[ Category: Advice ]
How do you fancy sharing your top gardening tips with your fellow bloggers?
How do you fancy sharing your top gardening tips with your fellow bloggers? This will make sure that our Blooming Direct “surfers” have Blooming great plants! Send in your tips in response to this blog.
Joel
I’ve been told that for seeds that need germinating in the dark that you should place sheets of newspaper over the top, and I know someone who has seeds in her airing cupboard !
Giving advice but I have never grown from seed and as a mere novice, I have no clue what seeds need germinating in the dark. Appreciate it if you could let us BloomingDirect Blog visitors know what this Germinating business is all about? If I sow Hollyhocks now, will they flower spring or summer. Are there instructions on the seed packet. Many thanks, The Novice.
Monday, 30 July, 2007
Hi Sarah (AKA The Novice),
It is a bit of a myth that all seeds need to germinate in the dark. In fact many seeds benefit from good light levels to get a good start. The secret with germination is to give that little seed the conditions that it needs to crack open. And then some things come up really quickly (Sunflower, Lupin, Geranium – generally big seeds) and other take forever and a day (Begonia, Primula). It is all about temperature and moisture. The growing media can really be almost anything so long as the seed gets what is is after!
As far as Hollyhocks go – if you sow now you will have flower next summer. We will provide you with comprehensive instructions for any seed that you purchase so no worries there.
Good luck with the sowing.
Joel
Monday, 30 July, 2007
Well explained and makes perfect sense, thank you for quick response.
Tuesday, 31 July, 2007
Dan Hare says:
Seeking rather than offering advice, would you have any recommendations for a low-maintenance plant as a gift for my Mum in Hertfordshire ?
she is a keen gardener but doesn’t do as much as she used to.
Monday, 30 April, 2007