It's time to get ready! A brand new year of gardening is ahead of us, so get out your shovels, rakes and hoes, make a plan on what you want to plant and lets get dirty ; ) Stay tuned ....more to follow shortly!
Starting Gourd Seeds
If you
would like to grow your own gourds, here are a few tips on getting them
started. Gourd seeds are very hard and take a long time to germinate on thier
own but they can be started indoors and be ready to transplant sooner by giving
them a little help : )
You will need either a x-acto knife or a small pair of wire snips, a plastic tray for sprouting, a small piece of plastic wrap and a paper towel or napkin.
First, prepare your sprouting tray by folding the paper towel to fit leaving a top fold for peeking : )
Moisten paper towel well, but do not leave standing water inside.
Next, take your seed and clip the tip off the small end of the seed or shave the end down with the x-acto knife. The objective is to help the seed germ break through that tough outer shell. Be careful not to clip too much as you may damage the seed germ inside. When done, you should barely see the white seed germ where you made the cut...see pic below.
Place seed in sprouting tray and wrap with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot or sunny window.
It is best if you have a seedling heat mat but I think you would be able to use a heating pad on the lowest setting too. The hard part is the waiting...the seeds should sprout in about 3 days. Check DAILY to make sure there is enough moisture in the tray and to check the seeds progress. I will repost to show you what comes next .........Good luck!
You will need either a x-acto knife or a small pair of wire snips, a plastic tray for sprouting, a small piece of plastic wrap and a paper towel or napkin.
First, prepare your sprouting tray by folding the paper towel to fit leaving a top fold for peeking : )
Moisten paper towel well, but do not leave standing water inside.
Next, take your seed and clip the tip off the small end of the seed or shave the end down with the x-acto knife. The objective is to help the seed germ break through that tough outer shell. Be careful not to clip too much as you may damage the seed germ inside. When done, you should barely see the white seed germ where you made the cut...see pic below.
Place seed in sprouting tray and wrap with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot or sunny window.
It is best if you have a seedling heat mat but I think you would be able to use a heating pad on the lowest setting too. The hard part is the waiting...the seeds should sprout in about 3 days. Check DAILY to make sure there is enough moisture in the tray and to check the seeds progress. I will repost to show you what comes next .........Good luck!
I have two questions.
ReplyDelete1. Half of my daffodils did not bloom? Could they be planted too deep?
2. I have a mum that is spreading all over the flower bed. Is that normal?
Regarding your daffodils....blooming would depend on if they are newly planted or if they have been established already.
ReplyDeleteNewly planted one....rule of thumb is planting the depth of 2-3x the bulbs height. If this was done they should be fine. If they were just planted in the late fall or early winter sometimes they do not bloom the first season....they should bloom just fine next year :)
Established plantings....lack of blooms is usually due to the fact that the bulbs have multiplied and are bound up. You would need to dig the bulbs and seperate them and re-plant and you will have extra for other areas or to share with neighbors and friends :)
Regarding your mum.....sounds like it is just very happy where you have it! Since mums are perenials they will grow larger year after year. No worries...you can split the plant and replant elsewhere or let it be where it is :)
Gail, Hopefully this answered your questions...let me know if I can offer further advise and I will be glad to help ...take care!