Growing Salpiglossis (Painted Tongue) From Seed

I'd like to try growing Salpiglossis from seed. There's all kinds of conflicting information online regarding how to start the seeds. Some sites state to cover the seed. Some websites state to surface sew. There are other links stating to surface sew and then grow them in darkness until they germinate. Has anyone grown them from seed and what method did you use to get the seeds to germinate? Any help would be much appreciated.

Jon

I started mine this last spring in 6 packs filled with damp seed starting mix, just sew on top then
cover to their thickness with vermiculite.Then spray the vermiculite to dampen it. I also had bottom heat
@ 68 to 75 deg. keep it damp untill germination, in my case 4 to 10 days. I did'nt keep them in the dark,
but I did'nt put them under lights untill they germinated. I had the blue and the red ones. They were sold
to me as Stained Glass Flowers On E-Bay. I hope this helps.
Greg

Thanks for your help Greg. I'm hoping its something I can grow in South Florida between Nov-Apr when temps stay in the 70's.....for the most part. Going to try the "Kew Blue", "Royale Chocolate" and "Royale Purple".

Sounds like a winner!
Just harvested seeds off of mine.
We will see what they will look like next spring.
Good luck.
Greg

I have had the best success sowing them 1/8 - 1/4 inch deep. Bottom heat will help speed things up.

Thanks Joanne. I think I'll try surface sewing some of them and lightly covering some of them. It sounds like they need some type of darkness, whether its keeping them out of sunlight or slightly covering them for darkness.

The problem with surface sowing and covering the tray is having all of them germinate at the same time. You will need to provide light ASAP when it germinates, within hours. So if only some germinated then the other (not germinated) seeds will be exposed to direct light and will not germinate. And if you keep the tray covered until all or most have germinated, then you will loose a lot from lack of light after germination.

They do require darkness to germinate and the only reason some people surface sow and cover the tray is because the seeds are tiny. This technique is usually used by greenhouse growers. It may work in extremely controlled (day/night temps) conditions with constant monitoring, but for the typical home gardener, sowing 1/4" deep will ensure germination and you will not loose any from lack of light.

I have bee starting these from seed for about 5 years and the 1/4" planting depth works. Surface sowing and covering the tray will result in a waste of seeds, money and time. + a huge disappointment.

The New Seed-Starter's Handbook by Nancy Bubel advises 1/4" depth for sowing.

This message was edited Sep 12, 2010 11:19 AM

I trust your judgment Joanne. You have lots of seed starting experience and what you're saying makes sense. I usually plant lots of extra seeds to account for losses during the growth process.