Re: HYB: seeds - what to do?

As a nubie at this, am not sure if what I am doing is right but it makes since to me as a gardener.  I have 4 pots of bee pod seeds outside with the potted perenials I am holding for spring planting.  To  maintain a more constant temperature, I waited for a good cold spell and now have them deeply mulched and pots protected from direct sunlight.  They should be able to remain cold and not get the warm variations.  Hope it works.  I am in Western Colo.  Zone 5-6 and not much snow.
Birdie

Linda Mann <lmann@volfirst.net> wrote:
I'm worried that the seeds that are outdoors are going to start
germinating and get killed by the next drop in temperatures into the
teens or lower. Highs have been in mid to upper 60s, even low 70s this
last week or so.

Most of them haven't been outdoors long enough to get adequate chilling
to germinate, but undoubtedly some have. A month was enough for a few
in the experiments a year or so ago.

==Suggestions? I don't have room to bring them all indoors, plus most
need more chilling than they've gotten so far.

I didn't make a note when this warm up started or when it finally
started getting really cold (enough below freezing to kill tender
annuals) to even know how long they've been chilled and now warmed.

==Did anybody make note of the dates? Seems like the cold got here
around the last week of Nov or even the first week of Dec, but I'm not
sure. And this warmth started around Christmas?

At least the seeds that need two chilling cycles to germinate should be
ready to pop this spring. Of the seeds pre-chilled in the fridge for 2
to 3 months, then put outdoors to germinate in the late fall warmth,
then brought indoors for more chilling on the sunporch, now warm again,
are starting to send up a few more sprouts. At least two crosses have
already gone from one seedling in the first round to 6 or 8 the second
round (from 1 to 3% germination, increased to around 20% or so).

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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