Growing from Seed - Fails and and Surprises

[Maggi Young]

Blog post from Cohan Fulford in Canada who used to be a forum regular  - who says  "Musings on the not always straightforward process of growing from seed-- prompted by the discovery of a very unexpected Primula veris seedling in flower...."

 https://urbanehillbillycanada.blogspot.com/2018/06/growing-from-seed-fails-and-and.html


Read  other blogs from Cohan : https://urbanehillbillycanada.blogspot.com/

[fermi de Sousa]

Good to know that he is still around and gardening!
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Cohan is  just fine - he's on Facebook!

[brianw]

I find that knowing when to pot on is often critical to survival. I have little success with Pulsatilla after pricking out. They invariably fail after a month or two.
Currently  I am trying to decide about Tricyrtis (China, yellow, AGS seed), presumably macrantha? It was very easy to germinate and I eventually potted the whole clump into a larger pot, without disturbing the root ball too much. (they were quite short) It is apparently growing well now with fresh leaves 4-6 cm.s tall, but what do I do now? Leave until dormant and divide in spring when it start growing? Advice welcome.

[johnw]

The very first Roscoea 'Red Gurkha' seedling to flower and not the one I'd have guessed to be a red.

johnw

[johnw]

An even better Roscoea purpurea 'Red Gurkha' x good red was opening today.  It is pure red and hopefully it will self.  Red-backed leaves.

johnw
25c here and humid.

[tonyg]

I find that knowing when to pot on is often critical to survival. I have little success with Pulsatilla after pricking out. They invariably fail after a month or two.
Currently  I am trying to decide about Tricyrtis (China, yellow, AGS seed), presumably macrantha? It was very easy to germinate and I eventually potted the whole clump into a larger pot, without disturbing the root ball too much. (they were quite short) It is apparently growing well now with fresh leaves 4-6 cm.s tall, but what do I do now? Leave until dormant and divide in spring when it start growing? Advice welcome.

Pulsatilla rot off easily if too wet.  A very free draining compost helps but they dwindle if in pots too long for me.  They also hate root disturbance so I sow thinly and pot on small.  Pulsatilla alpina is much harder to please I find.  It often only produces cotyledons in the first year.  Have grown many Pulsatillas to flowering size but never P. alpina.
Tricyrtis also seem to rot off after potting on .... and are also a magnet for slugs and snails     I think they will also do better in the garden but here in Norfolk they have to survive not only molluscs but the risk of drought so I cannot release them when small.  I have just flowered a (small) T. macropoda so there is hope!  I also have some seedlings and will definitely leave until spring now.

[Gabriela]

An even better Roscoea purpurea 'Red Gurkha' x good red was opening today.  It is pure red and hopefully it will self.  Red-backed leaves.

johnw
25c here and humid.

Beautiful Roscoea John -congratulations.

[ian mcdonald]

A timely tip, poultry grit is useful as a top dressing in seed pots.