Seed Group purchases

[Tahir Khan]

Seeds received, thanks bhai

[Hamad Ahmed Kisana]

seeds recieved thanks sir

[Munir]

Munir wrote.It is difficult to provide these conditions, therefore, shall sow them at the right time. Do I understand correctly that right time to sow Morning Glory & Amaranthus seeds is spring ie Mar & for others it is fall ie, Nov ?

Yes you can sow both of them in spring but amaranthus can also be sowed in fall, i will sow some in mid August... November would be rather late for Amaranthus.

Tahir, did you sow Amaranthus in Aug? If yes, what date & how is it going?
Farhan, have you also sowed any seed or when exactly are you planning to do that? Moreover, what would be their blooming time/period?

[Farhan Ahmed]

I have started the seed sowing and it will continue till mid October. The said window is suitable for cool season annuals and perennials. However for warm season species such as celosia, amaranthus, morning glory its a gamble. It is better to start them just after frost i.e around February.

[Munir]

I have started the seed sowing and it will continue till mid October. The said window is suitable for cool season annuals and perennials. However for warm season species such as celosia, amaranthus, morning glory its a gamble. It is better to start them just after frost i.e around February.

Earlier you had recommended these for fall sowing; what in your view is Fall season period?
Then, am I right to understand that all the imported seeds of this group are spring Annuals,except Morning Glory & Amaranthus sown in spring are summer Annuals ?

[Farhan Ahmed]

If i remember correctly, yes all others are cool season annuals/perennials.
Fall for us here in North is Mid Oct to November.
Reason for my early starting are:-
1. Larger Quantity of seeds, thereby i have to do it in a staggered way, because of limited effort/seed sowing space etc. For each specie i make customized media, then i read all possible instruction/literature for sowing, therefore it takes time, so i need longer time for the activity. At most i can spare one hour in the evening these days.
2. Secondly it was a experiment to start early. In case of failure of certain species i will still have time to do a second sowing attempt.
3. Thirdly some species take longer to bloom/or flourish well such as hollyhock. Therefore i am attempting them earlier so that they have a head start. This approached worked well last time. I sowed hollyhock in August last year and they gained height in excess of 8-10 Feet.
Moreover i will be attempting Celosias in fall also. Reason being...as in practice in west, they start summer annuals indoor for a head start. i will experiment whether it would work for us.

I must also mention that extreme care should be taken while sowing seeds now a days as its still hot, secondly chances of damping off are more due to high humidity, moreover Fall is the season of highest insect activity, if someone is sowing seeds in situ, he should be ready for insect damage or make for some arrangement

[Farhan Ahmed]

One more advantage is that seedlings get established and acclimatize to approaching cold if started on time.

[Tahir Khan]

Tahir, did you sow Amaranthus in Aug? If yes, what date & how is it going?

Yes munir sb, i did sow them in the mid of August, 17 August to be precise. i will upload a pic this weekend... they are growing good will transplant them this weekend

[Munir]

If i remember correctly, yes all others are cool season annuals/perennials.
Fall for us here in North is Mid Oct to November.

I thought so.I ll therefore,sow the seeds received by me in late Oct-early Nov; hope that's not late & Morning Glory & Amaranthus late Feb-early Mar?

Reason for my early starting are:-.......................................................................

You have a rationale for your fairly early sowing, but I ll like to know how you ll keep them active & in the worthy state till spring? Wouldn't they be past their peak earlier?

[Farhan Ahmed]

I suggest start the process by mid October.
Yes Morning Glory/amaranthus by Early March will be okay.

No they will not pass their peak. All plants will go into slumber/reduced growth starting mid November as the temperatures will drop. All cool season plants require certain day length/ temperatures to flower. Even if sown as early as now they will not be more than few inches before winter arrives. You should keep the margin of one week to 14 days for various species to germinate also.

Kindly see my previous thread. Other than hollyhocks, most seeds were started in early October. Kindly see their performance till 18th November. Quite small and after this they displayed very sluggish growth owing to temperatures.
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