A question about surface sowing indoors...

[Grizla]

Hello! So my packet of seeds (cocona, from Baker's Creek) said to start indoors and surface sow. My question is: do surface sown seeds need light? Or should I keep them dark like other seeds until they germinate?

 

[digitS']

A rather exotic plant that I really know nothing about, Grizla.

Purdue says (click): "The seeds are planted 3/8 in (1 cm) deep in nursery beds in rows 8 in (20 cm) apart; or in polyethylene bags containing a 50-50 mixture of potting soil and sand. In each bag, or each hole, one puts 4 to 5 seeds expecting the emergence of 1 or 2 sturdy seedlings."

So, it sounds like there are several ways. At 3/8" deep, I don't think that they would get much light. I'm not a real fan of surface sowing but it has worked for me. Tiny seeds, I'd guess and they probably shouldn't be very deep under any circumstance.

Steve

 

[Grizla]

A rather exotic plant that I really know nothing about, Grizla.

Purdue says (click): "The seeds are planted 3/8 in (1 cm) deep in nursery beds in rows 8 in (20 cm) apart; or in polyethylene bags containing a 50-50 mixture of potting soil and sand. In each bag, or each hole, one puts 4 to 5 seeds expecting the emergence of 1 or 2 sturdy seedlings."

So, it sounds like there are several ways. At 3/8" deep, I don't think that they would get much light. I'm not a real fan of surface sowing but it has worked for me. Tiny seeds, I'd guess and they probably shouldn't be very deep under any circumstance.

Steve

I saw that, but decided to trust the packet- I figure (hope) it might be more specific to the seeds I have. The seeds are small and flat like when you cut into an eggplant. And they can take up to 3 weeks to germinate, so it'll be a while before I can tell if I messed up . I'm leaning towards leaving the light off. In wild they'd be under leaf litter and stuff, right? I'm probably over thinking it. Thanks for the reply!

 

[digitS']

under leaf litter and stuff

That's what I was thinking also, Grizla.

The culture must not be a whole lot different than eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos ... but, maybe ...

I would cover some nicely soaked and drained soil mix using something like a nearly-full pot with plastic film stretched over the top and an inch or so above the soil. Or, the plastic boxes you bring cookies home from the market get lots of use in my seed-starting.

What are you planning to do with the fruit? Wishing you the Best of Luck!

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

Hello! So my packet of seeds (cocona, from Baker's Creek) said to start indoors and surface sow. My question is: do surface sown seeds need light? Or should I keep them dark like other seeds until they germinate?

Many seeds need to be on the surface to germinate. However poppies need to be on the surface and then put in darkness.

 

[Grizla]

That's what I was thinking also, Grizla.

The culture must not be a whole lot different than eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos ... but, maybe ...

I would cover some nicely soaked and drained soil mix using something like a nearly-full pot with plastic film stretched over the top and an inch or so above the soil. Or, the plastic boxes you bring cookies home from the market get lots of use in my seed-starting.

What are you planning to do with the fruit? Wishing you the Best of Luck!

Steve

That's what I'll do then! I'm hoping I can use the fruit as lemon in recipes- I like lemon, but I think it's fun to see how much you can reasonably put on the table from the yard. (And we're just a bit cool for most citrus!) I don't have the space to plant enough to sustain anyone, so for now I'm just seeing what will grow and what's tasty/useful. Plus a chunk of my relatives are plant nerds, so having interesting new seedlings to share is a nice Easter time gift.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some seeds need light to germinate, some need dark, some can handle either. I'm not at all familiar with cocona or what the requirements are. A couple of suggestions. You could plant some on the surface and some in the dirt both in the same starting mix and see which germinate. Thin if necessary. Then you are an expert. Or maybe contact the seed company and ask them why their directions are different from what you are seeing online.

 

[Grizla]

Some seeds need light to germinate, some need dark, some can handle either. I'm not at all familiar with cocona or what the requirements are. A couple of suggestions. You could plant some on the surface and some in the dirt both in the same starting mix and see which germinate. Thin if necessary. Then you are an expert. Or maybe contact the seed company and ask them why their directions are different from what you are seeing online.

Well, I ended up doing it about half and half between covered and uncovered, we'll see how it goes. Even if I don't get any germination I'll try them again next year- there were some issues with my heating mat, so there's really no telling if they'll come up or not.

 

[catjac1975]

Well, I ended up doing it about half and half between covered and uncovered, we'll see how it goes. Even if I don't get any germination I'll try them again next year- there were some issues with my heating mat, so there's really no telling if they'll come up or not.

What seeds are they?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hello! So my packet of seeds (cocona, from Baker's Creek) said to start indoors and surface sow. My question is: do surface sown seeds need light? Or should I keep them dark like other seeds until they germinate?

First post Cat. You might need another cup of tea this morning.