Dumb question number 98,678 (exploding moonflower seeds)

I soaked some morning glory & moonflower seeds in a water/peroxide solution this afternoon. I thought it would be at least tomorrow before I saw any swelling. Well, lo and behold...one of the moonflowers exploded. Will it still grow? Is it supposed to look like that? I have one that look like it *just* opened up and the other that is wide open. I've never tried to germinate seeds before and I don' t have any idea of what I am looking at!

http://picasaweb.google.com/michelle.katt/MoonflowerSeeds/photo#5038208919687106930

I don't know but I think I would try it. I found a pkt that I bought in 1999. I soaked them over night. then put in starter flats. used bottom heat and lights and covered with the plastic dome.
I think every seed sprouted. Three were a little slow but I have moonflowers setting here and there and every where. I sent 4 out to Ohio with my D daughter. Gave one to a lady downtown. and have some set aside for another friend. I'm having to repot and insert temp, minni trellis's. It will be a while before I can plant them outside, as we just got dumped on with a blizzard. I'm hoping sometime in Aprill.
I'm afraid they will run up the walls and I won't be able to get them out the door.
They must be very forgiving.
Good luck. I'll have to take a pic of the mess LOL.
Russ

as long as they aren't rotten looking (brown and slimey) the exploded ones will still grow. I used to race another classroom's teacher in getting seedlings growing and I would always soak my morning glory seeds until they had exploded and we would plant on Friday and by monday I would have 2-3 inch tall seedlings.

~Chills

Thanks, the exploded one never did anything, but the rest of them did. I have some pretty good seedlings now!

Michelle

Ok after giving away five, I sat these outside to get some real sun. The temp got up into the 60s today
I have a couple more pics

Here is one more
Whoops forgot the pic

This message was edited Mar 12, 2007 8:18 PM

Whoops forgot the pic

Those were the ones I forgot I had, They were 1999 seeds. as you could see they had differing growth rates.
Here is one of the Rack stuck behind the table, with not to much room to work

And I said today was a nice day

But this is also what happens when really nice days follow a blizzard
Normaly this stream don't move much water. but we have had several nice days, and the water has to go somewhere, and there is still frost in the ground SOOOO

I work a stupid shift (6pm til 6am) so on the days that I work I don't get much sun myself...let alone being able to put my seedlings outside!! :) It was only in the low 50s today and overcast. I hear ya, randbponder, my yard looks horrible...I still have piles of snow everywhere and in some places the water is over a foot deep. Mud, snow and water...welcome to Spring in Michigan! Of course, my 8 yr old told me that this is his favorite time of year....go figger...mud and little boys!

....go figger...mud and little boys!
Ya know we raised 3 girls bout the same. Ya got a chuckle for that one though lol Do you think there is such a thing as a child magnet? or would that be spelled Mudnet lol
I had to get the skid loader out and make a small trench to direct the water away from the house.
Guess I'm going to have to put in some kind of drainage system for future spring thaws.
With today getting into the 70s we should just about get rid of it with the exception of what was piled up.

Interesting, I just planted Moonflowers and Morning Glories. Boy did they take off fast. I only started them a couple of days ago. When you re-potted them did you sink them up to the seed leafs? I know you can do that with some plants and the way these are growing I will need to move them into a 4 or 6 inch pot with a trellis pretty soon. Any suggestions would be helpful this is my first time growing Moonflowers and I have never started MG in the house before.

No, I did put them a little deeper but just enough to give the plants a little more support. I didn't check if I should or shouldn't. Just took them out of the starting flats. and made pots out of drink cups. So I probably am not much help there.

My climate is slightly different than y'alls, but the way I've always grown moonflowers is to nick the tip of the seed (just enough to break thru that hard shell) and then I just plant 'em where I want 'em, ready w/ growing supports 'cause those suckers can grow a LOT in one day! Morning glories I've also just direct planted, w/o having to nick the seeds. My moonflowers were starting to take off when we had a front come thru...they can't stand it much below 40* for very long, and there was some suffering here. I have plenty more to plant, so I'll live!

Good luck!

dogmansis;
The main reason I started them so early, is they were old seeds. and I wanted to see if they would germinate. To let you know how old they were , there was 38 seeds in the package. But since they all grew I have some to take to the RU. and some to spare. I think next year, I will just plant them direct. But it did give me something to do even if it did take up extra room in the kitchen.
Not really much of what we plant likes 40 or below. I left tomatoes setting out last night. We didn't have frost but some of the leaves were niped and were looking a little worse for the ordeal.

randbponder, I must admit, I like our earlier warmer temps, then comes June, July & August, then we cook!

It's July and August when we cook. with temps in the 90s and the humidity just as high;;;;;;;; Maybe I should have used the word " melt" We don't hit 100 very often., for which I am thankful. But think that in the winter I would welcome it.He he he .
We did spend December through the middle of July in Phoenix. One thing I learned from that was. If you are working with hand tools out side ' keep your tools in the shade" Not to mention " asphalt has a liquid state".
Really I am only teasing! I would enjoy the earlier spring, I could get used to the warmer temps. Not the high humid and heat together though. ((*-*))
Of course during this last winter most of Texas had worse weather than we did. Kind of makes a person sit and scratch their head????
Kind of makes a person thankfull that the Lord made the earth to tip to moderate the temp huh