Fall '06 Seed Exchange - Indoor Sowing Results

Hey everyone. What, if anything, have you started from our seed exchange? So far I have:

Germinated
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o Clianthus puniceus 'Roseus' - 1 seed germinated (3 sown), growing strongly - sending out first set of true leaves
o Acnistus australis - 3 seeds germinated (4 sown) - 2 sending out next set of leaves
o Hippeastrum 'Red Lion' - 2 seeds germinated floating in water (4 sown) - have roots, waiting for leaves
o Canna indica - 2 seeds germinated in only 4 days (3 sown) - holy crow, these things grow like wildfire - you can almost watch them grow!

Sown - not yet germinated
====================
o Lilium from 'Merry Spring' (7 sown)
o Lilium from 'Sally Jo Ann' (7 sown)
o Hippeastrum 'Red Lion' (4 sown in seed starting mix)

I'll be starting more in 3 weeks (beginning of March), and still more at the beginning of April.

Anyone else seeing results?

--Ginny

Cannas are extraordinary fast growers, aren't they LOL! You should be able to see their small red hummingbird attracting flowers this summer.
Clianthus puniceus and Acnistus australis are doing great so far for me.
Liliums are in the fridge and the others are waiting for the spring to arrive.
This was really an exciting experience.

Nath

I'm just thinking about starting some stuff. Need to get starter mix tomorrow. Still in slow mode after 2 weeks in Mexico.

I think slow mode is perfectly understandable right now :-) Besides, there's all the time in the world!

I'm trying to germinate some clerodendrum speciossum seeds I liberated in Yelapa Mexico.

OOOOh -you rascal, Jeanne !!
Heather

Thought I would post a few pics of my babies :-)

Acnistus australis (a bit blurry, sorry).

Canna indica.

Clianthus puniceus 'Roseus' (sorry - this one is blurry too, couldn't get a better shot).

Hosta from Great Expectations - open pollinated. Can anyone tell me how big they should be before I move them to their own pots? Right now they're in about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of soil. I don't want to stunt the growth of their roots, but I also don't want to harm them by moving them too soon. These are my very first hosta babies, and I'm probably being an over-protective mommy :-)

My 3rd Canna indica seed sprouted the other day and was already ready for transplanting today. I also transplanted the two Hippeastrum 'Red Lion' seedlings out of their water and into pots of seed starting mix. Not much to see there yet - I'll post pics once the camera can actually get a good look at them.

I've sown:

Geraniums
Lobelia
Gazinia
Petunia, Celebrity
Petunia, Explorer
Petunia, Tidal Wave
Petunia, Wave
Petunia, Easy Wave
Dahlia
Dichondra, Emerald Falls
Gerbera Daisy
Gypsophila - (Babys Breath)
Pansy
Coleus

I've transplanted into pots or hanging baskets:

Coleus
Petunia's
Geraniums
Dichondra
Dahlia
Gazinia
Gerbera Daisy

Thats about it for now. It's too early in the year for some of the other ones I need to start.

Darrell

I've been starting some tropical seeds I ordered, not from the exchange though, does anyone mind if I join in and post pictures?

Steven

Oh please do Steve! We'd love to see them. --Ginny

Ok, heres whats sprouted so far,

Passiflora mollissima (thats a mouthful)

Antigonon leptopus aka: Coral Vine (this one's a mouthful too)

just sprouted today

This message was edited Feb 21, 2007 8:04 PM

Abutilon 'Bella Mix'

I think I posted him on the Winter Sowing thread, when he was just sprouting,

Datura 'Triple Purple'

Mimosa pudica

so far only this Mimosa has sprouted, I know they can take a while. I guess this one was just eager.

This message was edited Feb 22, 2007 5:40 PM

By the way, all your seeds look really good Ginny. How old are the Cannas in that photo?

Steve

Thanks :-) Your stuff is looking very nice as well Steve.

Hmmmmmmm.....how old are they? Well, my memory isn't what it used to be and my records are at home while I'm at work. I think, though, that the canna are about 10 days old in that photo on the 18th. If I remember correctly, they germinated on the 8th and 9th.

Are you serious? They're only 10 days? Wow! I'm going to order Canna seeds when I place my next order!
Most of the seedlings in my pics are a week or younger. The flowering maple is probably the oldest...around 3 weeks.
I noticed a Passiflora edulis starting to sprout when I got home from work today. YAY!

Steve

Absolutely serious. When I said in an earlier post "....holy crow, these things grow like wildfire - you can almost watch them grow!" I truly meant it :-) Talk about instant gratification.

--Ginny

Woo Hoo! That's what a gardeners want, right? Instant gratification.
Do you know if they bloom first year? Hopefully by the looks of them.

Steve

I honestly don't know if they bloom their first year. But if zarcanat's comments are anything to go by nearer the top of this thread (and these were seeds from her), then it appears likely. Gotta like that!

--Ginny

Yes they do grow and bloom the first year if you start them indoors early enough. You should be good to go if they are all planted now. I started several last spring and they did well. They and others are just stating to poke through the ground. There is a tinsy tiny bit of green showing.

Bea

Bea, I think I might be feeling a bit of zone envy. You have cannas coming up already?!

We're getting more snow again today, *sigh* It has been warmer out though and spring should be just around the corner! Woo Hoo
How's the weather for you Ginny?

Steven

Well let's see. Snow ... then some snow .... snow again ... more snow ... what a surprise - snow! But on a more positive note, our temps are warmer too.

I find it hard to believe that three weeks from now last year (mid-March), my winter sown containers were starting to show their first sprouts. Right now my containers are under about two feet of snow. I've been trying to think back to last year re: how much snow cover we had at the end of February, but I just can't recall.

--Ginny

Wow, you have alot more snow than we do. We maybe have 6" or so at the very most in the deepest spots. My WS containers are under only an inch or two and as soon as it gets sunny that'll melt away...
Some of the snow in one of my beds melted a few days ago(before we got more snow) and I saw some snapdragons, a tad wilted/damaged but still in great shape.
As for how much cover we had last year, I can never remember that sort of thing, I always ask somebody every year "was it like this last year"? re: these wacky winters.

Steven

I sowed a bunch more seeds indoors on Sunday - some from our seed exchange and some others. Last night when I got home from work some were already sprouting! Here's what I started:

o Abelmoschus manihot (seed exchange)
o Datura tatula (seed exchange)
o Datura metel ‘Black Currant Swirl' (seed exchange)
o Luffa aegyptiaca (aka Luffa cylindrica) (seed exchange) - sowed 2, both sprouting already

o Datura Hyb. 'Golden Queen' (Dominion Seeds)
o Datura Hyb. 'Purple Queen' (Dominion Seeds)
o Ricinus communis 'Carmencita' (Dominion Seeds)
o Ricinus communis 'Zanzibariensis' (Dominion Seeds)

o HETEROPAPPUS meyendorfii 'Blue Knoll' (Blue Chrysanthemum) (Gardens North)
o SOLANUM laciniatum (Kangaroo Apple) (Gardens North)
o SOLANUM purpurescens (Purple Devil) (Gardens North)

o Calendula officinalis 'Pacific Beauty' (private trade) - sowed 1/2 flat (18), a bunch sprouting
o Calendula officinalis 'Victoria Sunset' (private trade) - sowed 1/2 flat (18), a bunch sprouting
o Gaillardia grandiflora (Burgundy) (private trade)
o Thalictrum rochebrunianum (private trade)

I can hardly wait to see what else may have sprouted when I get home tonight :-) I'll try to get pictures on the weekend.

--Ginny

Wow, great selection Ginny! I really have to check out Gardens North, I've heard of it, but keep forgeting to check it out. I'll try to remember to take more pictures of mine too, they've grown quite a bit. Don't you love those threads where theres pictures of plants from seedling to maturity?
Have to look up Datura tatula, never heard of it before.

Steven

Gardens North has a wonderful seed selection Steve. Everything from the ordinary, to natives that may be a little less common, to the more exotic things like that Purple Devil. It has thorns - even on the veins of the leaves!

Here's an update on what I found when I got home last night:

o Luffa aegyptiaca - both are about 3" high
o Ricinus communis 'Carmencita' - all 3 sown have sprouted (4 days)
o Ricinus communis 'Zanzibariensis' - 1 of 3 sown has sprouted (4 days)
o Calendula officinalis 'Victoria Sunset' - a bunch more sprouting - about 1/2 of the 18 sown (4 days)
o Lilium from 'Sally Jo Ann' - 1 of 7 sown has finally sprouted (24 days since sowing)
o Canna indica - 3 seedlings now tall enough they had to be moved out of the indoor greenhouse to a table under standing lights - about 8" or 9" tall

Oh! I also have a Musa ensete seedling (can't remember if I posted the sowing of this one anywhere - from Thompson & Morgan) that is going great guns. It is the first to sprout of 3 seeds sown and it is also sitting on the table with the canna seedlings, and looking very happy indeed.

Who knows what might await me tonight when I get back :-) I love this gardening thing!

--Ginny

Ginny - I went and checked out Gardens North.......Ok, more like I went through everything on the entire site and OH! what a selection! My shopping cart filled up fast! I had to remove a number of things, to bring it more within budget :) and thats how it will sit till next week when I place my order.
BTW, Do you have any new pics yet of your sprouts?

Steven

LOLOL!!! I do that every time I go out to their site :-) I think the last time I went shopping there I started with about $300.00 in my cart. Then came the oh so painful whittling down until I had it under $100.00. I'm like a kid in a candy store at that site - I want one of everything!

No new pics yet. I plan on getting and posting some this weekend. Working over an hour away from home is a bit of a drag. It leaves very little time for anything but absolute essentials Monday to Friday.

--Ginny

We are finally above zero - just, at 1 degree C and sunny. It's supposed to go up to 4 tomorrow with rain, and 6 by Tuesday. Then who knows what will happen. The 14 day forecast seems to change on an hourly basis. I am sooooooooo ready for spring!

--Ginny

I am also soooooo ready for spring! I check my WS containers daily even though there's nothing there :)
Tomorrow I'm going to Canada Blooms, taking my camera and LOTS of $$$$$!
I'll be sure to post my pictures, I charged both camera batteries to be safe :)

Steven

It is forecast to be +19C here in Calgary on Sunday! It's been a lengthy chinook this time. Love the warmth, but hope all the trees, plants and seeds stay asleep for a bit longer. We could easily of big negative temperatures still come at us this month.

(Steven - I keep looking at my WS containers too, which is just silly because I've only put them all out in the last month or so. Can't help it though!)

Joanne N

Joanne, re wintersowing: I should have got one of those paint markers they use over on the WS forum to mark their containers. The magic marker faded right off mine so most of my containers are mystery :)
Oh, well. It will add to the excitement!
I'm sure your plants will be fine, it didn't get cold around here untill January this year, and it seems like alot of plants somehow know it's still sleepytime.

Steven

Here are the promised pictures of my indoor sowing seedlings - and some other stuff too.

1 of 11 - Acnistus australis (Blue Brug)