Monday, February 28, 2011

Seedlings!

knautia macedonica seedling
Knautia macedonica 'Melton Pastels'

Ok...so right now it's really just "Seedling", but still, I was excited to see the first of the Knautia seedlings emerging last week...sadly, it's still a lone soldier in the seed tray. My cat and I are holding vigil for the remainder of the seeds. One thing is for sure with a 1 in 12 germination success rate, I'm glad I bought 3 packets of seeds :-)

Who else out there is starting seeds...are you having better luck...I certainly hope so :-)

19 comments:

  1. Even a lone soldier is damn exciting! Sweet!

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  2. this is my first year trying perennials from seed. pretty much a bust, very low germination rate. some species i have 0 seedlings even after a month of germinating.

    Puya berteroniana did very well, i have to actually THIN them out soon. I have a single Sophora flavescens seedling (10% germination?). i have a couple Uncinia uncinata poking out (grass seedlings are tiny).

    Despite the failure, I think I spent about $20 on seeds. I still have a few more to try to germinate. I have trouble finding any of those plants locally, or for anything close to being affordable. Just two of them getting to maturity gets my $20 back. And the labor costs? Just a fun project for my daughter and I.

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  3. I've found with my seeds this year that there always seems to be one early germinator. Don't give up on your seeds eeldip, I've heard that perennials can be less consistent with germination that annuals and vegetables, just because they haven't all germinated yet, doesn't mean they still won't.

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  4. How exciting Scott! Maybe it's one of those where you find the words "erratic germination" written on the back of the packet in small print ~ either that or your lone soldier be an impostor in the guise of a weed seedling :)

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  5. I can empathize - I'm trying a variety of perennials from seed this year. Some went gangbusters after only a few short days, and some are still... doing nothing. One grass in particular that I was beginning to question exploded a couple days ago, after being planted for nearly three weeks. So... I'm holding out hope that more follow suit.

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  6. Last year was my big seed foray with Castor Beans (2 kinds), Amaranth, Hesperaloe and a Manfreda. Pretty much across the board failure except for the Castor Beans, which had an excellent germination rate but then failed to develop into the monster plants I envisioned due to the cool summer. This year? I'm going right for the plants.

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  7. No seedlings here, I do not have the patience.

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  8. I've never started seeds for much besides veggies because I don't need or want lots of the same plant. I'll be starting fennel outdoors this year for the first time - later, when the soil is warmer and not running with small rivers!

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  9. FYI, Scott, I've been having trouble commenting on your blog: it worked this time, but if I ever go back to the edit function before posting, my comment disappears and your blog won't allow another. Just so you know I HAVE been reading and commenting...

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  10. Always was curious about those Melton Pastels knautia. Good job! Just veggie seeds this year for me.

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  11. ONG: Totally...each little sprout right now is a victory unto itself ;-)

    eeldip: I have pretty bad luck with winter sowing for some reason...but hey, you're totally right...if even a few of the things grow, I've save $$$...and mostly on plants I can't find elsewhere. Truly, during winter...it's a good way to bide your time until spring...and you're right...a nice project!

    Ryan: I haven't given up hope on it's siblings yet! I think you're right about perennials being slightly more persnickety regarding germination...silly things. Plus, it's a good lesson in patience.

    Anna: Hahahahahahaha...it could very well be...you do have to wait for that first pair of true leaves to tell.

    bentheboiler: I'm there with you...in the past, a few things just grow like crazy and I'm faced with my own version of Sophie's Choice as I try to decide which ones to thin out...other times it's like this :-)

    danger: Hahaha...I don't blame you...it's pretty disappointing when things fail to really thrive...I remember back home we used to have a veritable forest of Castor Beans...they seemed to grow right before your eyes...but it was hot, hot, hot there!

    Les: I'm trying to learn patience...it's NOT easy ;-)

    MulchMaid: hahahah...totally, the soil right now is just a bit to waterlogged for much of anything. Good luck with the fennel...I've never grown it intentionally from seed, but always have dozens of little volunteers from plants I've grown...wouldn't be without them.

    MulchMaid: Oh no! That's so weird...I'll have to look into it...sorry Blogger is being so persnickety...I wonder if it's doing that to others too...grrrrr. Thanks for letting me know!

    Denise: Good luck in your seed-starting ventures too!

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  12. Hrm...Maybe I should finally start my seeds... but hey, 1 is better than none! I wouldn't be surprised if you end up with a bunch more in the coming weeks, perennials are great like that.

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  13. Scott, I tend to hit the plant sales around the city and find perennials that way. Or coerce my friends into divvying up their extra seedlings or starts for a trade.

    So glad you reminded me of Knautia Macedonia; I had it in my last garden and it reseeded in garden soil readily.

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  14. I even found a brand new heat mat at a thrift store and still haven't started any seeds this year. My fingers are crossed for your Knautia.

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  15. Thought of you today when I bought my sugar snap and arugula seeds. For some reason I didn't even think about veggie seeds when you asked about seedlings! I always go the seed route for these plus carrots and basil later when it's warm.

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  16. You are way ahead of me, no seedlings started this year yet. :)

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  17. Tom: That's sounds more up my alley! I tend to only grow things from seed if I can't find them any other way...I guess I'm learning to be more patient....I'm not caring for it!

    Grace: Hahahaha...I tend to accumulate lots of little things to help with seeds, but never get around to using them either!

    Danger: I think for veggie gardening, seeds are the way to go...growing up, we had a huge vegetable garden...all grown from seed...so much more economical.

    Perrenial Gardener: There's still time...I think I may have jumped the gun a bit :-)

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  18. Scott,
    I am reliably unreliable with watering seedlings indoors. You make me want to give it a try again.

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