How long is too long?

I tried germinating impatiens instead of buying them started because they are expensive to buy so I started them myself about three weeks ago in the greenhouse my husband built. There is cross ventalation. I planted them without covering the seed, didn't allow them to dryout - misted regularly.
Why aren't the germinating or am I being "impatient"? Is that where the name comes from?

They should germinate in 14 to 21 days. Did you keep them warm(72-78*F)? They won't germinate as fast if they are cool.

Yes, I kept them warm, maybe even warmer than they should have been. During the days that it was 70 degrees outside it got to 105 in the greenhouse and varied depending what the temperature was like. I let a heater run during the night that kept them at least at 60 degrees. Is that enough?

Mine are usually up within 2 weeks at temps around 65-70'. The hot temperature in the greenhouse may have been a problem if that's where your seed flats were..... I've been told that temperatures over 86 degrees can be death to seeds.

Critterologist
Thanks for the info.
I like your user name. Does it mean you like critters?

Impatiens are very sensitive to varying temperatures. The best result you get by holding them between 70-75 F consistently and never allowing the media to dry out.

hey, not only does it mean I like critters, it means I actually have a degree in liking critters! But critterologist is much more descriptive than "biologist" -- DH even uses it for my occupation description on the tax returns, even if haus frau is more accurate these days (he puts his occupation down as "code wrangler").

I think you've still got enough time to try again with the impatiens.... you may miss a couple weeks of bloom time, but a new packet of seeds would surely be less expensive than a flat of plants from the LGS, if you have a place where temperatures don't vary so much.....

Code wrangler? LOL! I'll have to tell Howie that one.