When it comes to growing seed outdoors, it is important to begin growing these seeds in a seedbed. When you need to plant the seeds vary depending on the plant. Some seeds are able to be sown in autumn, but most need to be planted in the spring.
When planting seeds outside, you give up control over the conditions around you. You do not have control over the seeds germinating. Indoors however, in a hotbed or coldframe, you have total control over the moisture and heat present.
Outside, the weather plays a big role. It can be very dry or too wet outside, and this can cause the weaker seeds to die off. If you are planting a outdoor seed bed, make sure to soil is in good condition. Compost should be worked into this soil as well. If you incorporate peat moss or sand intot he soil it will make for a more effective bed. Seeds normally need to be planted on the surface, with the deepest only planted one inch deep. The bed will need to be watered thoroughly after the seeds have been planted. Lightly tamp the soil then.
When you are growing seeds inside, you need to keep in mind the soil texture and drainage. The texture of the soil is important for germinating the seeds, more so than the soil fertility. The soil should be a mixture of equal parts good soil, coarse sand and peat moss. The bottom of the seed pot needs to be filled with broken pieces of pots or gravel. Seeds must be planted evenly, and as soon as they are sown, they need to be tamped down. The pan should then be immersed in water until the surface is dark and moist.
Excess moisture will drain off, and this makes it much better than overhead watering. The box will need to be kept moist, and not allowed to dry out, until the seeds have germinated. Once germination occurs, which works best if placed in a warm and dry place, the seeds need moved to full light. Using shredded sphagnum moss will be the best medium for seed germination. This also prevents the “damping off” of seeds. You can also use budding as a method to grow seeds. Budding is a form of grafting, and is best done in August or September. Make a t-shaped cut in the bark of the host plant. You then select a bud from the last growth of the current season, cut it off, from the chosen plant.
Loosen the corners of the T and slip under the bud. Use rubber bands or string right above and below the graft. In roughly two weeks, the bud should be joined to the host plant. You can cut back the cutting at this point, allowing the bud to grow as part of the host. The graft limb should be cut to just above the grafting point.
