Propagation: Planting stratified seeds

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by Just me, Feb 16, 2009.

  1. Just me

    Just me Member

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    Location:
    victoria, bc, canada
    When is the ideal time to plant stratified perennial seeds?

    I currently have seeds stratifying outside in damp paper towels in sealed bags, enclosed in a container. It remains cool outside (a few flakes of snow fell today), though the ground is workable and the spring rains haven't yet started.

    My question is: since the seeds are experiencing outdoor temperature fluctuations already, should I go ahead and plant them in the garden? My thought is to plant them on a thin top-dressing of Pro-mix PGX, and cover them with 1/16" or so of moist sand.

    Suggestions would be much appreciated.
     
  2. growest

    growest Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Surrey,BC,Canada
    My thought is it depends on the perennials you're growing there. We succeeded in establishing larkspurs with direct sowing, and I'm sure other of the more vigorous types like poppies can definitely make a good stand thru this method.

    Many other things, however, are too slow and, er, expensive, to take a chance out in the "wild" right from the start. I would sow the stratifying seeds into a seed pot or flat and let them get some size, pricking them into individual containers then finally siting them where desired once they have gotten a decent amount of growth on. A seed pot enclosed in a plastic bag is not much more trouble than the bag of paper towels you have now, and once the seeds begin to sprout, the roots might be easier to deal with growing into promix or whatever rather than into a towel.

    Our weather right now is sure good for cold stratifying tho isn't it?...against a north wall, the seeds will stay pretty close to that sweet spot of just a few degrees above freezing, allowing for real nice priming before the temps start to climb into the germinating temperature zone...
     

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