Sprouting Seeds & Easter Daffodils

/ Cynthia

Seeds are sprouting all over the place. I may have been wrong, and cheerfully so! Looks like we might have daffodils for Easter after all. Does anyone out there know if Milkweed takes inordinately long to sprout indoors? (save the Monarchs!) Also, I think my seeds may have frozen in the mailbox. Not a single pepper seed has taken. If they froze, would that have ruined them? Everything else is fine.  Happy Spring!

21 thoughts on “Sprouting Seeds & Easter Daffodils”

  1. My pepper seed packages said that germination would be ‘sporadic.’ But I’ve had good luck with them, and about 80% germinated. Of course, it’s been warmer here than there. To check if they’re viable, dampen two sheets of plain paper towel, Roll two-four seeds between the two sheets of paper towel – not touching – and put the whole mess in a baggie. Keep in a warm but not hot place. Come back in a couple of days and see if there’s any action! Good luck!

    Like

    Reply

  3. I don’t think the freezing would harm the seeds. They should be fine. As for the milkweed, I’ve found that they are slow to sprout indoors as well. It’s funny you mention that because I just wrote a blog post about it yesterday. Doing my part to help save the monarchs as well! Good on ya.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. The crocus look so beautiful, and fingers crossed for the easter daffodils. As long as the pepper seeds were dried correctly, then they should survive freezing. Germination should occur once it is warm & bright enough. The soil temperature should be 75-80F to break dormancy.

    Like

    Reply

  7. Freezing won’t hurt seeds. Peppers, especially certain heirlooms are very fickle. I have better luck with the smaller peppers than the larger ones. I also find they are very slow to start growing. Are you using a seed sprouting mat? Peppers love heat, and a warm soil will help them along. As far as milkweed goes, milkweed generally needs a cold stratification process, exposure to moisture and cold for an extended period, to germinate. It’s better to direct seed when you can in the fall. This is not to say it won’t, but milkweed is a challenge to get sprouted. You can fake a cold stratification process with sand, or a growing medium in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for 30 days. If seeds start to sprout during that time, you would have to remove them to pots.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Wow!! Thank you for all this information. I don’t have a heat mat … You are right, this is an Italian heirloom variety. Mystery solved, I think. As for the milkweed, I only sowed 12. I can do the rest outside and play around with these now that I know what they need. Thank you very much!

      Like

      Reply

  8. Beautiful. You are way ahead of us in New Hampshire. We still have 2 1/2′ of snow on the lawn, however temperatures should hit 68° tomorrow. We’ll see grass very soon and crocus should follow.

    Like

    Reply

  9. 68 degrees?! Crazy New England. Sounds like by next weekend you’ll be melted… Unless we get more snow. ( please no!!). Wouldn’t be surprised if your hyacinths and daffodils bloom alongside your crocuses.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment