Why are my seeds not sprouting?

I've been trying to germinate some bought ( from a reputable online site) seeds of geranium pratense 'Splish-Splash' and dierama 'Blackbird' for over a month now and nothing's happening. They started off in the kitchen, then I put them in a propagator with gentle bottom heat, then they went in the fridge for a few days for an artficial winter and now they're back in the propagator again - and still nothing!! I keep them moist and the compost is fine without any mould or fungus. Is there something else I can do? I've been told that 60% of seeds fail, but I would have expected one or two to grow! Frustrating!
Lindy

 

Hello

I am quoting from my professional catalogue (Moles) used by commercial growers.

3 weeks at 20c sow March - April, cover with vermiculite.

Expensive seeds to get wrong but if it helps Moles can provide 250 seeds of Splish Splash for £58.00!

May I ask what seed compost are you using--the mix

By the way with stratification I have never heard of putting them in for few days, more like a few weeks!

 

if you are doing all the right things , then may its the seeds

 

Hi Lindy, my RHS seed germination leaflet says that Geranium could take up to 90 days to germinate. They need a temperature of 13 - 16 degrees and does not mention cold stratification.
However, The Seed Site has all sorts of useful info about specific seed germination including Geranium 'Splish Splash' .

See here: http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/germination.html

 

I think, with respect !the point being made is that none of the right things are being done!

 

http://www.tmseeds.com/product/7143.html

T&M is an easily available source of information on how to handle seeds. Some swer by T&M,some hate them, not taking parts here, just saying I often look them up for general directions, and generally was satisfied by the information (the seeds I generally get from Chltern).

May be the general treatment you gave the seeds was right.... but a bit "accelerated"!!! Cold stratification is used to simulate the course of the seasons... a few days are just going to confuse the seeds in such a way that they will never even consider cracking open: the world will seem too dangerous and unpredictable for the poor things. Patience is the key word with seeds

 

Seeds are like children--give then to the wrong mothers and they do not develop properly.

 

There is no need to tell people they are the wrong mother for their seeds: patience and good care come with experience. And thanks God making fatal mistakes with seeds is a lot less disastrous than with children.

Try again, Lindy, there is no reason to give up!!! Seeds are fun, just be patient with them.
I am not as a rule a patient person, when I sow something that has a germination time of more than say 6 weeks, I always sow something faster along side, just for fun. Keeps me busy and happy and I am confortable waiting for the slow ones.

 

Would possibly be better if the seed didn't germinate now, as its the wrong time of the year I would guess.
A long wait till next spring might be the answer.

 

I wondered who would be the first to mis interpret that!

I wasnt, I was implying that if you dont do it by the instructions it usually dosnt work--I spent a long time and a lot of money finding that out and it is the seeds that are the most expensive that are usually the hardest to germinate!

 

Thank you all for your advice. I'm new to this, and I didn't think that I'd done anything too damaging, so I found your comments rather harsh, Captain Jon. Thanks, Ivory, for the reference and for being positive for me! I will need to be more patient, and I won't be putting them back in the fridge! I just didn't expect such tiny things to take so long to start (90days!?). So, Pete, do you think they will be OK in their little pots of compost till spring? Won't they rot? Thanks, Blackthorn for the site ref. - most useful to have more specific info. I'll spend some time looking to see what to expect from my other attempts. If I get some good results, I'll let you know! Lindy.

 

It sometimes happens lindyco, no matter how well you've started off your seed they dont always germinate. especially this year as the lack of sun and light conditions has had a detrimental effect on a lot of plant growing this year. But dont give up, as Pete said it isn't the most ideal time of the year to try. Give it another go next spring:thmb:. 02