Pulsatilla from seed

[mark smyth]

I'm planning to sow Pulsatillas this weekend. I know I'm late but they have been in the fridge. Do I remove the tails? Do I surface sow or bury them? Any other info would be great.

[ranunculus]

Hi Mark,
I surface sow and then use a thin layer of grit simply to hold down the 'tails' ... I have experimented in the past by removing tails, by inserting the seed point down into the compost and even by scratching the seed coat.  My conclusion, for what it is worth, is sow fresh and sow thin.

[Andrew]

Just taken a picture of my seedlings sown earlier this year.



As you can see, tails left on, surface sown.

[mark smyth]

If mine grow I'll share them with whoever. It's the black P. ?pratensis I'm sowing

[Lesley Cox]

If I have a very few of something I nip off the tails but only because if the tails remain, they tend to work themselves through the grit and the seeds come to the surface and can blow away. Generally I sow then cover with about .25 to .5cm of grit then poke down any protruding tails. If the seed quality is good in the first place, just about every one will germinate.

[Lesley Cox]

Does anyone still have that excellent little book issued by the AGS many years ago, called "The Rock Gardener's Bedside Book?" I do ( but now I'm looking for it I can't find it) and somewhere in that there's a nots about sowing seeds with tails or pappi (pappuses?). I remember it said that Celmisia seed should be sown with the pappus erect, i.e. the seed pushed vertically down into the compost surface. That is true. Such seed will germinate, those laid down sideways, won't. Doesn't seem to matter with pulsatillas but I usually sow a few in any batch of a special clematis with the tail erect, just in case.

[mark smyth]

Thanks for the information.

This is the parent plant

[ashley]

I remember it said that Celmisia seed should be sown with the pappus erect, i.e. the seed pushed vertically down into the compost surface. That is true. Such seed will germinate, those laid down sideways, won't.

Perhaps this explains my consistent failure to germinate Celmisia so far

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks for the information.

This is the parent plant

Mark, that's a stunner! I love "black" flowers.
cheers
fermi

[Brian Ellis]

That pulsatilla pratensis bohemica is amazing Mark.  I was woken up to the huge range of Pulsatillas a couple of weeks ago when Kit Gray-Wilson gave a talk to our local society...but I mustn't get started on them as well, or should I

[Paul T]

Wow, Mark.  What a colour.  Like Fermi, I love black flowers as well.  So many out there when you look for them, but can't say I've ever seen a Pulsatilla that is black before now.  Great stuff!! 

[Carlo]

What everyone else said...beautiful plant. Good luck with the seed!

[Ross Graham]

Just my two cents worth:
Celmisia seed needs light to germinate and temps around 10-15 degrees. I sow mine covered in sieved grit. I think most NZ daisies are the same.
 Usually the problem people have is not having filled seed, seed exchanges often get a lot of not so good seed. Celmisia often have only a few plants with good seed or they get attacked by bugs. Its easy enough to tell the difference as good seed are heavy. I find Celmisia seed from gardens is often pretty low viability.  It also needs to be kept cool until its sown. I keep mine in the fridge until June or so then sow it and it germinates in the spring. Usually I have to thin out the seedlings though because I don't sow thinly enough.
If you sow them in the summer they wont germinate well either because its too hot and the resulting seedlings often are weak and get damping off. Maybe sowing them with papus up is a good idea but its not practical if you are sowing lots of seed. If they are just covered with grit then light will get through and they will germinate well. Sorry to be off topic 

[Brian Ellis]

Just looked at my seeds Mark and found that I have four seedlings appear overnight.  Many thanks, how are yours doing?

[mark smyth]

weeeeeellllllll, I only sowed them today