PLANT ON

Today I planted one packet each of nicotania, wave petunias, parsely, rosemary, and hibiscus. All were alike in one respect, each pack had very few seeds, far too few to plant in flats. (I note here that you should never plant different types of seeds in a single flat. Each plant has its own special conditions for germination and growing. Some are quick growers, others laggards. Planting different things in a single flat is a recipe for frustration.)

I fill six inch pots with moist pro mix, plant the seeds as per instructions on the packet and place the entire pot inside a big zip lock and close the top. This bag acts as a moisture and heat retaining dome. The pot does not have to be watered as long as it is in the bag.

Note: no fertilizer is used at any stage so far. I do use a few drops of Damp-Off in a gallon of warm water to mix with the Pro mix.

A note about nicotania. This is a great annual flower and easy to grow, There are dwarf, tall and very tall varieties. Only the tall variety has any scent. There are also great colours – for example Stokes has a lime variety which looks great with the white. It germinates at room temperature and so the plastic bag sits on top of my computer. This year I am trying very tall.

I only planted one pack of Wave petunias. I find them tricky to get started and the seeds are expensive. (50 cents a seed!). I think the white waves look wonderful at the edge of pots. The white is almost luminous. These need heat to germinate and are in my warm back porch.

Hibiscus. This is the fist time I have grown this annual type. I was seduced by the description in the seed catalogue, not the first time this has happened.