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Re: Seed sowing techniques...... Date:

Mon, 29 Apr 1996 15:17:03 -0400
    From: "Norman Singer, Sandisfield Ma Zone 5 NARGS" <NSBARGS@AOL.COM>


Herman van Beusekom asks me to post my usual methods of seed
germination.
First a little background.. As some of you may know, Geoffrey
Charlesworth
and I together sow about 4000 packets of seed each season. We vow each
year
to cut back and geoffrey kept it at about 1800 plus  but greed won out
with
me and I sowed 2100 plus so we are still at 4000. Note this is 4000
packets
not species since perforce we frequently order the same species.For all
of
these seeds we use the same simple method with a mixture of 50% jiffy
mix(a
soilless mixture) and 50% sharp sand plus a sprinkling of osmocote( a
slow
release fertilizer). Androsace seeds sometimes get a grittier mixture.

Seeds are sown on three inch pots, covered with a light sprinkling of
sand
and allowed to soak from the bottom( kitty litter trays are useful for
this).Trays of these pots are covered by latticed trays to allow sun,
rain
and snow . They are placed outside and exposed to zone 4-5 Massachustts
weather. Sowing begins in November and goes on as long as seeds arrive
although I did look doubtfully at todays arrival from N>C>Botanical
Garden
and they may be held over till next season..All pots are kept for at
least
two seasons.

I referred to this as the old fashioned way and we have been using
essentially this method for 25 years. We get a satisfactory for us
germination rate of 65%. (The worst curse anyone can visit on us is "may
all
your seeds germinate"). We advocate this simple method before advising
novices to use fancy methods and complicated formulas.

A few experiments with gibberalic acid have been unconvincing. This year
Archibald suggest fish emulsion in the water for castillejs. No results
yet
since the late spring delayed germination until about ten days ago(  as
of
yesterday geoffrey has 617 germinations, I have 676). We use the same
mixture
for transplanting seedlings. Same kitty litter trays.  Re gentians
specifically: we more often than not get our germinations for these the
second year.

Norman Singer (and friendly greetings to Herman- well to everyone but he
sent
me his first.)


-- 
Duncan McAlpine, Federal Way, WA
Why buy plants when you can grow them yourself.....?
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/pumkin.html
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