Methodology

[David Nicholson]

Since I started to try to grow most things I cultivate from seed I've used the same method which is basically- sow 'em, cover 'em with grit and put 'em outside in an open frame. This morning, on my way to check out the greenhouse, I looked in my seed frame to find everything just about floating and no germination on anything. Not surprising really since the last fortnight has been a series of Atlantic fronts bringing in torrential rain and gales. Far too wet to do anything about it today! A quick check in the greenhouse on a batch of seeds sown on 16 October and for which I had no room in my outdoor frame showed good germination on Eritrichium nanum and Silene acaulis and the promise of good germination on a series of other stuff.

So I have a spring project to make a cover for the seed frame for future years or to abandon it altogether and in future keep sown seeds in trays underneath the greenhouse benching. Given my climate is getting wetter every year now which option should I take?

[Lesley Cox]

I couldn't advise you David with such different conditions here, but I was hearing on the news this morning about flooding in Devon and even deaths in the west. Of course I thought immediately of you and hoped you were well and generally OK. It seems YOU are, even if you have floating seed pots.

I do wish you every success - or even a little success - with the Eritrichium, something exciting to look forward to.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for your concern Lesley. Luckily we live just over 400 feet above sea level so apart from the wet we haven't been bothered but some of lower levels in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset have been badly hit and there's more to come. Last Wednesday as we travelled north on the M5 it was as though we were passing massive lakes on both sides of the motorway.

I feel sure that my whole style of gardening is going to have to change if the weather pattern, which has got worse in the last few years, is going to continue.

[David Pilling]

Remember all the TV gardening programmes saying "climate change is on the way, you must plant a Mediterranean dry garden".

I've always put stuff in pots and then tied the pots in individual plastic bags. Retains the moisture, keeps out pests. If you're lazy/lucky things can grow for a year in the bag.

That is for tiny seed, anything macroscopic I put in a zip seal bag with damp kitchen towel - can pack a lot of those in a 'tupperware' box - go through them once a week, and 'prick out' germinating seed to pots.

[David Nicholson]

"Remember all the TV gardening programmes saying "climate change is on the way, you must plant a Mediterranean dry garden"."

Mmmm. I suppose if it is climate change that has pushed the jet stream to the south of us and it is the position of the jet stream that is letting in all the Atlantic lows, or is it really just a periodic natural progression and we're in a "bad 'un" at the moment. I'm something of a climate change sceptic, come to that I'm just a sceptic full stop.

"I've always put stuff in pots and then tied the pots in individual plastic bags. Retains the moisture, keeps out pests. If you're lazy/lucky things can grow for a year in the bag."

Interesting, but do you get a lot of damping-off problems too?

I'm going to try the "Reading Method" for my next batch of Cyclamen seed sowing (although I've had reasonable germination from my outdoor regime). More information on this in Diane Clement's Midlands Diaries 4 and 5 of 23/01/2009 and 01/02/2009 on the AGS Site and on The Cyclamen Society site. We've probably nattered about it on the Forum too in the past.

[Susan Band]

David,
I have started keeping all my seedlings frost free as I find they are starting to germinate before you realise and then get frosted before they come through the top dressing. I always thought this about Tulips and Narcissus but I realised the Frits do this as well. The western USA ones are actually about 1 inch tall already, but would have caught the early frost if left outside.
The seed doesn't need much light until they germinate so double deck seed trays are okay.
David's method is also good by using zip locks, I use damp perlite in them. Great if you are short of space or compost is frozen in Jan. You do have to check them as David says every week.
Susan

[David Pilling]

I don't get damping off, because I use B&Q cutting/seed compost which has some magic ingredient that stops it - perhaps it is sterilised, I have no idea.

Frost is not much of a problem here. The two really bad Winters had the frozen solid weather before anything had started growing. Stuff in plastic bags does not succumb to frost as easily as things not - stopping evaporation slows the rate of heat loss.

Realistically once things germinate I take them out of the bags and put them in the usually frost free greenhouse. Growing things in high levels of humidity often leads to disaster. You can get away with it, I've grown ferns and pinguicula, even some lilies for 12 months in a bag.

The next obvious place after the bag is one of those seed tray propagators, they are also often too humid. But they offer the temptation of their contents being safe from pests - I think it would be a great thing if they made them with large mesh covered air vents.

Cyclamen - wash, zip, dark, wait...