February 1st.....What seeds to sow now this month

Strongy, when you say sown - do you mean you have sown 5,000 seeds and if so how many of those would you expect to germinate and survive.

I have sown a whole packet before and only one seed germinated. That could leave a bit of a hole in your displays.

I appreciate your comments that Cineraria can be put outside before most summer bedding. Thats something you don't learn until you have done a lot of it.

 

Peter, sorry I missed your question as I have been away for a few days. Yes I sowed all 5,000 in 4 large trays I hope for 80/90% germination . Will post a pic of them tomorrow as they are up,(unless they damp off overnight!!)

 

Here they are, estimate pricking out just before the geraniums arrive i.e two to three weeks. I need 4,570.

 

Wow, Strongy - there is some pricking out to do there. Do you ever get complete failures when very few germinate? But then presumably you concentrate on relatively easy and robust bedding plants.

 

Yes I do get some failures, Cineraria Cirrus failed last year but a good germination rate this year. I don't choose the plants (unfortunately) the head gardeners do and often pick varieties I would rather not grow but we could get stuck in a rut if we grew the same plants every year, it all adds to the challenge!

 

Wow

 

Sown today.
Antirrhinum Liberty Classic
Verbena Garden Party Mixed
Verbena Quartz Merlot Mixed
Verbena Venosa
23c and not cold treated.

 

Strongy - does it always work with Verbena without cold treatment. I find Verbena seed a bit iffy.

Have you ever tried overwintering Verbena venosa as a tuber. The books say you can treat it like a Dahlia, but I found the roots/tubers so brittle that I snapped most of them, so I lift it as a clump, but don't try to be clever.

 

Peter,
I have never given Verbena (not tried Bonarensis) cold treatment mainly because although it is irratic in germinating and usually comes up in two flushes, it suits me as the bedding out time can take six weeks or more, so not having them all ready at the same time works well. I am naturally working to different criteria than I would if I was growing them in a greenhouse at home.
I have left Venosa in for the winter in my own garden but depending on the winter, if it survives, it is so to start again. I haven't tried lifting as a dahlia tuber.

 

You dont seem to have a lot of compost in the trays,how much depth do you reckon to start initially.

 

There is no point wasting compost as the seedlings will only be in the tray three weeks from germination and will not have a lot of root to need any more. There is about 1in (2.5cm).
I will try to remember to take a pic as we are about to prick them out probably at the end of next week.

 

Thank you,i guess i have been wasting compost and using too deep a tray to start off,its probably common sense when you know what you are doing.