Monday, December 29, 2014

Planting Hosta Seeds

It's that time of year when I finally have time to plant my hosta seeds.  I collecting them in fall, and kept them in paper envelopes until now.  Just a note that hosta seeds do not come true from seed.  So they will not look like the parent plant (unless it's ventricosa).

I then prepare my planters.  It's best to use a soil less potting mixture, as soil can contain fungus and bacteria.  I like the planters at Menards like come with the coir mixture you add water to.  It's been successful for me for a few years.

I then sprinkle the hosta seeds on top of potting mixture and gently push them into the soil or add a very small amount of soil on top of the seeds.  

I then cover them with the plastic dome (you can also use plastic wrap or bags when getting the seeds started).  

The seeds do not need light to germinate, so I just make sure to put them somewhere warm until they start to germinate.  I make sure they are damp (not wet) during this time.  Once they start to germinate I put them under grow lights (you can just use fluorescent bulbs).
These three trays are ready to be put somewhere warm in the house.

If you go to the Facebook page you can enter to win hosta seeds, so you can try this on your own! https://www.facebook.com/cheeseheadgardening