4 o'clocks

I'm having trouble getting them to germinate.. I bought the seeds, and after more than 2 weeks, nothing has happened. Any tips?
Thanks,
Mara

I soak mine for 48 hours before planting in seed mix and have had fair success. I have also done well soaking them and than sprouting them in a sealed wet paper towel under lights.
This is just what has worked for me. Others may have better knowledge and or advice. :-)

The person who sent me some seeds also said to soak them like RB said before planting. So, dig 'em up and pop them into a cup of water for a couple of days!

I wonder if soaking in weak chamomile tea instead of plain water or nicking the seed coat might further increase your chances....

Or maybe a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution.

Thanks. I'll pull them up and try it and let you know how it goes!
-Mara

I nicked my 4 o'clock seeds before soaking them in warm water for 24 hours. Most of them germinated within the week.

BettyDee

I usually soak mine overnight & do not cover seed when planting.

Has anyone tried wintersowing 4 O'Clocks? They're not mentioned on the wintersown.org site (at least M. jalapa isn't mentioned), but PF says they self sow, and several people reported that theirs reseed year to year (including zone 6, I saw).

I'm thinking they might be good candidates for wintersowing! I'll bet the fluctuating temps would make nicking & soaking unnecessary. I'm going to try it.... I'll start a few inside, too, just in case!

I did that this year with some....they are sprouted and about 3 inchs tall now. :-) I think it's my new way to do them.

Cool! Thanks for LMK I'm onto something that could work! You just sowed them right? No nicking, no soaking?

I'm racing the calendar, trying to get just a few more seeds into containers for wintersowing before it gets too warm! One of the best things about winter sowing is that it is keeping me from starting my other seeds too soon by satisfying my need to get dirt under my nails.... ha!

I found that to be the case for me too this year. Planting seeds in Winter pots and digging them down into my cold frames. Unfortumetly it only gave me more room indoors to start all kinds of other things. :-)
I'm such an addict!

Hi Mara,
I've just germinated 4 O'clocks in the greenhouse after having trouble getting them to start. They sat for about 3 weeks without anything, then I moved them into the heated seed bed and they popped open in a couple of days. The bed is heated to about 74 degrees farenheit and I just sat the little pots on top of the warm sand. Also have florescent lights above the bed. They're growing just great! I know the soaking/nicking method works well, too.
Melissa

Well I got some soaking right now, and I nicked them. I'm starting everything in a spare bedroom under some lights, so it should be warm enough for them... I'll let you guys know what happens!-
Mara

4 oclocks are the easiest things to germinate. I let mine fall off the shrub into the ground. I don't touch them, and then in the spring, they just pop up on their own! EASY. It may be that your soil is not warm enough for germination. If this is the case, you can sow them in a pot of moist soil and sit them on top of your refrigerator (warm air rises ya know). They'll germinate in no time.

Also, take a few seeds outside and poke them in the ground where you want them to grow. When the ground warms up sufficiently, they'll pop up. And each year, they'll self sow for you and you'll have more plants the following year.

NancyAnn

Is this because you guys live in warmer zones? Can a person like me winter sow them? I'm in 5b.