Once again....

Last year was a horrible year for the devil's claws due to horrid weather, weeds growing everywhere, and tons of pests. I got very few seeds, but still have some from previous seasons.

I'm going to test how viable they are and plan on beating the pests, weeds, and weather (LOL) no matter what for a good growing season with the claws.

Probably time for me to sow mine as well. I've read mixed feelings about starting them indoors, though, so I don't know. It's still too early for me to sow them directly into the ground. I have plenty (thanks to limeslide! <3) so maybe I'll start some indoors and some outdoors, run a little experiment. ^.^

Have you taken the whole coating of the seed? I have some seed, but never grown it before, and I couldn't find much in the way of info on germinating it, apart from people saying it was hard to germinate... any advice? Thanks

I just sprinkled a bunch of seeds outside, earlier this week. We have a good soaking rain right now, so hopefully....

MH1 said:

Have you taken the whole coating of the seed? I have some seed, but never grown it before, and I couldn't find much in the way of info on germinating it, apart from people saying it was hard to germinate... any advice? Thanks

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Here's how I do it:

-Soak the seed in a warm bath for 2 days.
-At the beginning of the second day, remove 1/3 to 1/2 the seed coat without damaging the endosperm/embryo.
-Direct sow (preferably in the ground) at 1in depth in high nutrient soil with moderate to good drainage in the sunniest, warmest spot of your garden.
-Germination occurs within 7 to 10 days after sowing for white-seed varieties. High temperatures greatly help seep up germination and growth.

If you have black-seed varieties, you can do the same. However, there are others that use different methods and treatments as the black colored ones usually contain germination inhibitors.

Good luck!

Yeah, they grow wild here, never been very interested. Horrid plant.

I Think I have the black seed ones >_> Shall give it a shot anyway! Thanks for the information- it was hard to find elsewhere! Also- how warm is warm? I would consider 20C 68F to be warm (where I live, anyway ) but weather like that is probably a month or so away. For the moment the temperature is hovering around 15C 59F during the day (but is going to climb up to 18C 64F in 5 days time). Is it worth sowing them yet? I'm not really blessed with a warm summer climate!

MH1 said:

I Think I have the black seed ones >_> Shall give it a shot anyway! Thanks for the information- it was hard to find elsewhere! Also- how warm is warm? I would consider 20C 68F to be warm (where I live, anyway ) but weather like that is probably a month or so away. For the moment the temperature is hovering around 15C 59F during the day (but is going to climb up to 18C 64F in 5 days time). Is it worth sowing them yet? I'm not really blessed with a warm summer climate!

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You can sow as long as there is no risk of frost. However, those temps seem pretty low for these plants. It may take a long time to germination at those temps. You want to keep them as hot (not warm) as possible.

If it's cold outside, you can always try to start them under glass or indoors with supplemental heat (ie heat pads). Then, you can transfer them outside once they germinate. Another thing to consider is that they are picky with their developing tap root. If you leave them in small pots for too long, their tap root won't have room to grow and the plant will get stunted and likely not recover. Think of sunflowers, pumpkins, and squash here.

Good luck.