About KYKEON PLANTS

GROWING INFORMATION:

Rose seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct methods are followed.

First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sa

GROWING INFORMATION:

Rose seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct methods are followed.

First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die. Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that there is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially zip-lock bags are very useful for this -provided a little gap is left in the seal for air exchange) If it is not a zip-lock type bag it needs to be loosely tied. Then write the date on the bag so that you know when the pre-treatment was started.

The seeds of this species require a cold period to break the dormancy that is within the seeds. This dormancy is there to prevent the seed from germinating during the autumn and winter when conditions outside would be unsuitable for growth. The breaking of this is easily achieved by placing the prepared bag of seeds in the fridge at (4°C) for a period of between 12 and 16 weeks. During this time make sure that the pre-treatment medium does not dry out at any stage or it will be ineffective!

It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures when they are ready to do so, if they do, just remove them from the bag and carefully plant them up. When the period of pre-treatment has finished the seed should be ready to be planted. Small quantities can be sown in pots or seed trays filled with a good quality compost and cover them with a thin layer of compost no more than 1cm deep. For larger quantities it is easiest to sow the seeds in a well prepared seedbed outdoors once the pre-treatment has finished and wait for the seedlings to appear.

It has also been found that fluctuating pre-treatment temperatures that mimic the natural cycle can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pre-treatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally. Un-germinated seeds can have the cold pre-treatment process repeated again to enable more seeds to germinate.

Do not expose newly sown seeds to high temperatures (above 25°C). Keep the seedlings well-watered and weed free. Growth in the first year is usually between 15 and 30cm depending on the time of germination and cultural techniques and developing seedlings are usually trouble free. Allow them to grow for 1 - 2 years before planting them in a permanent position.

[PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ROSE SEEDS CAN TAKE ANYTHING FROM ONE – FIVE YEARS TO GERMINATE, A FEW CAN GERMINATE IN THE

FIRST YEAR BUT MOST WILL WAIT UNTIL THE SECOND SPRING.]

Poppies can be very easy to grow if you follow a few pointers, as perennial poppies like P. bracteatum and P. oriental are robust and just about indestructible, the annual P. somniferum can be very fragile and a little more demanding.

They are two good times of the year to sow poppy seeds, after September to the end of 

Poppies can be very easy to grow if you follow a few pointers, as perennial poppies like P. bracteatum and P. oriental are robust and just about indestructible, the annual P. somniferum can be very fragile and a little more demanding.

They are two good times of the year to sow poppy seeds, after September to the end of October, this only work if you receive mind winters. Poppies are frost hardy to a certain degree, but if they receive hard frost after frost week after week, they will perish. That said if you can manage to over winter them, autumn sown plants make way bigger and better plants than spring sown ones. Late winter to late spring are the next best times, I start on the first of March and sow until the end of May. Different verities of P. somniferum respond differently to later sowing, all poppies aim to flower around the longest month of the year, so the later you leave the sowing, the smaller your plants will be, the most sensitive verities are the Pink & White and Indian types, these really do need to be sown early, I have sown Pink & White and Indian poppies in June and they grow no more than 6” high, which were very disappointing.

Poppies are best grown outside in situ; they need a rich neutral to slightly alkaline soil to do best and absolutely resent root disturbance. Select a weed free patch of soil in full to part shade, all poppy seeds need to be surface sown; this means that they need to be in contact with the moist soil and be still in sight of the light, the seeds need only need to be pressed into the soil, not buried. Germination will only take place if the temperature rises above 15°C, keep moist and weed free, and protect the small seedling from slugs and birds.

Once the seedlings have reached 1 – 2” in height, they need thinning, again this will depend on the verity of poppy you grow, for example Bush poppies can be spaced 2’ apart and Pink & White and Pharma type can be spaced 4 – 6” apart, the general rule is the closer the plants the taller and weedier they will be. Water regularly, keep weed free and protect the lager plants from strong winds, gales will rip your poppies to bits and snap off lager plants at ground level just before they flower, this is practically depressing.