Growing On

Last article we discussed a flotation method for germinating seeds that don't retain their viability for a long time. Once the seeds have germinated, growing them on properly is important to your success.

POTTING UP
Before you remove the seeds from the container, prepare your pots, and make sure the soil is damp. Use a mixture of good Potting Mix with equal quantity of perlite and fill the pot just over half way full. Fill the rest of the pot with perlite on top of this, but do not fill pot completely. Bottom water the pot by standing it in a container of water, or spray the top of the pot gently with a spray bottle. Write out a plant label for each pot, listing date, name of species and number of seedlings.

Then, place up to 5 seedlings in each pot. Use an open mix, with perlite on top, so that the seeds will push down very easily.

When watering, use a spray bottle or bottom water, so as not to dislodge seeds.

When ready to plant, with the end of a pencil or plant label, make a small hole for the shoot to go into. Do not worry if the seed is out of the soil on top, or sticking up in the air, as it will not affect the plants' progress. Gently, but firmly, press the perlite mix around the root shoot and spray with a little water to bed it in. Keep moist during the growing period and don't let them dry out.

It is not harmful to leave the seeds germinating in the water container until some leaf growth appears, but make sure that the leaves/shoots of all seeds don't become entangled, as they may break when separating. They are very brittle and bruise and break easily.

Plants can be kept watered past the dormancy period to get better growth.

Do not over fertilise. Use a small quantity of bone meal or Blood and Bone mixed into the potting mix.

Let the seeds grow on into the second year, then re-plant into separate pots.

Do not re-plant the small bulbils too deeply; best to keep them at ground level or slightly out of the soil. Be careful not to break the roots when re-potting.

The speed of germination, if any, will vary from seed to seed. There is no fixed rule or time element involved. It is nature's way of perpetuating the species by providing a staggered germinating period.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic