Lewisia seedling success

[johnw]

I sowed seeds of Lewisia tweedyi 5 weeks ago and they have been kept moist at 5c.  Should they sprout in the cold or moved to some warmth?

johnw

[Katherine J]

John,
I sowed them at the end of March 2008 in 5 °C, then left them outside all year round and germinated next spring (after about 11 months and 2 weeks)...

[David Nicholson]

John, the books say the best time to sow Lewisia seed is in the Autumn and that seed sown after the new year will not germinate for a further year (of course your seeds will not have read this!). They should be hardy to around -5C but need to be kept cool and moist.

[David Pilling]

Tweedyi - small data sample. From seedex 08/09, I got one to germinate with GA3 in Spring 09, the remainder have germinated this Winter. So a cold germinator, perhaps even warm to cold transition germinator.

[johnw]

Thanks all. I'll sit it out and follow the recommendations.

johnw

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I normally sow mine in January - pots outside protected from too much wet but open to frost - they normally germinate without problems late March and/or April.