Seed starting chronicles 2012

[cohan]

You don't have to leave the ducks alone, they have the slugs to keep them company I know what you mean though, we have our cat, who moved here from the neighbours' and adopted us, and he would be hard to leave alone since he lives partly in and partly out    Plants are easier..

[Hoy]

You don't have to leave the ducks alone, they have the slugs to keep them company I know what you mean though, we have our cat, who moved here from the neighbours' and adopted us, and he would be hard to leave alone since he lives partly in and partly out    Plants are easier..

Well, plants are easier but they can't move themselves! I left a lot of pots outside when we left and see from the weather forecast that we have experienced freezing temps the last three nights! And that after 5 weeks without I am very anxious for some of the plants. Many rhodos had started flowering too and some don't take freezing either

[Lori S.]

Excellent seed-starting results, Tim and Mark!

When the girls were kids(!) they had rabbits and we (I) had enough of travelling with animals > Can't just leave them alone . . . .

What?  You don't find it convenient to travel with a crate of chickens or ducks, Trond?!?  But surely that would be take-on luggage?     
Kind of reminds me of a book I've loved since I read it as a kid - Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, in which he describes his family's pre-WWII emigration when he was a child to the island of Corfu and subsequent adventures... all with his various pets and eccentric family members and accoutrements in tow! 

More babies:
Gentiana tibetica - from Gardens North; germinated in 3 weeks at room temp, as per Kristl's directions:


Potentilla uniflora(?) - locally wild-collected; germ in the cold after ~1 month of stratifying; this is one of the magnificent alpine potentillas that I've struggled to ID conclusively - with a couple of these "in captivity", I hope to be able to finally satisfy myself on the ID!


Erysimum leptophyllum - update; seeds from Pavelka (collected:  1900m, Dedegol Dag, Turkey; dense tufts, linear silky lvs, yellow flws, 3-5cm, alpine meadows; 2010 seed); germ at room temp in 12 days.


Dryas drummondii - locally wild-collected; germ in 4 days at room temp.


Alyssum sp. - seed from Pavelka (collected:  1500m Tahtali Dag, Turkey; very dwarf silver cushions, suffruticose at base, yellow flws 1-3cm, limestone rocky hills, 2010 seed); germ at room temp in 7 days.


Acantholimon caryophyllaceum ssp. caryophyllaceum - NARGS seedex; germ in 5 days at room temp.


Primula denticulata - I used to have a lot of these but no more!; Gardens North; germ at room temp in 15 days.


Astragalus loanus - NARGS seedex; as described in Stephanie Ferguson's article in RGQ Vol. 69 No. 4; germ in 9 days at room temp after scarifying.
 

Achillea umbellata - seeds from Pavelka (collected: 2100m Aroania Mts. Greece; strongly silvery-wh tomentose cushions, white flws on scapes 5-15cm, limestone rocks); room temp

[cohan]

You don't have to leave the ducks alone, they have the slugs to keep them company I know what you mean though, we have our cat, who moved here from the neighbours' and adopted us, and he would be hard to leave alone since he lives partly in and partly out    Plants are easier..

Well, plants are easier but they can't move themselves! I left a lot of pots outside when we left and see from the weather forecast that we have experienced freezing temps the last three nights! And that after 5 weeks without I am very anxious for some of the plants. Many rhodos had started flowering too and some don't take freezing either

I avoid that problem by basically not putting anything outside at any time of year that can't take freezing...lol

[cohan]

Good stuff, Lori!
I often think of those books in certain circumstances, especially in reference to their ship bathroom adventures...... 'Opa!'

[Hoy]

I avoid that problem by basically not putting anything outside at any time of year that can't take freezing...lol

Well, then you get the water problem. Who will water all your pets when you are not there?

When the girls were kids(!) they had rabbits and we (I) had enough of travelling with animals > Can't just leave them alone . . . .

What?  You don't find it convenient to travel with a crate of chickens or ducks, Trond?!?  But surely that would be take-on luggage?     
Kind of reminds me of a book I've loved since I read it as a kid - Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, in which he describes his family's pre-WWII emigration when he was a child to the island of Corfu and subsequent adventures... all with his various pets and eccentric family members and accoutrements in tow! 

Maybe I could get paid by bringing them along? Could help with the flight in an emergency case . . . .

Maybe I should look for that book?!

[Hoy]

. . . .and I'm still higly impressed by your jet-propulsed seedlings

[cohan]

I avoid that problem by basically not putting anything outside at any time of year that can't take freezing...lol

Well, then you get the water problem. Who will water all your pets when you are not there?

First of all, it's not a problem, since I can't afford to not be here  Secondly, most of my plants are xerophytic and can take some dry spells, and most of those I have that need frequent water are South African bulbs, and dormant in summer..

[RickR]

I did some seedling transplanting today.

One year old Penstemon canescens:

               

Another example of the advantage of holding over pots for multiple years:
Penstemon euglaucus, last year's seedlings with a new crop of seeds sprouting from last year's sowing.  (I think most penstemon cotyledons are narrow, but this species is different.)

               

[Fermi]

I sowed these seeds a few weeks ago and they're already up
Zephyranthes primulina x Z 'Grandjax' cross-pollinated on Feb 2 and seed sown on March 4!


Can't wait to see what they produce [or if the cross "took"!]
cheers
fermi

[Hoy]

I sowed these seeds a few weeks ago and they're already up
Zephyranthes primulina x Z 'Grandjax' cross-pollinated on Feb 2 and seed sown on March 4!
*INCORRECT USE OF [attachthumb=#]. You need to specify the attachment number, for example [attachthumb=1].


Can't wait to see what they produce [or if the cross "took"!]
cheers
fermi

That was very quick, only 4 weeks to ripen! Hereonly weeds ripen that fast. . . . .

[Lori S.]

Penstemon euglaucus, last year's seedlings with a new crop of seeds sprouting from last year's sowing.  (I think most penstemon cotyledons are narrow, but this species is different.)

Looking back through my photos, the ones I've grown have shown some variability in that regard.  P. albidus, virgatus ssp. asa-gray, and pumilus have the narrowest cotyledons among the ones I have seedling photos of, while P. euglaucus, attenuatus, brandegei, grandiflorus have rounded cotyledons.  P. venustus is sort of intermediate.  With such a large genus (about 270 species), I suppose there's bound to be variation!  

Day 2 of hardening-off for 9 trays (~400 pots) of seedlings:

I used to put the trays out in the shade for 5 days for hardening-off, but we are instead using shade cloth on the plant stand this year.  The shade cloth excludes 60% of the light, and seems to be doing its job.  The stand can be rolled into the garage if frost is forecast.

[McDonough]

Lori, you are one dedicated seedster!  Ingenious method of hardening your seedlings off for transition outdoors, and the whole affair portable too, impressive. 

[Lori S.]

It is Stuart, not me, who has the skills and ingenuity for the outdoor plant stand, and so many other things!

[Tim Ingram]

I like that reference to Gerald Durrell - I was hooked on his books too (I have 12 in addition to 'My Family and Other Animals'!). Not so easy to write about plants like this. I am keen to try more legumes in the garden (and to grow for the nursery) so have just spent several days chipping seed of oxytropis, astragalus, dalea, sophora and lupins. Some seed (especially the first three) are minute so this magnifying light that my wife uses for embroidery has come in really useful. Now I need to germinate and grow them on...