Just as I had expected the cold weather, and a spell in the fridge, has produced a bumper crop of seedlings. As a matter of fact I am having great difficulty keeping ahead of the crop. Everything that was sown last summer, autumn and early winter is now germinating, plus most of the seed that did not germinate last spring. With mild weather up until Christmas, I had given up hope of any decent germination figures this year, and was ready to enter in my seed journal that it was just the usual, a mild winter and poor seed germination.
Then after the festive season the weather got progressively colder until we eventually we got our once in ten-year snowfall. Even after that cleared away the cold weather persisted until the time of writing, the first few days of March. Only on the third of March did spring weather make an appearance, and with it any seedlings that were taking a longer then usual rest.
Bulb seedlings are coming up like grass in the pots, and it is a continuos struggle to find a place for them all where they will get good light. Bulb seed needs a very cool place in which to germinate, but after that they must have good light to keep them in character, otherwise they will grow rank and drawn and not produce a decent bulb to see them through the resting season. So after germination they must be moved to a cool position where they will get good light but not direct sunshine if possible. The idea is to get them to keep growing a long as possible, and too much direct sunshine will make go dormant before they have had a chance to form a decent bulb that won?t desiccate in the summertime.
Cyclamen seed falls into the same mould and need a cool well lit position and kept growing as long as possible.
Androsaces on the other hand are easier to handle, and can be brought into the alpine house at the first sign of germination, where they will happily grow into nice little cushions before the autumn.
Lewisias are much in the same vane and can be brought under cover as soon as germination starts. It is important not to bring them in too early as high temperatures inhibit germination. So ensure that a good percentage has started to germinate before moving.
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