I am trying once again but this time indoors. I just scattered some seeds in jiffy peat cups tonight as nothing I tried outside has worked. I have them on the soil under my grow lights and I pray this time I get something.
All the poppies I buy and plant do just fine but I can't seem to get them to grow if I plant them outside.
Any advice would be appreciated.
really having bad luck getting poppies from seed
i tried for 2 years before i got mine to grow..for your zone i hear you can sow them in the snow...for my zone i sowed them xmas eve on bare ground...kept watered and let them go...since you have not been having luck with your seeds i'd try the grocery store variety...i did...mccormicks worked for me...at least now i know i can grow them...a cheap way to experiment...here is my batch...
I love the somniferums too.
My perennial poppie seed starting was a bust.
I'll buy plants from mow on
I will have to try winter sewing this year. I can't believe how lovely your poppies are.
Should I wait for snow cover or seed when I winterize my roses and hydrangea?
i don't know about your zone planting time but i've found so much information on the internet...here on daves and google...all i know is don't give up...prepare your ground do your research for your area and enjoy your poppies!!! 10 years ago i had planted some california poppies on the far side of my pond...and i got nothing...2 years later i was looking out my kitchen window and saw this orange spot just glowing on the other side of my pond...got my binoculars out and looked and low and behold!!! poppies!!! they never came back but were beautiful that one season...
Last year I started them in seed starter, moved them up to peat pots. Planted them and in all places under the roof eve and that was a dumb thing to do. So I moved them and they all survived but did not flower. This year they are up and growing strong.
This year I started a ton of them. I use seed starter. Put them in a tray and cover them very lightly. I planted them in pots individually. That was a task as the roots are very thin and tender. All I could think of was a spider web thread. I will guess I had 80% success transplanting them.
1st pic is with them in the seed starter. In the back I planted them in 2" peat pots.
My guess is the dirt you use, the depth your sowing them and enough moisture. Yes I do have a small green house, but I dont think it would matter where I did it. I have lavender grape, oriental reds and persian blue. Some I planted in 3" plastic pots.
edited to say: The best success I have germinating any seed is to prepare the dirt and bring it in the house and use the kitchen sink sprayer. It fluffs up the dirt more than a blasting hose or pouring water over the dirt.
This message was edited May 16, 2009 6:29 AM
lady!!! look at you! those look great!! did you use a light with those while germinating or a heat mat? i wonder if your's are doing so well because of your cooler zone than mine...i would love to be able to start and then plant where i want to and for them to come up year after year...the purple i have is nice but i would love more vivid color...do you have any pics of your blues? very impressive pics...thanks for posting...virginia
No light and no heating mat. They were germinated in the green house and the temp is set at 60 at nigh. During the day I pull the shade cover on the GH when it hits 80 degress.
I think it is the germination soil. It is very light and fluffy seed starting soil. Also I have the covers that go on the seed germinating trays - you know it get humid and sweats.
I am almost betting I can take a meat loaf pan with the soil and cover it with cling wrap and get them to germinate in my home. I germinated picante peppers in a coffee cup this year ( I only had 10 seeds so did not want to use a whole tray). Again I think it is the light and fluffy seed starting soil, humidity and a south window.
Poppies need to be surface sown without heat. I'm jealous of all your beautiful pictures. It gets so hot in Texas that I can't grow all these beautiful types of poppies. I WS some this year and they were doing great in their containers until it got down to 27* in early April. Every blessed one died. I will live vicariously through all of your pictures.
Lisa
I started some in seed mix 2 days ago. I have them down in the basement and I am hoping I will get any genrmination. I can't believe how great your seedlings look. I am still going to wintersew and hopefully I will have lots of poppies next year.
Book- make sure that they get light it is my understanding that is what makes them germinate.
lisa...i'm the same zone as you...have you tried direct sowing at xmas? worked for me...i know my summer temps will be way to hot for them...but mine should be done by then...course it's been hot as hades for the past couple of weeks here in south carolina...virginia
This conversation is making me very curious. I am going to go buy some seeds at WW or HD or where ever I can get some.
I am will try different things. Put some in the GH with a cover, without a cover. Cover with dirt and without dirt.
In the house with a cover and with out a cover. On a heating mat. I will put some in a cup, a dish and plant them every which way except upside down (kidding).
Bookreader we are almost in the same zone and I will see if I can get you going in the right direction. Maybe what your sowing now will germinate!
Sherrie
Mine were sown in March on the surface of seed starter mix ,in 3inch pots.
I brought them into the house in April and they sprouted.
They need a cold period for starting and no light necessarily.
Mine were in a bright room ,no direct sunlight.
I put them into the ground a week ago and none are doing well except Princess louisa.
All are perennials.
I am of an age where I dont want to wait five years for the plants to mature, so I bought sale plants from GC and they will bloom next year.
Guess it really doesnt matter then. They germinate no matter what.
Bookreader is evidently having difficulty tyring to get some germinated. You and I are not having a problem up here in the North East. I am no poppy expert by no means. I didnt do anything different with the seeds that I would do with a tomatoe, cuke, or hollyhock seed.
Still I am willing to try different methods to see whats hot and whats not. I will keep a poppy log on everything I do. We will see what happens.
Sherrie
same here.
I have a jar of seeds I just got at penzeys I think I will scatter half of it on the area I want poppies. I will save the other half for winter sewing.
See what happens with the basement starts (which are under lights).
Something has to work.
Virgina-I think that I may be in zone 8a not that,that should really matter. Anyway, this is the first year I have not had poppies. I direct sowed corn poppies and Ca. poppies at various times through out the Fall and winter. I make seedballs so I always have extra seeds that end up everywhere. But no poppies anywere, maybe they will germinate next year. The ones that I WS I did in early Feb. (too late) and my seed supplier said that the plants were not established enough to with stand the wild fluxuations in temps. Where I live has its own microclimate we can get well below freezing while just a few miles away it is above freezing. Anyway maybe next year. meanwhile I will enjoy all your pictures.
Lisa
my california poppies came up the 2nd year...so maybe you'll have luck after all...
I am not totally smart when it comes to poppies. Bookreader you got your seeds from penzeys and I hope you get something started. Is penzeys seeds good for starting plants? Maybe try something different? Send me or someone else some seeds to see if they can get them going. Sorry poppy people. I am new into poppies but try to help anyone if I can - I will probably be crying for help! I am new to flowers as last year and really into them this year.
I am using the advice of Virginbred and using poopyseeds meant for consumption. Penzey's is a spice store and I have a jar of Holland whole blue poppy seeds. My husband is not a big fan of poppyseed anything so I guess I can put them to better use on the ground.
I have nothing to lose by trying.
I am bound and determined to get poppies from seed!
This message was edited May 17, 2009 10:59 PM
that a girl book!!! if at first you don't succeed try try again! i had several grocery store poppy seed container and did test batches with all...i found the newest had best results...some were several years old...those had a rancid smell to them but i tried anyway...keep us posted with your results and colors! virginia
I have tiny spots of green in my basement flat. YEAH!!!
If I can get them a little bigger and out into the ground I will have poppies this season!
I put an entire 8oz jar in the back area on the rise in my yard so I should get at least something there too (I hope)
I am really excited about the basement though that is where I have the Lauren's grape etc. If I can just get one to grow and reseed I will consider it a sucess.
Keeping my fingers crossed for now!
I am new to growing poppies, and I have started some several times, and I can get them to sprout, but when they get to be about an inch tall, they all just wilt,and die? What am I doing wrong?
Linda Kay
Taters-when are you sowing your seeds?
I actually have what I believe to be a poppy seedling. I will post a picture if/when it blooms. After all the seeds I through out I should get at least one.
Lisa
I have tried three seperate times, in the past three months, and they all get to about an inch high, then they just wilt, and die.
LK
Poppies are cool weather plants. I think in your area they need to be surface sown in the fall. As soon as the heat hits they keel over. What kind of poppies are you trying to grow.
Lisa
I don't know. I got a bunch of poppy seeds from someone on ebay, and all three times they get to be about an inch tall, then fall over. I will wait till this fall, and try some then.
Thanks for all the info.
LK
Taters-You may want to mark it on your calendar, that's what I had to do at first. It was hard for me to remember that if I wanted wildflowers and poppies in the spring that I had to direct, surface sow them in the fall. Also, some of the types that the people up North grow will not grow well here. I've had good luck with Shirley, Flanders, and CA poppies which are annuals and only OK luck with the orientals.
Good Luck,
Lisa
That sounds good. I will be on the look out for some of the hardier ones.
Thanks
My poppies didn't start inside either. I am saving the rest of the packages to winter sew. I read that poppy seedlings didn't like their roots disturbed. You may want to be careful when transplanting them.
I never had any luck until I started broadcasting them on the snow. I try to save some seed and trudge out and sprinkle them where I want them. I try to make sure the soil is cleared of leaves etc before it snows.
This is what one poppy area looks like now. It's funny once you get them going and let the seed ripen it seems like they show up in funny odd places. I live in the country and I'll be looking around and there is the odd poppy.
I've tried transplanting some; however, mine have never gotten nearly as big as the direct sown. Also, if they come up too thick they will bloom but be dinky and short.
Those are so pretty! We don't get snow here, but we do get some cold frosty nights, so this winter, I will sprink some more seeds.
Thanks for the info.
LK
They are really beautiful. I have tiny ones I started inside and tiny seedlings where I sprinkled outside. I am hoping for at least a couple of blooms this year.
Taters55 you might try this as an experiment. Dump a bunch of ice on the ground at night and sprinkle some seed on top of it. Then have another area you sprinkle without ice. I've also heard of people storing their seed in the freezer. I don't know if they will grow that far south where you are.
I know someone in Florida at about zone 8 got some to bloom.
