I'm sowing and trying my inexperienced best to mind small seed such as digitalis, helichrysum, elsholtzia stauntonii. I'm particularly interested in the elsholtzia as it will not germinate on compost, while germinating readily in the same conditions on KT, so I have no option but to sow in KT. If there is anyone on the list who periodicly sows small seed on KT with the intent of growing it on, I would be interested in hearing how they go about
a. transferring the tiny seedlings to compost,
Should the compost be basicly dry when transferring, or do people transfer the seeds to wet compost to aid rooting ? Mist before or after transferring seed ?
b. extracting roots entangled in the towels, or preventing them from getting entangled. Do people cut up the towel and plant it as well ? Spray same with water until it disintegrates and releases the seeds ? Put the kt on the surface of compost and just let the seedlings find their own way ? (Wild guessing going on here, frustrating to have tweezers out and snapping more seedlings than I'm lifting !)
c. maintaining moisture requirements until the seedlings have rooted without swamping the seedlings .. do you cover, mist, water gently .... and with what regularity ? When are the seeds no longer 'intensive care patients' ?
It would be also interesting to know whether the refusal of compost surface sown elsholtzia to germinate, while the same seed sown on Kt germinates easily is something which occurs for any other seeds.
Mark Speakman
Annaghdown, Ireland
"Had I the heavens embroidered threads
Enwrought with gold and silver light"
markspkn@iol.ie