Allotments 4 All

I have some large purple poppy seeds that were given to me from a Canadian's garden. After many years of unsuccessfully trying to grow poppies, last year I was successful planting the short little Shirley poppies in a clay pot outside then transplanting them. 

Question#1 and 2: it is my understanding the taller poppies won't bloom the first year. Is that still true if they're planted indoors now?  And if so, do you have any recommendations on culture?  These seeds are burning a hole in my pocket and itching to be planted!

Question #2B: I'm using a heating pad (medical type) under the seedflat indoors. Would you recommend gentle heat to germinate poppies even though they like cool weather outside?? You can see I'm clueless.

Question #3 Strangely, one large poppy got started somehow in the garden (I didn't plant it) and was about to bloom last year but became slimy and the blossom died. I'm sure it was too crowded  and shaded amongst the monarda. It is coming up again thru the mud now. Can I transplant it now?

I find they germinate like weeds, once the pods pop the seeds are so tiny that they blow all over, we pull them out  but find we have more again the following year.

Would the heating pad not be a bit hot, I seem to remember my Canadian one being uncomfortable under my feet even on low. Just a thought.

I am not a flower grower so not the best person to advise you though.

XX Jeannine

When the seed pods are ready I just open them up and throw them around.I like the random effect.They never last that long,the wind strips them very quickly. :)

What sort of poppies are they? I have opium poppies all over my plot. I just thin them out, and remove the more insipid ones before they set seed.

I have huge, red poppies all over the garden, just dig them up and transplant them, our soil is very heavy clay  ;D

Poppy germination is triggered by light levels, so heat on its own will not work.

All of you say they're so easy to grow but I've NEVER had luck - perhaps because of the heat here? I've tried broadcasting the seed in fall and spring but nada! I've tried misting them- nada.
They don't like me ???  But I like them. So I  keep trying each year.

I would guess these purple ones are oriental poppies- about knee-high or more. She didn't have a name for them, just said they were beautiful and gave me a pod. The flowers were already spent.

The heating pad has 3 temps- I'm trying the middle one, but maybe will put it on low. Also trying watering with dilute.chamomile tea to ward off rot. And since they germinate with light the lights will be on part of the day. Thanks for that tip.

I believe poppy seed is best put straight into the garden. I usually gather seed heads on my travels and just scatter them about. Some usually grow even with that sort of treatment!

If you have scattered the seed in autumn and that hasn't worked, I would try sowing some in summer, when the seed ripens and falls naturally ;)

I tried seeding some indoors 6 days ago on the heating pad and today 2 out of 10 have germinated! Now if they just stay alive ::) They're such tiny seedlings.

Yay......success, hope they do well for you :D

I always thought poppies did not survive if transplanted. I've given up on them as I bought the ladybird ones and srinkled them in one patch but nothing came up.  The opium poppy I have has about four spectacular flowers (bright red) each year but they don't last long so I have gone off them altogether. Lovely to look at if you have success with them though.

I'm sure the bright red ones are the ones I've got,florald..I've dug loads up and put them in buckets, they're still going strong  ;D

Hi Scousers. . Mine do look grand when they flower but I must not be treating them right as they don't spread. Did you know...these are the poppies grown for opium etc.  I did read somewhere that the seeds that people used to put on home baked buns are no longer sold in supermarkets because they are potentially liable to abuse i.e. eating them or sowing the seeds. I am a home bread  baker and I think I have seen little jars of seeds in Asda.

Quote from: manicscousers on February 21, 2008, 17:51:05
I'm sure the bright red ones are the ones I've got,florald..I've dug loads up and put them in buckets, they're still going strong  ;D

4 or the 10 poppies sprouted yesterday. Do you think they would do better in buckets than the ground?

I did read never to mulch poppies or they won't survive the winter.

the only reason I put them in buckets was we were going to sell some at the plant sale and had too many in the garden, we told people to put them in the ground, don't know how they'd do in buckets permanently  :)
just read my post, I mean the ones left in my garden are still going strong  ;D