Starting Seeds

[IdahoHerbalist]

Got the following concern in another thread from sstolzenburg:

On the subject of Echinacea, I have been trying to get my seeds to sprout. But no success. Last year out of all the seeds I planted I got 1 echinacea to grow, and this year it came back in the spring, and now it is about 1.5 feet tall has a couple of flowers, and lots of leaves, a happy healthy plant. But I am not having any success getting any seeds to grow this spring. I have been trying to sprout them in a egg carton, and I have tried cycling the temperature by putting the seed bed in the fridge, but nothing….. How do you do it? I have no Idea what I did right with the 1 plant I got last year, I just know my plant is doing very well, and I want some more specimens.

This is something I have been dealing with for a couple of years as I push the envelope of culturing non native herbs at my house.

I have been working on a picture presentation on just this topic. More to come later.

[IdahoHerbalist]

When I first started growing herbs I had lots of difficulty. One of the first ones I started with was echinacea. I would put the seeds into pots of potting mix, water them and wait and wait and wait. I would not get anything. Same thing with other seeds as well.

One day I got the idea (or remembered something I had learned in the past, sometimes that gets a little fuzzy now) that I will present in the next few posts.

First is a picture of the items you will need:

Ziploc bag sized to accommodate the seeds you will be using.

Paper towel to put the seeds on that will fit in the ziplock.

Seeds

Water

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[IdahoHerbalist]

Cut the paper towel to the correct size. Make it so that it will be twice the size needed to fit the ziplock.

Once the paper towel is cut to the correct size fold it in half.

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[IdahoHerbalist]

Evenly spread the seeds out on the paper towel. You may only want to do a few seeds if you are not sure of the germination rate or you know you don’t need very many plants. I will be needing LOTS Of echinacea so I have put LOTS Of seeds out.

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[IdahoHerbalist]

Fold the towel back over the seeds. Make sure the seeds stay evenly spread out on the towel.

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[IdahoHerbalist]

CAREFULLY slide the towel and seed into the ziplock bag. Check again to make sure the seed is evenly placed.

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[IdahoHerbalist]

Now add water to the towel. Only add enough to get the towel wet. You do not want the seed to be swimming. If you get too much water you can let it drain to one side of the ziplock and pour it off. You can also leave the bag open for a while to let it evaporate.

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[IdahoHerbalist]

Close the ziplock.

Like a good Homegrown Herbalist be sure to label the bag with the type of seed and the date you started it.

Put the bag in the correct environment. Some seed germinates in the dark. Some in the light. Some requires a cold or freezing environment first. You will need to know this to have the best chance of success.

I will add more detail as this seed progresses through the process.

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[sstolzenburgStudent]

Hmm, I tried sprouting some echinacea with this method. I am sure I don’t know what i am doing. after almost two weeks, all I have are wet seeds. I put them in the meat keeper in the fridge. My wife thought I was doing some experiment trying to make something mold or rot. almost threw them out. :scared:

I have read echinacea needs cold to get them going, but?? Maybe it is time to take them out and let them sit at room temp for a while. :confused:

Still, after all I have planted in egg cartons, I have just two 1/2 inch echinacea sprouts. If I was a proponent of evolution, I would think these plants are selected for extinction. :roll eyes:

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[IdahoHerbalist]

I do not chill my echinacea seeds. This is the ONLY way I have been able to get them to sprout since I must go to work and cannot keep them constantly moist. The wife gets other “priorities” :face palm 2: and forgets them.

Having been chilled it may take more than 3-4 days for them to wake up.

[IdahoHerbalist]

MORE DETAIL:

The sprouts will have a tendency to want to push through the paper toweling. Keep a close eye on them and get them into dirt as soon as you see sprouting.

If you miss and they do grow through, DO NOT PULL THEM OUT. You will break the root. Tear the towel up to where the root penetrates and free it that way.

[sstolzenburgStudent]

Thank you very much. I will take them out of the frige and let you know if they sprout within the week, if they don’t I’m starting over… again. :ooh: The ones I potted and put out in the sunshine look like I got a bird pecking on ’em already.

This is last years success, the only one……… It is about 2 feet tall right now! The photo looks blotchy because of the low resolution. It doesn’t really look that sick. :clap:

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[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

I’ve been using Steven’s technique on some stuff for the past couple of years. I have pretty good results. The mistake I make most often is too much water.

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[sstolzenburgStudent]

Steven, You should know that after 5 days out of the refrigerator, I have 5 echinacea sprouts, and you were right, two of them did start boring their roots into the paper towel, so I trimmed them out with scissors, taking care not to cut the root.

Thanks a bunch for the coaching! Now we’ll see if i can get them into sprouting cups without killing them!

Steve

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