Should i Be Freaking OUT? HELP!

hey guys,
well, i finally started dabbing some pollen a couple of bloom seasons ago. i stored the seeds from 2010 and 2011 in the refrigerator with a bunch of those moisture absorbing packets. i was basically afraid i was going to screw them up after all the work of making them! anyway, a little over 2 weeks ago i finally got most of them planted. i made a small hoop tunnel, covered with plastic and have been keeping them moist, not overly wet. the temps here have been very mild, so the day temps in the tunnel are at least 70, going up to over 120! of course, i open the plastic if it gets that hot!

well, as of today, not a SINGLE seed has come up! i am getting a bit panicky! i did see a few seeds that had somehow gotten back to the surface (may never have been put in correctly) and they seemed fine. nice, shiny, plump, but no germination.

please share any info or insights! thanks

tracie

hello?? i know you guys are looking, please give any advice you can! lol

tracie

Tracie, I haven't started seeds right in the ground before, so I can't help. But I'm watching this thread so I can learn.

Tracie I think you need to be patient as it can take 2 to 4 weeks for the seed to germinate, then the seedlings have to make their way to the surface. Hang in there. :)

Are most of they tets??? If so, they often take a lot longer than dips.

I'm not experienced with germinating daylily seeds but all seeds need soil heat to germinate. I would suspect your seeds are laying dormant awaiting warmer soil. The hoop tunnel will help to warm the soil surface but the earth under the bed will also serve to keep the soil base cool.

Have you tested your soil temperature? It is recommended that you so to a depth of four inches.

I would suspect there is no reason to panic. The seeds will lay dormant till warmer temps inspire germination. The next couple of nights won't help that. Good luck!

thanks guys! i needed the comforting words! lol the seeds are planted in trays, not in the ground. but, i know they must cool down at night. wish i did have the room to start them indoors! it is just scary waiting, hoping i didnt screw them up! it has been crazy weather. yesterday the temps were pushing 90 and today the low is supposed to be in the the 30's!

tracie

Tracie, Don't know if this helps, But, When I planted my seeds I believe it took at least two weeks or longer for them to come up ( I started seeds in pots and sank the pots in the ground/ All are outside, About 200 pots) I had about a 98% germination rate. I planted mine late last fall. Some are about 6"high, I use two small homemade hoop rows and cover with plastic on cold nights too though I missed a couple nights covering because it wasn't suppose to get to freezing or below and it did, But, They are doing fine. I would say that maybe yours just needs a little more time to come up.

Here is a bit of an update: as of today, 2 1/2 weeks, i found about a dozen tiny sprouts! it is a small percentage so far, but i am so very excited! we were starting to think we messed up on them after all. :) the weather looks to be getting warmer, so i am thinking we will have lots of green showing soon!! thanks for all the great advice. oh, btw, out of a 9 pack planted with Silly Whimsey seeds, 3 have come up! i thought that was interesting. it is a tet.

tracie

Silly Whimsey

Good to hear, Tracie!

That's great news Tracie!!! :-)

Great to hear Tracie!!

In your area, Tracie are you not worried about them getting to much heat in the tunnel ?

I need to get mine started. I didn't want them up before our freeze date had passed. That is mid April.

Great!!!

another update: more tiny green shoots emerging each day! still only a small percentage, but we are terribly excited!!! it is interesting to see which ones are germinating the quickest. it seems that ones that are in the smaller cells are germinating faster than ones that were planted in groups in larger pots. i guess that would make sense because the soil in the small cells would heat up quicker.

tracie

Good luck, Tracie

btw, how much heat is too much heat in the hoop tunnel? i have been keeping an eye on them and opening the plastic when it gets over 90.

tracie

That's great Tracie, glad you are getting more babies. Wow, I think 90 is very warm, but then considering where I live maybe you need an opinion from someone that lives in a warmer climate...hahahahaha.

Do you have a fan circulating in there? A few years ago I started some in the house....like over a hundred, and they ended up dampening off. I was sick!

I'm sure it was never over 78 here in the house.

On warm days you might want to open up the plastic and let them get some fresh airl.

Good Luck!

I leave the plastic off on my hoophouse unless I know we are going to get freezing temps at night, Thats the only time that I really cover them up so that they are getting all the fresh air and rain inbetween cover ups.

That's good! I plan to cross some this year. So hopefully we will have seeds in the summer and fall!

i have been opening it up daily to get a breeze and cool them off. i am a little afraid to let them get the rain. i am afraid if it is hard enough it will wash the little cells!

tracie

Yes, it would be better to water them yourself. They are very tender at this stage.

Generally we have had them bloom anywhere from nine mos old to two years old.

Can't wait to see what you get! My daughter has some of my babies. I told her I wanted some fans when they develop more. One has a beautiful gold edge.

It is so much fun crossing them. I would keep a notebook of the crosses and tag them so I knew the parentage, then we lost the name tags, so now I'm not sure who's who!

It is fun tho! Good Lluck!

Your so right Tracie, I'd be afraid too if mine were in cells and just starting up,( Though I must say, I pretty much did it this way right from the beginning, But, I started them in pots instead of cells) So mine are in pots and are about 6" tall and thats what I was referreing too when I mentioned about leaving the cover off and getting the rain.

Texasgal77, I keep a map wiith all the names and I'm so glad that I do this because a lot of the names on the tags of the crossés faded/washed off, When I take the pots out of the ground, I'm going to use a label-maker to put the names on the pots of the cross'es so that there will not be any problems or confusion on who's who.