When you plant flower seeds, the seeds dont all behave in the same way. Flower seeds has different requirements for germination. Some flower seeds will sprout within a period of one week after you plant the flower seeds.
However, other types of flower seeds will remain within the soil for many months before they sprout from the soil. This behavior is genetically programmed into some types of flower seeds as a means of ensuring that the seeds only sprout once they encounter cold temperature. The seeds from prairie plants and woodland perennials, for instance, require a period of cold exposure in order for them to germinate.
Cold Treatment and Sowing Flower Seeds
The chart that display different flower species and the treatments that they require will help you to determine whether you should sow your flower seeds directly into the ground or if they require a period of cold stratification. Using this chart will allow you to purchase flower seeds in the winter that will germinate during the spring month. Cold stratification is the process that you use in order to mimic the processes of freeze and thaw cycles that occur in the natural environment for the seed.
In the natural environment, the seeds falls to the ground in the fall, and leaf and snow cover those seeds. The seeds are exposed to temperatures just above freezing for many week or months. During this period, the chemistry of the seeds changes.
Their seed coat may soften, or the embryo within the seeds may germinate. After these months of exposure to temperatures just above freezing, the seeds germinate quick once they are exposed to warmth again. This process can be replicated through the use of a refrigerator.
In order to perform cold stratification, you must first check the requirements for the flower species that you are treating. You will need to mix your flower seeds with damp peat moss. Alternatively, you can place your flower seed on a damp paper towel.
Place the mix (or the seed and paper towel) into a sealed bag. Label the bag and place it into the refrigerator for the number of week indicated by the flower species. Check the bag once a week to prevent mold from growing on the seeds.
The seeds may germinate while they are still in the bag. In this case, you must immediately plant the seeds. Cold stratification requires a consistency of treatment, so adding on a few days to the treatment cycle rarely causes any problems to the seeds.
However, cutting the treatment cycle short will reduce the number of flower seeds that germinate. Winter sowing is an alternative to cold stratification that does not require the use of a refrigerator. To perform winter sowing, you will need to place your flower seeds into containers, such as old milk jugs.
You can then place these milk jugs into a sheltered spot outside. The milk jug will prevent the seeds from drying out while permitting them to experience the freeze and thaw cycles. Winter sowing is especially useful in the sowing of native perennials because these types of plant do not germinate well when started in indoor environment.
Winter sowing requires little attention each day. Not all types of flower species require cold stratification or winter sowing. Flower species that germinate easy do not require either of these treatments.
Annual flowers, for instance, germinate easily without any pretreatment. Such flowers have evolved to germinate as soon as they encounter warm and moist environment. Preparing annual flower seeds for cold stratification may reduce the number of seed that germinate.
There are two method of sowing flower seeds, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Sowing seeds directly into the ground allows for the roots of the plants to remain undisturbed. There is no need to purchase sowing equipment for this method.
However, germination of flower seeds directly into the ground is at the mercy of the environment and its pests. Starting the seeds indoors provide more control over the germination process. This starting method allows for an earlier start to the growing season.
However, it requires more equipment and more daily attention to ensure that the seeds has the proper amount of light and moisture. Winter sowing is a middle-ground technique that requires neither the buying of additional sowing equipment nor the daily commitment to providing moisture to the seeds. However, winter sowing does require the purchase of containers that will drain of standing water and labels to indicate which containers contains which flower species.
Common problems in the germination of flower seeds have specific causes. Damping off, which is the collapse of young seedlings at the level of the soil, is usually caused by soil that was too wet when the seeds were sown or a lack of air movement around the sown seeds. Leggy growth, which is when the emerging plant have thin roots and grow tall and weakly, can be caused by insufficient light for the emerging seedlings.
Flower seeds that fail to sprout usually experienced insufficient cold time during the sowing period or were planted too deep into the soil. In each of these cases, there is a solution to the problems that can be found by making an adjustment to one of these variable. By understanding cold stratification, you can prepare your flower seeds to ensure maximum germination rates.
Through understanding cold stratification, you will know which flower species to treat with cold stratification in January and which flower species to wait to plant until spring. You will also know which flower species to never place within a refrigerator. By understanding cold stratification, you waste fewer flower seed and grow more of the flowers that you love to grow.