snapdragons and poppies

Hi all,
I need to start these in flats. I can't trust them to nature this year, they are for an outdoor wedding.
Do you have any tips or history of success? I had had mixed success with snaps in peat pellets, now I read that I should start them in vermiculite, but I need to get them to transplant size, so if I do that, I'll need to transplant into cells.

Help
thank you
cynthia

I don't know about snaps, but I've grown poppies using peat pellets. They are easy. Just remember that they don't like warmth. The closer you get to 80F/28C, the less germination you will get. Best germination around 55-65F/13-18C, in my experience. Since they get a tap root, remember to pot up and to transplant ASAP.

Cynthia: Please see my thread on Wintersowing. Sow those Poppies easily outdoors with Mother Nature's help. Snaps can be sown later. They don't take as long to germinate.

HYPERLINK@www.wintersown.org

This message was edited Dec 10, 2005 8:19 PM

Dear Shirley
Thank you for your reply. I need to make transplants because I need to transplant them to another site in late January.

My sister-in-law is hosting the wedding for her son. They want lots of wildflowers on their property for late April. I know that when I planted transplants last year in late January, they were blooming in late April, so I can't rely upon nature this year. Even if we were to direct sow the poppies now, we have had very little rain, so the results might be poor.

Thank you again for the response,
cynthia

Both do well for me but I do poppies in large pots and leave them in there. I've heard they don't like transplanting, but I have been successful doing it. I do snapdragons every winter--they are one of my favorite winter flowers. I would start them NOW. i started mine in early Nov, they are already up. I start stuff in flats outdoors using starting mix from Gardener's supply.
Debbie

I have poppies every year and have tried several times unsuccessfully to transplant. I would definately reconsider your choice of flower. Can you not sow the seed in place? You didn't say what time of the year you are having the wedding, but it is my experience in Central TX that the poppies are up in early spring. Also check out the thread that is for TX wildflowers that Frostweed started. You might Dmail her with a link to this thread so you can get her expert opinion, and she lives in Arlington!
Sheila
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/528122/

I sent frostweed poppies myself. I agree, I would not try to transplant poppies. If you need cut flowers for the wedding, both will do best sowed straight into a planting bed but I would do it NOW.

I start both snaps and poppies indoors in the spring, due to our short season. I start them in sterilized starter mix in containers in flats with domed lids, under fluorescent lights. I have a good germination rate, as a rule, and I transplant when the seedlings get their first set of true leaves.

I should think all snaps should behave about the same, but there are several varieties of poppies and they can offer different levels of success when transplanted. I have a great success rate with most of them, but some of the somniferum, such as hen & chicks, seem to be a bit more difficult for me.

As was already mentioned, poppies have a long tap root, so start your seed in loose, soft, sterile medium that is at least 2.5" deep. Sow sparingly for healthy seedlings. Never pull the seedlings out, and never touch the stems with your hands. Hold onto them gently by a cotelydon (first leaves), use a flat tool to loosen the soil around it, and when the root is liberated lift it over a cell that has a deep hole poked in it.

Gently move the soil in around it without touching the stem. In most cases, I have about an 80 percent success rate this way. I grow corn poppies, shirley poppies, somniferum, oriental... all about the same way from seed.

Thank You All
Both germinated nicely and have their tiny leaves. I definitely sowed too many poppies per peat pellet pot. I think I'll try to separate and move them into 6 pks in a few days. The snaps were germinated in vermiculite alone, I used the plastic containers from produce and water from below. Now they are hardening off outside in sun with the tops off the boxes. Hopefully the cool nights will help them get strong, and the sunny days will get those real leaves up.

Any suggestions on how best to divide a peat-pellet clump of poppies?

We did directly sow Shirley poppies on the site. I have transplanted poppies that were given to me last year with success. I am a little surprised that they are that delicate, I thought they were pretty tough.

Thanks all, any suggestions on how to divide a clump is appreciated. The last post I believe is sending me in the right direction.

cynthia

I thought Poppies don't transplate very well. I planted my snappies early this year and they're growing leaps-and bounds. It's time I transplant them. hate to discards the others.....

Linda

I sure hope the poppies do well. I have tons of them. Wish I could say the same for the snaps. They have not done well.

Paul James, Gardening by the Yard just happened to show a nursery grower transplanting poppies on Sunday. She said to separate them, then plant down to the base of the leaves in the soil.

I'll let y'all know.

cynthia

My poppies winter sowed outside in giant pots are 5 inches tall now--I'll post a pic if you like.

dmj
Sure! I'd love to see them. Do you thin them?

It seems that last weekends transplants to 6 pks are still alive and happy in the greenhouse.

i love starting from seeds or bulbs

c