seed trouble
Buttercup123
Posts: 7
in Plants
Hi all, am finding planting seeds a bit hit and miss, is this normal or am i doing something wrong, zinnia, cosmos, marigolds, some dahlias and a few sea holly came up lovely but naga chilli didnt show or stock, aster, red rudbeckia and poppies, want to try them again but am worried they will fail again is it me ?
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Also seeds that you plant this year that dont flower until next year like echinacea, do you still plant them out this year or grow them on in pots for next year ?
Hi Buttercup
Seed sowing can be a bit hit and miss til you get the hang of it. I've been at it for yearsand still get failures. I should have another go, we're into good growing weather now, plenty of light and warmth.
Where did you sow your seeds? and when.
I find poppies best sown direct into the soil, rudbeckias do Ok in pots/tray.
The ones that don't flower this year can be planted out if they big enough and hardy enough to go through the winter. Echinacea and sea holly might be best kept in pots. Sea holly doesn't like to be too wet and echinacea is a bit iffy.
I'd always lost ehinacea up til this winter. I was advised on this forum to dig it up and put it in the cold GH. I did that and I still have an echinacea.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Some of the ones that came up were indoors in propagators, the dahlias came up in the greenhouse with no lid on. Thanks nutcutlet i will try again and follow your advice with the echinacea and sea holly.
At this time of year I find the cold GH very good. The warm days and often quite chilly nights seems to stimulate them into action more than the constant warmth of a propagator.
My rudbeckias (Goldsturm, a perennial, and something red) germinated in a covered seed tray in the cold GH. I only cover to cut down on the watering. I sowed in ealy April. They're still very tiny.
In the sticks near Peterborough
As nutculet says seed sowing can be a bit hit and miss. I've had a poor run of germination this year but a lot were old seeds needing to be sown this year and with hinde sight were probably stored in too warm a place.
Some biennials are fine in the ground over winter providing they have a good root system and are planted out in plenty of time to establish themselves before the first frost and snow hit them - Bellis, Foxglove, Sweet William and parsley have all come through the winter in my garden ,sown in July and planted out September/ October time.
Sweet Pea and Cornflower prefer being in an unheated GH.
Later in the year I was going to sow, Lupin, Hollyhock and Wallflowers for next year.
Which biennials were you thinking of growing.
This year's 'miss' is Nicotiana sylvestris. Grown it for years, saving seed from year to year. Last year it flowered so late I may have harvested something that wasn't ripe or had started to rot.
In the sticks near Peterborough