Annuals: Does anyone grow POPPIES ?, 1 by ToneBone

ToneBone wrote:
For me Shirley poppies are reasonably easy to grow. There is a strange way I prep the seed and sow it to get it to germinate. I pop the seed packet into the freezer for about 3 days and then I take it out to thaw for about 3 extra days. Then I take a 5\" tall plastic disposable drinking cup they use at parties and poke 2 holes at the very bottom of the cup using a Xacto knife. Not from underneath, but from both sides of the cup. Then I fill it up with fine compost or potting soil, preferably filtered from larger particles found in it. Then I gently level the surface of the soil with some type of lid. A lid from a large orange prescription pill bottle will surely help! Then I use a very small bathroom cup and pour a little bit of seed into the cup from the packet. And then I gently sprinkle the tiny little seed onto the surface of the soil. Next, I use the same bathroom cup to lightly cover the seed by sprinkling extra filtered compost or potting soil from it. I then, level the soil surface again, gently, using the same lid from that orange pill bottle. Afterwards, I take a wide container, a cool whip container will do, and then I place the large plastic cup containing the soil and sown seed into the container. Lastly, I grab a small watering can and water the container to about 1.5 cm covering the bottom of the cup and set the container under a desk lamp, waiting at least 1 hour before I turn on the lamp containing the fluorescent light. The reason being is that the water will soak up from the 2 holes on the very bottom, through tiny air pockets in the soil, all the way to the surface, assuring that the seed has adequate moisture. I use a bendable desk lamp to adjust it so the seed can get proper light in order to sprout. Germination usually takes 4-7 days!

Here are some pics of some Shirley Poppies I\'ve grown several years ago.

-Tony