I ordered some Sweet Annie seeds from mail order and the package says to "cold treat seed first" -I probably should already know what that means...but I dont~ Anyone heard of this process? Thanks Jan
I think that some seeds require some sort of chilling period to "wake up."
Here's a link to a wikipedia entry on "stratification."
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
Jan- Cold treating seeds breaks the dormancy cycle. I am not sure how long your seeds would need to be treated for though. Usually, the type of seed needing cold treatment are the ones that should be planted in the fall so they can go through a winter and then germinate in the spring. You may want to write to the seed company and see what they would recommend as far as how long to treat. You can do it in the fridge, just put the seeds in a bag with some damp soil in the veggie bin. But it just depends on the type of seed as to how long. Sorry I can't be of more help than this. Good luck.
Thanks for the info gals~! Laura-I couldnt bring up the link..I thought it was something to do with putting in the fridge tho ...I will have to do more research to see how long it needs to be cool. Maybe I should just wait till fall~ Jan
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
Thanks for the link Laura~~ Very interesting...but sounds like alot of trouble.. I thinkI will probably wait till fall and then plant them..What do you think? Jan
I'm kind of a lazy gardener (the weeds are taking over) and I would probably just wait until fall and hope for the best.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
Jan, I think if you go to http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/586299/ it will help you. Its only a few steps & after being "cold treated" you have resulys quickly. It at daves garden, great site for alot of gardening info. It is a matter of soaking them, freezing them and putting them in a particular soil for cold treating seeds. Good luck.
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