RE: [SpaceAgeRobin] Re: Seedings!

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Darlington [mailto:chrisdarlington@videotron.ca]
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 7:10 PM
To: SpaceAgeRobin@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [SpaceAgeRobin] Re: Seedings!

 

Where do you live in California that will have snow on the ground till the end of April, Christopher?

 

My seedlings that were planted directly into the ground in November are two to four inches high now.  I got over 50% germination, not as good as I had last  year, but some of them will have more room to grow. :-)  Some crosses have as much as 90% germination. I have three bloom stalks already in the 2003 seedlings.  I hope that those may be rebloomers.

 

I stratify my seeds by soaking them, each pod full in its own net baggie, in a ceramic bowl by the kitchen sink.  Two or three times a day I pour the water off and refill it. At the end of ten days I take them out, soaking wet, wrap them in a wet cloth, put them in a black plastic bag from Radio Shack and place them in the bottom of my refrigerator. 

 

In mid November, when I did my first planting, most of them had started to grow roots, some an inch long.  I only planted two thirds of them at that time.  Interference from the rest of my life kept me from finishing the job till after Christmas.  The seeds didn’t look good when I took them out the second time.  Many were moldy; the roots hadn’t grown much but were starting to turn yellow and brown.  I doubted that many would come up.  However they did.  I have almost as good germination from this bunch as from the first.  They are now one to two inches high.  I keep a seed blanket over them while they are germinating, but with the mild, wet weather we’ve been having I haven’t used it the past three weeks.  I keep it where I can put it back over them if we get a late freeze.

 

I can’t believe the weather we are having!  My rain gauge has received five inches since Jan. 1, and more is predicted.  I have moss growing in the rows and leaf spot on some of the ’03 seedlings.  Far be it for me to complain about rain in Arizona!  Too well I remember 2002 when we had less that two inches for the whole year.  That year was so dry that many of our beautiful pine trees died in the mountains.  The irises didn’t like it either even though we irrigated them.

 

The pictures show the row covers that I use to assist germination and protect the tiny seedlings.  They were taken in Nov. 2003 and Feb. 2004.  These babies will be blooming this spring.

 

Francelle Edwards  Glendale, AZ  Zone 9

 
We'll have snow on the ground until the end of April....sigh.  This
reminds me that I've been too busy to get my seeds into the fridge
so far this year.  I think I'll try soaking them in water instead of
the burrito method to try and avoid the mold problem I got stuck
with last year.  Trying to control the issue was too time
consuming.  The only cross the remotely interests me so far is (Sky
Hooks x Thornbird) x Doctor No.  Maybe I'll go down and deal with
the seeds now.

Good luck twith the Genetic Artist seedlings as well, I hope my GA
will bloom this year.

Chris





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