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Author Topic: Meconopsis in Cultivation  (Read 6301 times)

ashley

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Re: Meconopsis in Cultivation
« Reply #45 on: February 14, 2024, 09:57:34 PM »
Thank you for this thread Margaret, with such beautiful photos and clear information.
 
It's becoming a(nother) valuable resource on the Forum to refer back to 😎
Ashley Allshire, Cork, Ireland

Margaret Thorne

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Re: Meconopsis in Cultivation
« Reply #46 on: February 15, 2024, 12:59:54 PM »
Thanks, Ashley, it's great to get some feedback. Best of luck with your gardening and I hope you have a few Meconopsis species - your conditions should be ideal for growing them!
Broughton Heights, Scottish Borders

Margaret Thorne

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Re: Meconopsis in Cultivation
« Reply #47 on: February 15, 2024, 01:14:03 PM »
Steven Stehouwer asks:  " looking for germination information for Meconopsis simplicifolia. Thanks."

I have germinated both subspecies of M. simplicifolia several times and in my experience, they are typical of most Meconopsis species in their requirements (unlike M. punicea, for example, which should be sown as soon as possible after it is ripe). The best time to sow them is totally dependent on your local weather/growing conditions. Here in the Scottish Borders, I am sowing mine now in mid-February and I hope they will germinate in mid-April, just as the weather should be getting warmer, light conditions better and they can grow away quickly. Seeds are said to require a period of stratification; mine always get that outside so I don’t know if it is essential for every species and for some it may have been enough to have been stored in the ‘fridge before planting. Once sown, they certainly must never dry out and I leave them outside fully exposed to rain and snow. After germination, they are very susceptible to slug damage and I protect them in frames, but still keep them well-watered.
Many growers sow their seeds earlier, in December or January. I correspond with one who lives in Cornwall who stratifies his seed in the 'fridge as soon as it is ripe and then sows them in mid-September. Once they have germinated, he is able to sustain them in growth because the light and temperature are so much better there than this much further north, but he does have them in a cold greenhouse and he covers them with fleece if there is a danger of frost. The advantage of sowing seed early is that the young plants are well developed by summer and possibly better able to survive hot dry weather. This is less of a problem for us further north!
If seeds germinate too early, before the local weather conditions allow them to grow away strongly, they frequently succumb to fungal disease. As weather conditions become more erratic, it is increasingly difficult to judge when is the best time to sow seed commensurate with local conditions.
I wish Steven Stehouwer the best of luck with his Meconopsis simplicifolia wherever he might be!
Broughton Heights, Scottish Borders

Leena

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Re: Meconopsis in Cultivation
« Reply #48 on: February 19, 2024, 09:26:54 AM »
Thank you for this thread Margaret, with such beautiful photos and clear information.
 
It's becoming a(nother) valuable resource on the Forum to refer back to 😎

I agree with Ashley, this is a very valuable resource! :)
Leena from south of Finland

arisaema

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Re: Meconopsis in Cultivation
« Reply #49 on: March 29, 2024, 05:56:59 PM »
Regarding M. quintuplinervia - oddly enough I have plenty of germination, but 90% of the seedlings are pure albino... I'm assuming in-breeding might be the cause? Has there been any recent introductions of this species?

arisaema

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Re: Meconopsis in Cultivation
« Reply #50 on: March 30, 2024, 04:56:14 PM »
Albino quintuplinervia sprouts:


...and it seems a handfull of x cookei F2 are germinating in the pots, it'll be interesting to see what they end up looking like.

 


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