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Post by Laura_in_FL on Aug 21, 2016 15:35:01 GMT -5
I got some seed for Laura Pansies (couldn't resist the name, and besides, they are a pretty color ). Pansies here are fall planted, ideally in October/November, though they can be planted in winter or even very early spring, too. They will grow and bloom all winter until it gets too hot for them, which usually happens in May. It very rarely gets cold enough here to damage or kill them. But although I've grown pansies many times, I've never grown them from seed. So, I don't know how far in advance to sow the seeds. Six weeks? Eight weeks? More? Any other information I should know? Since the seeds are tiny, dust-like, I was planning to surface sow them on damp medium. Am I on the right track? Thanks for any help!
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Post by coppice on Aug 22, 2016 5:51:09 GMT -5
Thats what I might try. Dust them onto already damp medium and mist often. I don't know if they need light in order to germinate. I will presume they do need warmth.
I would probably start them sooner rather than later. You can dead-head early blooms.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Aug 22, 2016 9:12:54 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. I need to get my hands on some seed-starting medium ASAP, then!
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Post by coppice on Aug 25, 2016 2:57:49 GMT -5
Soiless mix, like Promix instead of "potting soil", is what I would use.
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Post by september on Aug 25, 2016 8:44:01 GMT -5
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Aug 25, 2016 17:39:46 GMT -5
Oh, thanks for that, @deyana. I didn't realize they need a cool period and darkness to germinate. Once they come out of the fridge they will have to survive in higher temperatures than the article recommends - there's nowhere in my house or yard that will have average temperatures in the 60s - much less the 50s! - for months. Once they come out of the fridge they will have to grow at temperatures in the upper 70s because that's the temperature I maintain my house in the summer/early fall. They may get leggy growing in those temperatures, but hopefully they will be okay. coppice, ProMix is exactly what I will use. It's great stuff.
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Post by bestofour on Oct 16, 2016 21:05:58 GMT -5
how's the progress?
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Oct 17, 2016 8:39:27 GMT -5
Uh, there isn't any. By the time I got the ProMix (I got sidetracked and forgot to order ) it was too late to start seed for planting this fall, given the need for the seeds to spend two to three weeks in the fridge for cold treatment before putting they go in soil. I could still in theory start the seed now for late winter/early spring planting, but the spring heat comes on early here so spring pansies are kind of a waste. They get big enough to really put on a show for maybe a few weeks before the heat starts making them look ratty and then they die back. Next summer, I probably need to start the cold-treatment in late July. That way the the seeds can hit dirt in August and I should have time to get good-sized plants for a late October or November planting. Hopefully the pansy seeds will still be good next summer. The timing should work out, given that my fall tomatoes and peppers get planted out in August, so space under my grow lights should become available just as the seeds are ready to come out of the fridge. Now I need to make sure that I don't run out of ProMix again!
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