Hi everybody,
I nick my seeds with nail clippers - just hold on tight, and use the end (sharp corner) of the clippers. After that I leave them soaking, changing the water daily, making sure there are no slimy bits left, and then when I can actually see the root starting to grow I put them in the pots. This is the second year, and so far, so good...
Piggie Swap babies and seed starting #2
Welcome Elsa :)
Hi Elsa, Thanks.
How many days does it usually take to see the root, and what happens if you don't actually see it happen because you forgot to look one day?
That is always a fear...I get busy and dont see it, or don't notice it. I would also say that I tried the corner of the clippers, and this is on Canna seed -- baby, those things are HARD! The clippers were just glancing off. I didn't want to really man-handle them because I had a Valentine's Date...didn't want to have bloody fingers at dinner. (I already gave myself a 180 grit manicure on my right hand LOL!)
Ansonfan, It looks like Tuinkabouter could upload her seed sowing database information right to Dave and have everything covered in one fell swoop...at least I assume she has it on a database -- surely you didn't do that whole list for Fairy by memory, did you, Tuink?
This message was edited Feb 15, 2008 3:15 AM
Lala_Jane and Robynznest and Colchie, Look at this photo!!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=4539687
I could not figure out what the big draw was with tropicals! It made no sense to me, but now it sure does!
Morning all!
Oh, wish I could grow something like that! Pending global heating, someday I may...............
I'm waiting to see how he does it -- he is in Louisville, Kentucky, which is Zone 6 and just 2 hours south of me. ...he would be way colder in the winters than you are, Tuink.
His compost pile REALLY cooks? Covers the entire lot with a hoop house in winter?
ok, I'm getting goofy...
Suzy,
I have a new batch that I started on Tuesday - the same ones I sent you, George. it usually takes anything from 7-14 days if I remember correctly. Think it depends on how big the "nick" was.... Luckily the seeds doesn't really care if you leave them in the water once the root started growing. I also tend to forget so I moved it near my kettle - husbands always bugs me for a cup! Once in the soil, I'd say another week or three before you see the shoots. After that you can't stop them!
Robynznest, I have this apricot colored one flowering at the moment. Let me know if you'd be interested in some seed should these ripen.
Hi George, thanks! I'm always lurking...
Elsa I'm so glad you shared that. I have always wondered how to start those seeds. I have some tall red that I haven't even been keeping seeds because they seemed hopeless. I'll be saving them from now on, and yours too :)
Suzy I have wondered so many times why this site hasn't already put the info here. It doesn't seem like it would be difficult, just that time is always a factor. But having to run from here to there all over the googlin place trying to find the info is a little exhausting after a while.
Ansofan,
You're so right. Why not put some "Propagation and growing tips" on the plant file sites and leave it to DG'ers to fill in the information. Can't be that difficult....
Hi Elsa,
Nice to meet you here again!
Hi, Tuinkabouter...
I'm with you Tuink. Most of the time the notes at the bottom of the page are really not that helpful and could easily be replaced with something that a lot of people could take advantage of.
Does any of you folks know Dave well enough to put this suggestion forward to him?
Isn't plant propogation being added to the plantfiles as part of the wintersowing effort Distantkin and others are working on? KD
Maybe suzy will have to put the canna seeds she has soaking next to that GINORMOUS box of wine she got to make it through the swap-that is ifthere is any left-LOLhehehehehehehe
Maybe they'd do better if you soaked them in the wine..........
If she soaked them in wine instead, the might lean after she planted them-still drunk-LOL
But my, they'd be happy plants!
Alcoholic Cannas ROFL
Well, I clipped my cannas with toe nail clippers, then soaked them for 48 hours, changing the water every 8 hours. I have some sprouting today.
Hi! Just starting to pull my head out of the seeds! Is everyone as tired and happy as I am? The pictures of the tropicals are georgous! May I ask what you are soaking your canna in, besides water to get immediate results?
just tap water.
Interesting, thanks.. I read somewhere to soak them with hydrogen peroxide, so I was wondering if that was what you used. I have been proscrastinating strarting mine. I love them, but they are hard on the fingers. lol
I have never had canna before - why are they hard on the fingers? Am I going to regret starting them?
No, no. I'm sorry. I was referring to nicking them. I usually do it with sandpaper and it tears up my manicure, skin etc. LOL
Oh, good! I had image on inch-long thorns!
I know we can add our germination records to the plantfiles now but don't know how to get into them, I've added a few. Maybe it's just not ready yet for everyone to go into the information. I kind of lost track of their thread they had going. So try and keep good records this year and when they start blooming too to add to the plantfiles, germinations rates and all that good stuff. At the bottom of the page in the plantfiles they have "Add a winter sowing germination report fro this plant" they have blanks to fill out and you can put your own notes in but not sure how to get in there once people have added their notes, after this year there should be a lot of information in there. I know I'm looking forward to this tool!!
Here check the very bottom of the page out and you will see where you can add your notes:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/477/
Welcome Elsa! Good afternoon Tuink! 'morning everyone else!
Lea - isn't that link at the bottom just for the WS stuff?? I agree that the info they have now is pretty much just a waste of space, without Suzy and Tuink and Seandor (oh, everyone!!) I would be dancin' in the dark and spending all my time wandering around the internet looking things up.
I have to transplant some babies today or I'm gonna lose them - eeek! - and then I'll be nicking some seeds to see how that goes. I desperately wanted to get another flat started yesterday, but ended up spending most of my time updating my spreadsheet on which seeds need to be started when, and how ..... annoying waste of time!
Tuink, I'm going to go wander through the Propagation thread a bit today and see if anyone's grousing the same way we are. Certainly we can't be the only DGers who want this information on the PlantFiles info!
Happy planting and seed peeking!!
Robin
On the home page there is a link to get WS records from people-is that what you are talking about??
Oh Robin you are right! I guess I'm just getting mixed up, this seed brain can only take so much LOL Eventually don't you think they will add the other germination records I'm sure they will after getting the WS started good in there we have everything else LOL This site just spoils me way too much!
I've given up trying to get all of these seeds into my excel, I think I'm just going to add them as I sow them like I usually do, adding them one at a time seems to be much easier for me. I get a big long list and have so many tabs when I go to look the seed up and if it's iffy on when to plant it takes me a while to find the name and add the info to excel LOL I've got tabs for WS, WS in March, Downstairs, B 4 L. frost, after last frost, Spring, Now, Snow and sowing pansies and violets in July. I can never remember which tab has some of seeds in it LOL
Yes Fairy, that's what I'm talking about :) I didn't think about it not having germination records for under lights LOL But keep records I'm sure that will be coming in the near future!
Hi, everybody!
So this is where all the Cottage Garden discussion is hiding?!! I saw the piggy photo in the first post and thought this thread was about stuffed animal collections and skipped it! I'm having trouble keeping all these new-ish forums straight.
I love that photo of BWilliams tropicals! I want to go down to Louisville and check it out now , too. I think he cleared out a lot of his stock last summer...
I know what you mean about not quite understanding the 'allure' of tropicals in our zones, but I'm trying cannas again this year after several years hiatus. I just ordered the corms from Horn's in the DG co-op. I'm hoping for some good canna hummingbird plants. Plan to put them in giant pots and rotate them around the garden as they come into bloom... http://www.cannas.net/shop/cart.asp?action=catalog_start The co-op is open for the rest of the month if anyone wants to make an order (directly to Horn's with a DG discount code). They say the corms are fatter and cheaper than those you can buy retail...we'll see...
And I agree--good WS record keeping on our own might be worthwhile. In truth, I just look at the 'T & M' HP HA HHA and so on list and use that as a rule of thumb, too, for wintersowing. I finally found the WS database and I think it needs more entries and details to make it worthwhile, too. By next year it will be a good source.
Thanks for letting me chime in! t.
Hi Tabasco,
Welcome, the more the merrier!
This thread is not for all stuffed animals: only piggies stuffed with seeds!
Thanks Suzy for that link to the beautiful picture. I throw my coffee grounds out in the beds already, They are great for the worms and it does put a lot of good stuff back into the soil. Besides the worms that go through and eat it and poop, gotta love em, aerate and fertilize at the same time. I want a graden just like his, bigger maybe. lol
Hi Elsa, welcome, that is a gorgeous canna and if it does throw out some seeds I would love to try them.
When soaking the canna seeds or any other seeds, I use tap water with a splash of peroxide. The peroxide helps to break down that outter shell, it won't completely desolve it, just soften it so the roots will be able to get out easier.
When I start hibiscus, I put the seeds in a pill container like an aspirin bottle or one that prescription meds come in, fill it with boiling water halfway or so and add about 1/4 teas. peroxide. Let them soak for 2 days and they will have tails on them. Some will sink and some will float, it doesn't matter if they are viable they will open and roots will appear.
Another way I have heard about with the canna seeds is to put them in a container with a lid add some rocks to it and shake for a while, vigorously and they will nick some of the coating. I don't know how well this works, I would check it often, but if it saves your manicures it might be a way to do it.
Oh, okay on the Hibiscus, I didn't know that -- is it tropical Hibiscus? I have some Pink Swirl seeds, but I don't know if they are tropical -- they are just regular ones, I think.
I forgot to soak my Osteospermum yesterday before planting -- durn it!
I also forgot something I learned last year -- watering with a sprayer (atomizer, squirt bottle, spritzer bottle) actually has a lot of air that pushes the seeds to the far side of the pot where they will germinate in a bunch. Now I have a little pot of Primrose seedlings that need to be transplanted a lot sooner than I'd prefer.
With all the cold air and water misti in the air, Ithink I am getting sick. My feet are cold and I have chhills -- what was the recipe? lemon and bourbon? I don't have any lemons in the house, and I don't want to go out, but maybe Mr. Clean will go out for me tonight if I give him a list..
Suzy
Thanks tabasco, I think I'll go over there this afternoon and check thos cannas out, I want some with variegated foliage and I'm sure they will have them :) I'll take the easy way out with cannas this year, I have more than enough seeds to sow downstairs!
Robyn, that's the way I soak my hibiscus only I have some plastic 1 oz. shot glasses I picked up at the dollar tree last year.
Suzy, it doesn't matter which hibs you are doing, it works for both.
Forget the lemon and just drink the bourbon. You won't know if your getting sick or not if you drink enough.
I planted 15 hib babies this morning, so in a few days I will see their little heads popping up out of the soil.