more questions from the newbie

Hello Everyone,

First, please allow me to apologize for not responding to the answers you 
so kindly provided a couple weeks ago when I first asked for advice on 
species seed starting.  I read all your suggestions and devised strategy 
plans for all these seeds.  What I decided to do first was soak all of 
these seeds for a full month in the toilet tank tied in nylon stockings, 
which is where they've been since Jan. 19.  I check on them frequently, 
and much to my amazement, I *think* I am now seeing several seeds 
(notably I. attica, and perhaps others as well) with what appear to be 
small bits of white root protruding from one end.  Of course, it's 
extremely difficult to tell exactly what I'm seeing through the 
stockings, and I don't want to start cutting them apart until I have a 
clear plan on what to do next in case those roots really are there.  So, 
here are my next questions:

1) Does a root = germination?

2) Should I remove all seeds with roots from the stockings, pot them, and 
place them under lights for the rest of the winter ... or should I leave 
them in the toilet tank a while longer to develop longer roots (at this 
point they appear to be only 1-2 mm long)?  We've still got a lot of 
winter ahead here in MN.  It was -20F (ambient air temp) when I went out 
to clean the barn this morning!

3) Should I return the unrooted seeds to the toilet tank until my 
originally planned month-long soak is complete?

4) How deeply should I plant the rooted seeds?

5) Why are these attica seeds sprouting without cold stratification?  Or 
is the cold water in the toilet tank both soaking and stratifying them 
simultaneously?

6) What else do I need to know or do at this point?

I'm so excited at the prospect of getting even a few of these seeds to 
sprout, I can hardly stand it!

Thank you in advance for any additional guidance you may be able to offer.

Laurie


-----------------
laurief@paulbunyan.net
http://www.geocities.com/lfandjg/
http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisintro.html
USDA zone 3b, AHS zone 4 - northern MN
acidic clay soil


 

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