please help me find a good thread on seed starting!

I did just that... my remaining ones were nicked a little more than 2 hours ago, but they still have not swollen like the others! I'm getting sleepy... I may just plant them and water in well, or I may transfer them to baggies with moist paper towel... we'll see! LOL, after worrying these JMG seeds half to death all day, I'm now developing a rather "come what may" attitude! I'm sure that at least some of them will germinate. :-)

Second sprout coming up in the reluctant MG cup. They're my 'Cameo Elegance'. How cool that even the little cotelydons are varigated.

Joanne

I had a few seeds of one I. purpurea I was starting with the rest that didn't look like they'd swollen, instead of just potting them up anyway I popped them into a baggie with a moist bit of paper towel... by the next morning, they had little "tails!" Hopefully the ones I potted up have little roots now also... :-)

Good tip Critter. I must admit that I planted several seeds that weren't exactly swollen after soaking for six hours. Was before I happened upon this most excellent thread. :o)

-Joanne

Third sprout from the reluctant Cameo Elegance! Yea!
Ok, I'll stop posting about this now, I can see you rolling your eyes. Will never never plant MG seeds again that haven't been soaked properly.

hi jill:) welcome!
if you need any more seeds that didnt sprout let me know!

pamsue

LOL, Pam, I don't need any more nonsprouting seeds! (sorry, couldn't resist.) I'm just about to go downstairs and compulsively check again on my flat of MGs... last night, several cups had a sprout showing, but I don't think the ones you sent were among them... but your seeds swelled up quickly and were planted promptly, so I'm sure they'll do fine! Thanks for sharing them with me!

I just wanted to thank everyone for their patience and their advice! I've got a dozen different MGs started (two 9 oz cups for some varieties), and every single cup has at least one sprout up! What fun!!!

Hi Jill,

I know you started this a year ago but I thought you might like this method of sowing MG seeds. According to her book,Tasha Tudor often will put seeds in little plant pots and put them right out in the snow without cover. She does this for many plants including primroses and MG's. She brings them into her cold "non-frozen" basement for a week and then throws her "babies" back out in the cold when they get a " a little presumptuous" lol. When she is actually ready for them to grow, she brings them into her greenhouse (gorgeous and about the size of my farmhouse!) and off they go, healthy and strong. thought this might give you a giggle.

The reason I was looking up your name was because I was trying to find your post on how to make those homemade plant stands! Where did you hide it please? lol

The MG's come up quick enough for me. As soon as it snows here, I break apart the seed pods and caste them right on top of the snow. they are always one of the first things to come up and grow to cover my fence by May.

Thanks for that info! I've tried winter sowing them in covered containers with mixed success... they do better for me direct sowed in winter or very early spring. They've been self-sowing along my neighbor's fence, also. :-)

There's some info on plant stands and a link to a DIY plan with PVC pipe in my article on light shelves: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/464/