Seed starting chronicles 2012

[Hoy]

Tim, I use sandpaper with different grit size when I "chip" peas. I have one lying at the table and one mounted on a piece of wood. Then it is very easy to chip all at once and I always get very good germination.
However, I'm not sure whether they are easier to grow on . . . . 

[RickR]

I am in no way an expert at this, but I use sandpaper to scarify seeds, too.  Except I don't use sandpaper with a block of wood.  Seeds are rolled between sandpaper on the table and a piece above with bit of downward pressure from my fingers only.  Logically, one would think that with a block the larger seeds would be be scarified while small seeds in the same batch would not; the small seeds would be protected from abrasion by the larger seeds that would prevent significant sandpaper contact.   Or perhaps the larger seed would be scarified too much?

------------------------------------------ sandpaper
    ***                        ***       
 ******        **       ******        **
 ******      ****     ******      ****        seeds
   ***           **          ***           **
----------------------------------------- sandpaper

[cohan]

I've thought a magnifying light like that would be very useful for sorting/cleaning seeds!

I was very pleased to notice that seeds of Sorbus sp cf wilsoniana sown last spring are now coming up abundantly!
I don't know much about what this will look like, especially being 'cf', but here's a description of the species:

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200011724

interesting that they say fruit orangish red, when many pics you can find online show pink berries (darn, I'd rather have had pink! maybe the cf will take care of that...).. and 5-10 m-- 5 would be preferred, but I'll have to wrap it in something to keep the moose from eating it- it took decades for our regular Sorbus ( I never remember which it is- americana or acuparia? the one with hairy buds, I think) to become more than a multi-stemmed shrub, what with annual pruning by them- it finally shot some trunks higher, and now they eat around lower levels...

I also have S reducta seedlings from last year planted out already and showing slight signs of life... that one might stay low enough to be below snow when the worst predations occur...

[Hoy]

I am in no way an expert at this, but I use sandpaper to scarify seeds, too.  Except I don't use sandpaper with a block of wood.  Seeds are rolled between sandpaper on the table and a piece above with bit of downward pressure from my fingers only.  Logically, one would think that with a block the larger seeds would be be scarified while small seeds in the same batch would not; the small seeds would be protected from abrasion by the larger seeds that would prevent significant sandpaper contact.   Or perhaps the larger seed would be scarified too much?

------------------------------------------ sandpaper
    ***                        ***       
 ******        **       ******        **
 ******      ****     ******      ****        seeds
   ***           **          ***           **
----------------------------------------- sandpaper

Rick, I always scarify only one species at the time and the seeds tend to be rather similar in size. When I use the block the larger seeds tend to roll a little and the they get separated from the smaller and I can tilt the block if necessary. Anyway it works fine!

Cohan, if you want pink berries I can send you some S hupehensis seed!

[cohan]

Cohan, if you want pink berries I can send you some S hupehensis seed!

Sure! Love those pink berries Though I don't know if its hardy, that hasn't stopped me before (VanDusen seed collectors lists it as z 6-8, but I think most of these people don't know anyone in zone 3 

Then, it occurred to me that its funny to look for shrubs for berry colour when most berries are ripe for about 5 minutes here before the birds get them....lol

[Schier]

I scarified seeds awhile back, I managed to scarify my fingertips as well!  I managed to hold most of the needs with a finger, and used an emery board.  For the smaller ones I put them in a baggie and "cornered the seeds" and then went at them with the emery.  Seemed to work, most have germinated.  I need to find a better way....

[RickR]

All photos taken 9 May 2012.
All were winter sowed the first few days of February:

Alyssum stribrnyiRomneya coulteri and Alyssum oxycarpum germinated in a warm spell of mid March.
        

Iris were soaked for one day before winter sowing.  Iris (setosa interior x hookeri ‘Labraska’) x self emerged 8 April.
              
Other Iris seed sprouting dates so far:
Iris hookeri x ensata F3 – 4 April
Iris setosa nana – 25 April
Iris tectorum ex ‘Burma Form’ – 25 April

Moltkia petraea  germinated 4 April, and Mysotis decumbens 20 March.
        

Petrocoptis pyrenaica emerged 20 March.
    

Phemeranthus sediformis emerged 31 March and Physaria alpina 19 March.
        

Pulsatilla halleri ssp. rhodopaea emerged 30 April.
              
Other pulsatilla emergence dates:
Pulsatilla halleri – 25 April
Pulsatilla grandis ‘Budapest’ – 28 April

[RickR]

All these were sowed at room temperature:

Acantholimon kotchyi, germinated in 8 days.
              
Other acantholimon emergence dates:
A. caryophyllaceum – 7 days
A. venustum – 7 days
It was interesting the these species first emerged as brown seedlings, and only turned green later.

Delosperma ashtonii germinated in 9 days.  But subsequent placement outside has yielded very little growth.  Delosperma are usually very fast growers, at least in warm weather…
              

Dianthus haematocalyx ssp. pindicola emerged in 5 days, and Dierama pendulum 22 days.  It's easy to see which dianthus seedlings emerged inside the house (with etiolated stems), and which emerged a little later after being place outhside.
        

Globularia trichosantha germinated in 15 days.  I've tried winter sowing G. trichosantha twice before with no luck.
              

Townsendia hookeri emerged in 11 days.
              
Other townsendia emergence dates:
Townsendia rothrockii – 7 days.
Townsendia scapigera – 7 days.

[RickR]

Lewisia rediviva began germinating (April 18) in the refrigerator at 34-38F(1-3C) in 49 days.  I wish I would have taken photos when they first emerged because cotyledons were not elongated at all; they were perhaps only twice as long as wide.
              

Phacelia campanularia also germinated in the refrigerator in 35 days.

Not a new seedling, this one is in its second season.  But I thought the difference in the earlier, simple leaves versus the newer compound leaf was interesting with this Aralia cachemirica.
                

[Hoy]

Rick, you are competing with Lori in interesting species

[McDonough]

My flat of Anemonopsis, which germinated this spring, is showing some first true leaves, so far on at least 6 seedlings (can you find all 6?).  So, it seems I don't need to wait until the second year to see true leaves.

[Hoy]

My flat of Anemonopsis, which germinated this spring, is showing some first true leaves, so far on at least 6 seedlings (can you find all 6?).  So, it seems I don't need to wait until the second year to see true leaves.

Mark, I have 3 different batches of Anemonopsis seed germinating now and they all show true leaves now.

[cohan]

Germination over the last couple of weeks of some seeds sown around the beginning of May (I think- some of the tags were made earlier and then I didn't get the sowing done, didn't change them all!) and put out in the last patch of snow which soon became a bin of cold water! but still many cool days and near/frosty nights-- Some Violas (have to go out with a notepad to get the names...lol)- several Hieracium (I doubt they really needed the cool period, though the references I found were mixed, so I figured what the heck!) villosum, intybaceum and most recently aurantiacum (hope none of these will be weeds!) and the similar Hypochoeris maculatum; Prenanthes (purpurea, I think-have to look at the tag or find the packet..lol), And some things sown end of May and set outside for (occasionally!) warm days, though nights are still (always!) cool--Sempervivum arachnoideum, Polemonium boreale, probably some other things I'm forgetting now-- I have pics of most, but they don't look like much yet!

[externmed]

Have seen suggestions for germination of Paeonia and Roses on paper towels the latter initially cold and the former initially warm, on wet paper towels.  Some rose people suggested using a solution of 1.5% hydrogen peroxide.

Anyone "stratify" on paper towels?

Charles Swanson MA USA

[Gene Mirro]

RickR, your Alyssum stribrnyi seedlings look exactly like Romneya coulteri.