Bedding plants

roylewis1979

Is there any point in starting more pansy seeds now and then sticking them in the polytunnel once germinated? Would they get enough light? 

Nanny Beach

I dont have a polytunnel, one of my (glass) greenhouses, is  insulated, with bubble wrapp, I dont remove it in summer either, plants have always appeared to have enough light.  My bottom greenhouse, I had pale  green fleece, shading/insulation, on the south side,which I never removed either, that is the one that now houses my seeds/seedlings. I only removed it this year because it was falling apart.Course I don't know where you live, where your P>T is situated, and the light levels.

roylewis1979

My greenhouse and polytunnel get sufficient light, appprox 8+ hours.. I've insulated my greenhouse with bubble wrap too. You think it's worth giving it a go? 

K67

Are we talking about a cheap packet of seeds?  If so no loss really if they don't germinate. Just try half now and the rest in spring unless they need a lot of  warmth to germinate. 

roylewis1979

I'll try them, it's just a cheap wilkos packet. I think they'll germinate, just wondering when they'd actually start to flower? 

Nanny Beach

Most wont flower till net year, the only ones I have had flower are pansies, and they were sown several months ago.  What do you call cheap for a packet of seeds, I am shocked that people pay average of £4 for a take away coffee, (different forum)

Dovefromabove

roylewis1979 said:

I'll try them, it's just a cheap wilkos packet. I think they'll germinate, just wondering when they'd actually start to flower? 

Pansy flowers are triggered by longer hours of daylight, so sowing them early will not, of itself, result in earlier flowering. 

😊 

Fairygirl

I'd agree with @Dovefromabove - that's why they're sown in late spring/summer normally. They take about 3 months or so to flowering stage. 
 Surely there are sowing times on the packets? 

Nanny Beach

There are fairy, I don't wlays abide by them, you do what works for you.I like to do some various flower seeds in autumn, then some in spring, hedge my bets. I do live pretty near to what is called "The Sunshine Coast", haha, that's what the blue sign says, Welcome to -----------

roylewis1979

I'll try some from seed tomorrow, see how they do for greening up. They can't get too leggy if, when germinated, they're in the greenhouse until the sunshine comes back can they?

I'm just wondering how nurseries do it, we all share the same sunlight and I see very very few nurseries with artificial lighting. 

Fairygirl

I'm afraid it isn't that simple @roylewis1979 - and we don't all have the same sunlight hours either. 
Conditions vary massively, even in such a tiny island like the UK. 
I don't always go by the sowing times either @Nanny Beach, but that's because we're about a month behind the sort of location you're in. Much shorter season, so sowing in February would be pointless for many seeds here. It's why there's often a wide variation of sowing time, often covering two or three months. Temps are a big factor, and daylight.
You often see 22 degrees as a minimum temps for seeds. Even with the heating on, my house is rarely that warm in February   
However, that's a slightly different scenario from sowing in November/December, as opposed to May or June.