Seeds in summer
John Lonsdale (Wed, 18 Jun 2003 10:46:50 PDT)

<<I have had the experience of having seeds of Mediterranean things in seed
pots germinate the second year in the same pot that I have left dry over
summer.>>

Likewise here, in fact in some cases much better subsequently.

<<I do think a lot of Mediterranean-cycle seeds germinate better if stored
dry at room temperature from the time they are harvested until they are
planted in fall.>>

Many thanks for the advice. I'll withhold additional water from all seeds
of my Mediterranean cycle bulbs until mid-September.

One thing that always amazes me at repotting time for bulbs (usually July)
is how the 3 1/2" pots are always completely dry but the 4 1/2" ones rarely
are. The latter are often quite moist in the bottom 1/2 to 1/3 of the pot,
even though water has not been given for over 6 weeks. I think this goes a
long way to explain why under- rather than over-potting is best for many
small bulbs; the larger pots stay wet for much longer than their slightly
smaller counterparts.

J.

Dr John T Lonsdale,
407 Edgewood Drive,
Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA

Home: 610 594 9232
Cell: 610 476 0428
Fax: 801 327 1266

Visit "Edgewood" - The Lonsdale Garden at http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/

USDA Zone 6b