Month: April 2010

After 3 days of non-stop light exposure, the first seeds to germinate are the Dianthus Super Parfait Red Peppermint, hybridized by Goldsmith. It appears that all 3 rows of seeds that I sowed have sprouted. The impatiens show no signs of life, which I suspected, given the lack of bottom heat. I believe when the dianthus reach 3 inches in height, I will be transplanting them to individual pots. According to the hybridizer, dianthus plugs are generally ready for transplant in 6-8 weeks. It will be interesting to see how fast these dianthus grow under 24×7 light. I’m excited enough to purchase another flat and heat mats to continue growing plants from seed. My basil seeds for example need to be put into trays if I want them out in the garden asap.

I’ve fetched the callas I had stored in the pantry, and were happy to see that some of the pup-chewed bulbs were growing shoots out of their eyes (remember to plant them eyes up!). I collected the Picassos and the 1 Devil’s Wine and put them out in the azalea/lily bed. I am hoping that they will get enough sun near the front border. I reserved only one of the Picasso callas for use in a future potting.

Finally, I’ve brought the Asahi zuru indoors in hopes that the indirect light will help it regain some of its variegation. I’ve read that removing the non-variegated leaves will stop this behavior, but I am not inclined to strip the tree of all of its foliage. It is more likely that the direct morning sun that it received in the past few months has affected it. But here is a forum thread that gives me some hope of seeing variegation this year…I’m just too impatient I guess!