Problem pansies

[posie]

I have several lots of pansies allegedly germinating for the last 2 weeks.  I have black beauty and Swiss Giant - however not one is showing its pretty face.  As an experiment I had the Swiss outside in a propagator in my mini greenhouse and the Black Beauty in the propagator in the airing cupboard but nothing.

I've had a quick google and a few sites are telling me to use some kind of soil-less material to germinate them on - what the heck is that?!

Any ideas?

Ps - having same problem with Petunias! First time growing flowers from seeds, think I should have stuck to veg!

[posie]

[manicscousers]

how deep have you sowed, posie..I covered small seeds with vermiculite and got some good results, also mixed some with the compost to open it up a bit  :)

[posie]

I don't think they're very deep - I honestly can't remember though.  What's vermiculite? and where would I get some?? This gardening lark is hard work!!!

[manicscousers]

it's white, fluffy stuff, just covers the seeds but lets light through, I got some from b&q..also there's perlite, same thing really..I think it helps hold water..if they're really tiny, I just don't cover them, stick a plastic bag over and put them on the windowsill..I grew granny's bonnets like that, last year ..hate tiny seeds  ;D

[posie]

hmmm, may have to take a trip to garden centre today then, flippin plants more pampered than I am!!  Lobelia seeds have to be the worst, mind you, they're not germinating either!!! rofl - i give up!

[manicscousers]

can't cope with lobelia, my finger and thumb on my right hand don't meet properly, I'll leave you to imagine what transplanting's like  ;D
anyway, there's still time for them to emerge, I think..lots of luck, let's know what happens  :)

[bridgehouse]

I worked in a nursery pricking out plants into trays ,and with the lobelia we used to take a small clump and plant it like that . its impossible to plant in one by one.
I hope that helps .
         Bridgehouse

[posie]

Everything has now been vermiculited to within an inch of its life this afternoon!!!

[Tee Gee]

Pansies need light to germinate and should therefore be sown on the surface.

As an option they can be covered with a light covering of vermiculite as this lets the light through.

See here; http://tinyurl.com/2eoocj for cultural information and here for an example of using vermiculite; http://tinyurl.com/yv8u2f i.e. the second example using the half tray.

[posie]

Thanks for that TeeGee, think what I've done wrong is not to shade the seeds when germinating, your site is very very informative.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Some of mine got buried and some didn't; I checked while I was on the allotment today, and the ones I can see are just beginning to germinate.

[posie]

Yay! They've started germinating - albeit a bit sporadically, but the Black Beauty ones are starting (the original ones that I was having problems with).  The Swiss Giant however are proving extremely stubborn!   ;D

[YorkshireLass]

That's really useful info - I've been frustrated by pansies refusing to germinate. Will try and remember this one!
Charlotte

[posie]

Had about a 60% germination rate with the Black Beauty ones now.  The Swiss Giant have done absolutely nothing, am wondering if maybe the packet was a duff one.  Vermiculite seems to have done the trick!