How long to germinate?

[JMurphy97]

I have seeds for D. Californica, S. Purpurea, D. Rotundifolia that have been strafified since December 15, 2005. So it's been over three months in the process. The question is how long do these seeds usually take to germinate after they have been through the straficiaton period? They are still outside where it is still kinda cold at night and during the day. Since they already had three months could I bring them in to the higher temps and have them germinate faster rather then waiting for it to get warmer outside?

 

[vft guy in SJ]

I would leave them alone. If you bring them inside, you will just have to harden them off later when you go to move them back out. This way the seeds will sprout and be naturally hardened off right from the start. The plants arent likely to reach more than an inch or 2 tall this year anyway, so a couple weeks here or there isnt going to make much difference.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Bugweed]

Murph, Learn to grow under lights. You can have 6 to 10 inch plants in a year, and grow them straight through the winter for two years. Possibly have them mature at 3 to 5 years rather than waiting 5 to 7 years for maturity.

 

[JMurphy97]

Both answers seem pretty good but one of the questions was not answered. How long does it take for them to germinate? Does it need to warm up or will they start to grow while it's cold? Another new questions is how would they get so much bigger if I grow them under the lights rather then grow them outside in the natural sun? Maybe because they would grow year round instead of going dorment for the first year? If that's the case couldn't I just bring them in and put them by a window like I have all my plants I just got now? Would this work for all three of the plants listed above as well as my vft seedlings?