stratification Archives : Page 2 of 2 : Cast Iron Forest to Skillet

2021-03-242021-03-24

Good, bad, and !!! news

Bad news: something ate the two baby Rudbeckia fulgida I put out yesterday.

Good news: all the fluttermill evening primrose, same size as Rudbeckia, are fine. This includes the three just a few yards away.

!!! News… A yucca may be sprouting???

See the tiny green point in the middle? Definitely not a usual weed! This is in one of the containers I left out all winter.

2021-03-132021-03-13

Native seed stratification success

Several seeds I pulled out of the fridge recently are sprouting in their humid containers so we planted them today!

The yucca has a really long root! Mom, is this Arkansas yucca? It’s the one from your house.

The green milkweed (*Asclepias viridis*) had tons of seeds sprouting and a very brushy or fluffy root for each seedling. We put them root down, I just wanted to show the fluffy root here. Dad got these seeds for me!

2021-03-082021-03-08

Removing seeds from cold stratification

I checked on seeds in the fridge this evening. Two species have started sprouting so I planted them in sprouting trays and also some directly in the ground. The others species I think I’ll keep out and see if they sprout as they’ve been in since January I think.

Desert globe mallow with little roots before I tuck them into their new dirt.

Blue flax also before covering the roots.

2021-02-252021-02-25

Fluttermill evening primrose babies in the plant window

At least half of the 13 seeds and seedlings are growing nicely post-cold-stratification from the fridge.

Several little ones are even starting to get true leaves!

2021-02-212021-02-21

Melting almost complete

I don’t think it froze overnight so the streets are mostly dry except for water flowing along edges. Shady spots and snow piles are less melted.

The front yard beds, distracted dog for scale.

It looks like everything in the rock garden survived! Also more of the irises by the mailbox survived, so I guess only some leaves got damaged.

Since we’re back to usual late winter temperature I went ahead and brought out the coreopsis seedlings which I had cold stratified in the fridge. They have been waiting as little seedlings on a damp paper towel for probably a week or more. They are under the glass jars. They are to replace two seedlings I planted last fall that didn’t make it. This row is back to five evenly spaced plants now assuming everything survives.

2021-02-142021-02-14

Insulating blanket of FUN

We woke up to a snowy world! Briar has seen snow before and enjoyed it but was hesitant at first this morning. She got over that soon enough and subsequently went insane with happy bouncing.

Briar examines the herb bed. Only seeds there except a single low growing oregano from Judy under the bucket. You can see the plant window in the background.

Briar passes outdoor stratification native wildflower seeds in little pots. Heck of a cold stratification this time!

The front yard raised beds with *Salvia greggii* in front.

Snow whiskers! You know it’s cold when your breath freezes on your snoot!

Lots of little plants safely under the snow now. I feel a lot better about the impending -9°F etc coming up in the next few days now. Below: safety. Above: bouncies!!

2021-02-132021-02-13

More Missouri fluttermill primroses sprouting!!

I checked in my little tupperware and pretty much all the seeds I had taken out of the fridge have now sent out a root. So now I have 11 seedlings or shoots and three unsprouted seeds. All are now in potting soil.

Little friends teased carefully off of the damp paper towel.

2021-02-072021-02-07

A single stratification success!!

I checked on some native flower seeds I tried stratifying in the fridge in January. A single Missouri fluttermill primrose was sprouting!!

I have placed it in a pot to begin growing in some sun in the plant window before I turn it loose in the backyard.

2021-02-072021-02-07

The big freeze: an outdoor stratification event?

Supposed to be really cold (with highs not above freezing) later this week, so I figured I should get my lately acquired native and wildflower seeds in the ground. These included desert globemallow, blue flax, Liatris mucronata, and mystery Aster sp. (the latter two from Mom, thanks Mom!!). The first three I also put some seeds in the fridge for manual stratification and the first two I saved a bit to try planting in the fall if the spring planting doesn’t take.

I also had a few indoor seedings to catch up on. Judy kindly sent me some Chimayo chile pepper seeds, my Jimmy Nardello peppers never sprouted, my ground cherries only had two sprouts, and the poor Tommy Toe tomatoes died of cat and damping off.