germinating primula from seed especially P agleniana

[melager]

Hi hope some one can give me a bit of advise, got some lovely seed of P agleniana plus several other primula from china, I germinate them under lights, I can get them to germinate but they are very pale and do not do so well, I wonder if it is my seed mix but not sure as I have not grown primula from seed before. How do other people germinate there primula seed.  many thanks Mel

[Karaba]

I don't know if you are looking for advice for primula in general or for Primula agleniana in particular.
Here's my very little experience with this species.
I often sowed seeds wich need cold in zip plastic bag. Last year, I forgot a zip bag with Primula agleniana seeds in the fridge and took it of 6 months later. I had some germinations (6 from 20-30 seeds). Not too much but I was already happy. Unfornutaly, it was autumn and the little plants died at the end of winter.
As I kept some seeds dried, I sow them last autumn in a zip bag too. 3 months in the fridge and I have some germinations. Now, I have 3 (very) little babies and hope they will grow a little bit more than the others 
For other species, the need of cold is species dependent.

I suppose you have sown your seeds under lights because it's autumn in NZ. You can keep seeds several months dry or wet stored in the fridge. It will be easier to sow them in spring. After one year, I had some germinations of Primula agleniana and very good germination with Primula aff deflexa

[Claire Cockcroft]

My experience with primula seeds is that most remain viable for many years if stored dry in a refrigerator.  I've germinated Primula chionantha and rusbyi seeds from the late 80s -- these were sown in December and are now ready to pot on.  For older seeds, I was reminded by a friend that although these old seeds are dormant, they are still metabolizing at a very slow rate.  So I've been feeding the seedlings with a weak fertilizer and they've responded nicely.

[melager]

thanks both Claire and Karaba for your feedback and thoughts

Mel