out into small pots.

Thanks Darius, I'm heading to home depot shortly.

And thanks Weezingreens, all my searching and I didn't find info that good! :)

look up miniscule in your funk-n-wagnel and you'll probably see buddleia seeds... well, the title buddleia anyway.
Many of the birch tree seeds are tiny as well.
I sprinkle them on damp starter mix, lightly press it to ensure the seeds make contact with the medium then cover with the dome, saran wrap, soda bottle - something to keep moisture in until the first seed sprouts then start letting in air

Tiny seeds = no overhead watering. Mist with spray bottle if you must but undercover it should stay moist and humid enough until they sprout.

I use sand also..Then I use an old salt shaker to sprinkle them out..Never understood all that soaking jazz, just another step I've never found needed, with any seeds..Just keep em damp after being sown.


Larkie

Hey Maureen: Sand is not sterile. It can contain fungus spores, chemicals, insects and their eggs, weed seeds and bacteria. Some of the more exotic contaminants can be downright hazardous when used in moist conditions. Any media you use for propagation is more sucessful if you nuke it first.
By chance there was a new medical investigation drama on the tube this past week concerning a disease spread by transporting contaminated desert sand to a beach. The microbe was not active in the desert but the conditions elsewhere allowed it to thrive. As most dramas, it was exaggerated but had the truth in there too. Jessamine

Well my Begonia seeds litterally look like dust...I surface sow all small seeds. When they are very very tiny...like Mimulus Ringens, Campanula...etc. I use vermiculite in a small dixie cup. I actually perfer vermiculite because it doesn't hold odor, bugs and mold (just my opinion). I usually let them get so big they push the others out the way. Then I transplant the ones I want and pitch the rest. Seedlings usually can litterally be pulled out of vermiculite without damaging roots. But don't try this unless you're use to doing it...LOL Here's the lady I buy mine from, I'm sure others have it but I'm so use to buying from her http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20546&item=4340005624&rd=1
Typo

This message was edited Jan 19, 2005 10:56 AM

Any reason why you don't just buy one of those big bags at a nursery (or mail order) ?
8qt bags run around 10-15 $

He he he...dunno..got a good source? This is just the first place I bought it and never looked anywhere else :-(

I usually buy the 2 bushel bags of vermiculite at a farm supply store in the spring as well as a 2 bushel bag of Perlite. I don't think I have ever paid more than $11 for a bag that size. That may change with the economy. I also buy a bag of bone meal that is for mixing with poultry feed. The only difference is it is finer than the garden store stuff and breaks down quicker. Jessamine

hmmm, Kim I responded last night but looks like it didn't post. ?

Like Jessamine says, you can get the big bags locally. Farm supply, Garden and Gifts, nursery, etc..
Even HD, Lowe's etc., will have but I haven't seen the 8qt+ bags there. You'll probably get 16-20 of those 1lb ziplock bags out of 2 bushels but pay half or less.

8 qts $4. at all local reg. sources.
I'm so concerened about wheather to try and plant poppies here or at DS in NC. Much cooler there.
I got several in the co-op.
Better do some studying.
Sidney

Sidney -- annual or perennial? I didn't think they had a problem with heat but just went and looked at the perennial descrips at WSG and 8 was the maximum recommended range for all of them. Maybe if you put them on the East side so they're shaded from noon on?

Blaine, I'll try that and check WSG too. My west corner is mostly shaded, but I can find a place maybe among the hosta liner babies I stuck on the west side of my neighbors garage to over winter.
I'll study on.
Sidney

Sugarweed, I've got lots of somniferum seed. I can send you some extra mixed seed to experiment with, if you like.

Love em girl, You want an sase? & some mexican milkweed?

Just email me your address. I'll cover the little bit of postage. Glad to see them get some use.