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Flower Seeds Gardening Collect & Plant your own Flower Seeds Gardening Newsletter Planting flower seeds versus seedlings: Both methods work, but there are some neat advantages to starting your flower gardens from seed.
* Economics – it’s less expensive to harvest your own seeds. * Self-Fulfillment – The enjoyment & satisfaction. * Re-creating your Favorites – This is a good way to ensure certain beautiful flowers can be continued.
There are Challenges: Some seed like alyssum are difficult to save while others like impatiens are difficult to germinate. The good news however, is that most flower seeds are hardy and easy to germinate. You have 2 basic options when planting seeds:
Both options are a great way to start your flower gardens from seeds.
If you purchase your seeds, follow the directions on the back of the seed packs for guidance. The companies that are marketing these have spent a lot of time & money researching the best way for that particular set of seeds to grow and thrive. The information provided here will still benefit you because there are instructions on proper sowing techniques. Free Newsletter Please sign up and enjoy our Gardening Advisor Newsletter. In this you will read both fun and serious gardening information covering a wide range of topics.
We will gaurd your Email with great care and NEVER send spam or sell your information. If you are venturing into the great world of harvesting & planting seeds collected from your own flower gardens, the next several paragraphs cover this. We will go into great detail on how to properly collect, store, & sow your own flower seeds. In the following paragraphs, we will cover these topics:
---------------------------------------- [1] Harvesting Flower Seeds:
It’s a chicken & egg question… Which came first, the seeds for your flowers or the flowers? Obviously you’ll need a first source to get this process started. After the first year, you have your own personal source.
Properly harvesting your flower seeds is an important step in the collection process. Here are some tips to consider:
* The flowers need to be completely mature to harvest the best seeds.
* Flower blooms need to be allowed to fade
* Choose the most beautiful flowers for saving seed <p align="justify">* Label your seeds – many seeds look alike the next growing season so you’ll be glad you did this.
Note: Once the petals have dried on the flower & the seed is fully ripened, you can cut the flower heads & allow them to finish drying inside your home or garage. ---------------------------------------- [2] Storing Flower Seeds:
Storing your flower seeds is a next important step after you have collected and properly prepared them. A few of the basics on pre-storage steps are:
Once collected, there are a few important steps required to ensure success at storing your flowers seeds. First, here are some “info-facts” on seed storage:
* Seed moisture and storage temperature are the most important factors in determining how long your seed can be stored. The drier the seeds are, the longer they will store.
* Flower seeds can be kept for 1 year without major decrease in germination.
* Under the proper conditions, seed storage can be extended for 10 years or more.
A Flower Gardens Success – will depend partly on the quality of seeds planted. The actual way you store seeds will determine the germination success ratio. You can achieve up to a 10 year storage life by doing the following:
* Dry the collected seed to less than 8 percent moisture.
How:
* Dry the seed for 6 hours at 100 degrees F.
Method 1:
* Spread your seed out in direct sunlight. Note: drying in the shade is better because the direct sun can be harsh and exceed your 100 degree temperature.
Method 2:
* You can use a conventional oven. CAUTION: Do not use a microwave oven! When using an oven, keep the door so that you can keep the temperatures around 100 degrees F. Package:
* Put the seed into a moisture proof container. Moisture proof means you can submerge the container without the contents getting wet and can include jars or cans (for longer storage periods it is best not to use plastic bags).
* Store it in a refrigerator. Free Newsletter Please sign up and enjoy our Gardening Advisor Newsletter. In this you will read both fun and serious gardening information covering a wide range of topics.
We will gaurd your Email with great care and NEVER send spam or sell your information. [3] Sowing you Flower Seeds:
The following are good information tips for sowing your flower seeds:
* Perennials: Sow in late fall or early winter.
* Annuals: Sow in the spring time.
* Consider germination soil mix & propagation kits.
* You can use nursery containers of various sizes.
* You can use about any type of containers just make sure they are washed with soap & bleach to clean them well.
* Make sure the containers chosen have holes in the bottom for adequate draining.
* Sow your seeds in a good seed-starting mix consisting of peat moss, perlite & vermiculite.
* Moisten this mix before sowing the seed, not too wet however.
* Don’t bury the seed too deeply. A general rule is to set the seed about as deep as the seed is large.
* This gets tricky with very small seed because they barely need to be covered (just lightly pressing the into the mix is good). ---------------------------------------- [4] Germination of your Seeds: This is where the proof is:
It is a good idea to test your seed for germination before planting them. To do this:
Note: After 1 week unroll the paper towel and count the number of seeds that are sprouting.
This will give you a good idea of percentage of your flower seeds that will sprout when planted. By knowing this you know how much extra to plant in order to achieve desired growth. <b>Additional Tips:
* Annuals need temperatures of between 64-70 F.
* Perennials need cold treatment to break dormancy. This is done in nature through the winter and can be done artificially in a refrigerator. |