Here it is Meredith:
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.
This was all the way back to thread #2 LOL It's from Robynznest :)
Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #8
Oh no wonder I couldn't find it! So the thing I did wrong is I just used hot tap water and no peroxide - so I will do that. When you say tails do you mean a sprout actually comes out? If not I think mine have already done it - they look like they have a pointy part now.
I would plant them right away! I am looking at 2 empty pots of Red Star Texas Hibiscus and they are never going to germinate because I left them in a water too long waiting for tails to appear on all the seeds. That was one I really wanted for this year, and I don't htink I have any more seeds.
Oh I see on the distance of the redbud....and I have to look up gunnite, but it looks ultra fabby in the pics!
Suzy
Sunds like they are working n tails :) You don't really have to have the peroxide they will still germinate, I think it just helps the coat of the seed to break down but sounds like that has already happened for you, I haven't done mine yet need to get around to that LOL when they have a good tail on them you will know it, it's pretty plain to see :) Plant them with that tail going down :)
Oh Suzy, I had plenty of those but I sent them all to Robi ask her if she has any :) It's been a while and she has been asking for seeds so she might not have any left either, I left some in 5" pots outside last year if they come back you are welcome to them :) Being that I left them in 5" pots I kind of doubt if they do...
I had to soak mine for 4 days to get tails-I wonder what I did wrong??
Szy-yes I have a sprinkler system that we run 1-2 times a week for about 30 mins when we don't have rain-the ones in between the road & the sidewalk are the misting kind so plenty of H2), but not hard like the reg. ones so we don't have wasteful runoff.
I don't get the whole pruning trees thing-I just want it to have a main leader trunk, then have a ball of branches and leaves at the top that will flower-is that going to be possible?? I would like to be kept in the loop as to your's progess Suzy & Meredith.
Mereidth-I LOVE your house, hot tub & pool-my DH is a chef, so if you ever want to take a vacation and drive the company truck lets say loaded with materials, swing by the giant mitten toward the hand hole and while my DH cooks a feast, your DH can build us some beauty in the backyard!!LOL
Meredith-I am sorry to hear about your evergreen-I have F*&%^$ bunnies (sorry for the explicative) that eat EVERYTHING I HAVE!!! DH & I are going to line the bottom 3rd of our fence w/ chicken wire to keep those things out & are going to throw some firecrackers or smoke bombs under the deck (THEY ATE THROUGH THE LATTICE TO LIVE UNDER THE DECK!!) to get them out first and I told him if that didn't take care of them we are getting a rabbit hunting dog!! Sorry-enough ranting!!hehehehe
For my redbud, I would REALLY like to get it in the gound as soon as I can-I don't want to have to lug around huge pots....so this fall I can do that??
Lea-I have the pink dogwood-and no room for the white:( My neighbors have the white though, so mine & thiers looks like a nice pair when they bloom!!
Suzy-I think I have some red star hibiscus (all 4 I planted germinated), so if you stilll want them I can send ya a few...LMK
Has anyone ever tried starting zinnias using the deno method? (you know, start the seeds in a moist coffee filter)
I am running out of space on my heat pads, so I thought maybe I will try with a few seeds.
Did anyone else wintersow their hardy hibiscus? Fairy, did you start yours inside?
Fairy, early in the spring you can plant your redbud too, they are telling us to plant our trees now so it should be soon for you too, they said not to feed them right away though and I bought plant food stakes for them lol I guess I can feed the ones I have in the ground already. Compost shouldn't hurt though I'm using that but our ground is too wet for now. We are suppose to get three more inches tonite I think? Soo sick of rain!
Seandor some people may WS their hibiscus but I've never had one to reseed so when I plant them it's usually early in the spring when it warms up, I am trying a couple under lights this year only because they are annuals for me.
Suzy dmail if you want texas hibiscus I have a ton and will send you some if you'd like.
Fairy you are so funny, :) I will make my DH go if yours cooks for us lol. Does this sound like a bunny? If it does I should get a pet bunny and whatever he doesn't eat will stay. Just jokin :)
Oh man Lebug if Star hibiscus isn't hardy for you I doubt it will be for me! Have you had them flower, the first year from seed? Thank you for the help with the hibiscus. My texas stars all germinated in about two days, sown right in a pk of pro mix. Along with what I think are grandiflorus - which will probably be annual for me too. But my moy grande hasn't done anything for 11 days. So maybe the soaking will be better for these type 8-).
Meredith, the tesas star is hardy for me but Suzy is coming for a visit and I had some extras that I didn't get planted at my cousin's last year so I was just telling her she could have one if they come back from being in a 5" pot, I can over winter them in gal. pots but have never tried the 5" pot I just got mad at my cousin because he never made a place for them after taking care of them allllll summer and left them in the 5" pots lol
Lebug that's great the texas stars ar hardy for you, maybe I have chance then. Maybe I will try bringing a couple in or taking cuttings in fall, just in case. That's so nice that you guys can drive over eachothers house and trade plants!
Meredith, do you have the hardy pink I think those are so pretty! I only have one can't believe I haven't started some more just did plant another texas red with my other one last year, I think I just want to see the blooms so don't worry about planting more than one lol I planted three texas whites with them so that should be pretty this year. The texas stars need more than one planted together they are tall and lean looking.
I think I have hibiscus grandiflorus I traded for it and it just said pink swamp hibiscus, salt tolerant.
This message was edited Mar 28, 2008 6:59 PM
Pink swamp hibiscus I'm pretty sure that's it, plant more than one you're gonna like it, it needed staking the first year for me but the next year it was fine I probably waited too long to get it in the ground though, I usually do, too many things going on and too many plants, it gets about 3' around, good luck :)
Hey LeBug, thanks for the tip regarding sowing hibiscus seeds. good thing I kept some extras of each kind. :-) I guess I had better start them. I wonder where I can put them . . .I have sooo many things already started.
You sound like me. I never get anything done as early as I want to. Lebug is it actual sprouts I'm looking for as tails?
Just a drive by and a comment on the hardy hibiscus. I WSd mine last year and they did wonderfully. And I have more seed if anybody wants some. They came from huge monster plants in shades of pink, white, and burgundy. If you want some shoot me a DMail or I might miss your request.
(Hello everyone!)
Yes Meredith, they are the root part the top is in the seed as it comes up, does that make sense lol Take the seed out of the soak and look at it, the white tail is the root looking for dirt to go into :)
Seandor I know, I'm trying to go thru seeds and see what I really want to plant downstairs I'm running out of space too so I keep sowing fewer seeds of the same variety LOL I still have a lot of morning glories I want to start too, I keep saying I'm going to build another plant stand but I think 5 is enough and besides there is the electric too LOL Just give me a big greenhouse and let me go to town! Gosh I wish I had a greenhouse!
I'm buying a bunch of soaker hoses this year if we are going to have a drought again, I hate luging that hose around and thru plants, I thought I had bought 5 so far but it's only three, I need about 20 LOL And I found a plumber to check my cistern out can't believe it's so hard to find a plumber to work on your cistern! We haven't used it for years so it may end up costing more than it's worth but he's going to look at it anyway that's more than I've gotten out of the other 1000 plumbers I've called :)
Thanks everybody for the Red Star Hibiscus offers...I had 2 little pots of it from a split package that died due to over-soaking the seeds, but just now I was looking at seedlings and realized I have another little pot of very stout and healthy seedlings that I had soaked just the right length of time.
My Sweet Peas that I forgot to nick and soak are germinating right now, too.
OMG! I have so many seedlings, so many pots inside, plus WS pots outside that will germinate the next sunny day we have, and I just found more packs of seeds I need to start on April 1! I need to move south so I can have more than one season!
Thanks again,
Suzy
I think all of us need to move south!!! I need to start my lupine seeds! I could probably put these out with my pansy seedlings after they germinate couldn't I Suzy? Don't they like it cool? It'll take them a while to germinate anyway.
suzy
welcome back ..looks like you got lots of eye candy in FL
i found the super fine perlite so ill be mixing my own seed starting mix as soon as i get a bale of peat moss. I am having lousy luck with the MG
did any of you buy cow pots? i think they would work fabulously for daylily seeds and veggie transplants
pam
I ordered 50 of the four inch and getting ready to order a case! LOL I'm putting all of my coop plants in them so I can give them a good start and experiment with them everybody that has used them really like them haven't heard of any complaints yet and looks like they hold up watering in them until they get big enough for the ground (about three months) I figure if I try them out this year at this late date it will tell me what I can do with them for next year downstairs under lights. I have cone flowers coming from Fairy's coop and figure these would be good to put them in cause they will be plugs.
Lea-the cones should be a bit bigger:) Ella had to order them to get them early for me and is nursing them!!:)
Meredith-sounds like a deal-tell your DH that steak, fresh green beans from my garden and fried pots. w/ onions is DH "famous dish" here at home!! All kinds of artery clogging properties!!LOL;)
Seandor-I direct sowed my zinnias last year and they took right off, so I plan on doing the same this year. I started my hib inside and have 5 little seedlings from the 5 seeds I planted w/ the lala soaking method-did take 4 days for them to get the tails though!
I just want to make sure I understand what you all are saying about the hib-I need to overwinter it because it won't bloom the 1st year??
Lea-I can plant my redbud when it is only a copuple inches tall?? How tall will it grow in 1 season?? I now have all 5 of the redbud seeds germinating-uh oh -what do I do with the extras now:(
Lea -- do report back on how the cow pies... i mean "pots" do. IE whether or not they dry out like peat does.
I may be interested in them for next year instead of peat.
some of the seedling i have, a few i've put into peat and a few are in just MG and a 4" pot [left over from last years nursery purchases] and the peat i'm having to water about every 36hrs where the ones in plastic pots and soil are lasting days without additional watering.
so if the cow poop last longer between waterings... that would be the way to go for me.
Terese
Fairy, not sure if you can plant them just a few inches tall I'm experimenting with my rain tree but I planted a dogwood year before last and it was only four inches tall and it made it I just hope it's alrigt with all of the flooding we had this year and more to come I'm sure, I'll let you know if the rain tree makes it so far no signs of life but it still has time yet I think cause the one in the pot isn't showing any signs yet either. I've never grown any redbud from seed I got mine in trades and they were bigger about two feet.
Most of the hibiscus seeds that I have seen lately that we have been talking about are the hardy ones and I think they will flower the first year maybe not as much but they will show you what the blooms are going to look like I planted a few last year, blue river II, luna blush, burgundy and texas white and saw at least one bloom on all of them, no need to grow them in a pot over winter put those puppies in the ground :)
Trade your extra redbuds, I'm sure there are people out there who want one :) Or pot them up and trade them next year that would probably be better to let them get a little size on them first. Put them in a 2 gal. pot in the fall for the tap root. Mine are in three gal. pots but they are two feet tall at least.
some hibiscus will bloom the first year if started early..like the disco belle series and the southern belle series and the lunas
the others take at least a year to bloom
if you have open pollinated ones from someones' garden...it would be very hard to say.
the texas star did not bloom the first year for me.. im not sure if i like the lankiness of these plants of texas star hibiscus..maybe if they were grouped together it would kind of help
pam
Will do tcs :)
Fairy, I read last year that early spring when the trees start putting new growth is the best time to repot them and not when it gets warmer I noticed the ones I had last year were getting the new growth on them about this time if not a little before, I have some pussy willows I need to get in the ground or repot on the next warm day but it's been so wet I hate trying to plant anything right now that clay just packs down like crazy and then when it dries it's like bricks LOL I'm sure you know how it is :) Well I have a few trees and shrubs to get in the ground soon as I can LOL I won't say how many it's embarrasing LOL
Thanks Lea!! I just wanted that one sooooo much I am trying to be real careful with it & wnat it to make it....I had thought if I planted 5 1 or 2 would come up (i was banking on 50% germ. for everything and have instead had 70-100%) and then I could just choose the stronger looking 1 & keep the other as a backup...
Yes that's what I did I put one of the rain trees in the ground last fall and have the one in the pot to fall back on or if the one in the ground makes it I'll plant that one this fall or next spring depends on my time :)
Pamsue, my texas white bloomed for me last year but the texas red I had to wait until the next year for a bloom, I planted 3 or four texas white with two of the texas reds, I'm hoping it will be a little fuller this year they are a tall lanky hibiscus. Most of the hibiscus that I have came from you LOL Hopefully I'll have my camera to working by the time the texas ones are up and blooming and I'll post a picture of them, wish I could get a blue one in there then it would be a patriotic planting LOL
tcs, check this out about the cow pots if you haven't seen it already it sold me:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/823406/
I always have too many seedlings left to plant and putting them in these should be a good home for them until I get them planted if I don't get them all planted then they will just go into gal. pots for the winter and I have a few of those from last year lol no cow pots from last year though. They look like they would be good to WS with too but not sure if I would try that I always sow too many seeds :)
With sooo many trying them this year, there should be a lot of feedback to be given this fall...I have some too:) FOr my co-op flowers...
hi lea
good to know
i did not have any texas whites germinate for me last year..maybe they will this year if i do find the seeds
i planted blue river ll but they did not bloom last year..i think the degree of heat has alot to do with growth of hibiscus as they love the heat and we dont get very much heat compared to your weather. anyhow, im looking forward to the pure white blooms..if they do come true.
pam
I'm out of pots to transplant into....Twink, I think I'm going to do as you do and use cups!
We have more seedlings poking up today, both Italian parsley (Suzy's comm. pk and ansonfans), nicotiana tree tobacco, PamSue's ws English wallflowers, LeBug's bloodflower asclepias, lisianthus cinderella yellow, and coleus chocolate mint :)
We are getting a few cold nights (below 32 deg) now and had to bring in the violas again at night. It is a beautiful day here today, sunny and blue sky. Also a lot of bird activity, I noticed an Eastern Kingbird today, never saw them before. They have distinctive white markings in their tail feathers almost like the little guy brushed into white paint!
I left my violets outside in the little greenhouse but I have the dome over them and the greenhouse is up against the house, I'll check on them a little later, it's 30 out and that's what it was at 5:30 this morning so we shall see I'll let you now if they are still alive :)
I keep wishing I would have gotten some of that chocolate mint, I just transplanted a bunch of coleus yesterday that was way past due kong, limelight and carefree mix, today I have some salvias I need to transplant haven't even started my annual salvias yet lol I have several packs of seeds to start this weekend but I need to save some room for the morning glories too but not going to do them until it's about time to set them out.
That Eastern Kingbird sounds neat I don't think I've ever seen one either.
I'm trying to get up the gumption to go get some more jugs but it's so cold out doubt if I will, too cold in the morning and I'm sitting here at the computer with my feet up on the chair against me because it's so cold in my room I may have to go back to bed just to get warm! LOL
whoosh! - give you guys a coupla days, and I nearly lose track - LOL! Whatever I did to my back a while ago still hasn't left me alone, so I'm monitoring the amount of time I do each thing so I can keep going :) Sorry if I don't have the names for some of my comments - y'all have been too busy!
Re, my tree seeds - Suzy, I have to do some of that cold-strat stuff in the fridge yet (I have room in the fridge in the garage) so I think I may try to start the seeds that way.
Re, pink hardy hibuscus - I did the 48 hour soak with H2O2 and 2 out of 6 came up. They were in the basement at first and appeared to be struggling so I brought them up to the office thinking warmer might help, so they're struggling....
Mao - thank you again for all the hosta seeds :) I have sprouts of PeeDee Gold Flash, Munchkin, and Northern Exposure. I've got to redo the June seeds to see if they'll come up the second time around.
Meredith, that evergreen that was pruned so inelegantly - is that a weeping tsuga canadensis? I LOVE the landscaping!!
The Supercascade Lilac petunia looks like it's putting buds on about three plants! They're still small, so I'm torn between letting them bloom for my office, or pinching most of them back to force bigger plants. sigh....
I planted a flat of seeds last night - entirely from the trade, made me smile with each tag I wrote up as I put the name on the back of each tag :)
Lea, I have some Chocolate Mint seed, do you want some?
Robin, why don't you just WS your tree seeds :) I would love some chocolate mint seeds but just no place to put them when they germinate, I'll just get some for next year, thank you for the offer though, I still have loads of seeds to plant! And it's just killing me because I want them all LOL
Sorry your back is still bothering you! No taking the shrub out of the pot for me when you get here your back may take some time to heal it needs to be in good shape for when you start to work this spring :)
Those supercascade will get big anyway won't they or maybe you can just pot one up for the office and let it bloom, just put one in a seperate pot. I've got osteospermum getting ready to bloom and I think I'll let them get one bloom on each so I can see what color the plants are going to be cause I only want the darkest and there are 11 plants I'm not planting all eleven plants just the darker ones some will be light lavender.