Friday 27 March 2020

Recap of Sowing Guides

Due to the run we have had on the online shop lately, I thought it would be prudent to give a recap of where the instruction sheets can be found.

For Sweet Peas, follow the pea seed instuctions to be found here  We recommend either a hot water soak or nicking the individual seeds (time consuming) and then soaking in tepid water.  Either/or not both.  Soak until the seeds swell to around twice the size before sowing.

For Nasturtiums, they may be sown directly where you want them to flower (2 seeds together, remove the weaker seedling) or so individual in cells or small pots and grow on before planting out.  For direct sowing wait till April (after Easter for this year), otherwise start now.  We have found soaking the seed speeds germination, but it is not necessary.

Marigolds - sow thinly just below the surface, they need a bit of warmth to germinate and should come up in around 2 weeks.  Once they are up and they are big enough to handle, you can thin them out, repotting those you thin so as not to waste plants.  The should be grown on warm and bright, remember these are from Mexico originally, so they love warmth.

Snapdragons - thinly sow just barely covering, they need to be around 15 Centigrade to germinate and should come up quite quickly.  They will grow quite quickly and should be thinned out to avoid weak seedlings.

Stocks (both Night Scented and Virginia) - thinly sow where you want them to flower, do not thin, they grow best in clumps and drifts.

Alyssum (Lobularia) - thinly sow barely covering as they need light to germinate, they may be sown in trays and pots now or later where they are to flower.

Cosmos - sow thinly barely covering,  they should be sown where they are to flower or in pots to be planted out later, do not thin, they use one another for mutual support, spaced too widely they will flop over.

Petunias, sow thinly on the surface of seed compost.  When large enough to handle, prick out into trays or pots, spacing them out to give them growing room.

Temperature - most of the above will germinate as long as the temperature is over 16 Deg C.  All will do better, slightly warmer.

Humidity - seeds dont like drying out once they have been wet to the point of triggering the germination processes.  Best way to ensure this is to cover the trays - as most like light to germinate, plastic is best for this purpose (we use freezer bags on our pots - saving them afterwards for next year)

2 comments:

  1. Please please, read the guides if you are trying to germinate our seeds. I had someone irately tell me that seed sowing is 'not rocket science' and then proceeded to describe how he had sown the seeds, completely ignoring the basic needs of that species that was clearly listed in these pages. We can always help, but only if you ask and only then if you are open to suggestions that the fault is almost certainly with the cultural conditions under which you are attempting germination. If we sold bad seeds, we would soon be out of business, so the fact that we are still trading and only a few people seem to have issues points to something other than the quality of the seeds. As a seed seller I can only sell fresh seeds that can be grown, what I cannot do is guarantee that anyone under any conditions can grow anything - such a statement would be foolhardy and any guarantee based on that statement would lead to a business failure.
    So please, please, please, I ask you - Read the guides, follow the advice and if in doubt ask me a question either via the listing or even here....

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can’t find anywhere to search for my seeds. Ceiba pentandra

    ReplyDelete