Delphiniums from seed

Hi folks.
I've never grown these before so stuck a tray in the airing cupboard. Germination was fine so took them out and put them in the window in normal house temperature and all but around 15 seedlings have wilted. The survivors seem to be coming on ok though. Pity I haven't got a full tray of them though. What have I done wrong?

 

Rob , the attrition rate on some perennials is huge ! I grew delphiniums from seed last year. From a pack of 200 seeds I got about 25 germinating , I pricked out 12 healthy looking ones from these . I planted 10 of these out the middle of May. Staked them all up when they were big enough , and got a pretty nice show August to late summer. I am hoping they show again this year !Try and keep them in a coolish room if you have one, until they can go out . The delphinium gurus on GC will hopefully give some more advice

 

I raise them "cool", actually I'm surprised they germinated well as I have read that giving some additional heat induces dormancy and that they need light to germinate!. The additional heat might have caused the problem you saw though. May also have been damping-off ... did they have a propagator lid on, or still in a plastic bag or similar after germination? If so that might have created too much humidity and they didn't like it.

Just checked a seed packet I have here, and the instructions on that say to germiante at 10-15C - I reckon your airing cupboard is warmer than that

 

Thanks, maybe it was a little too warm as you say so I've moved them to a cooler spot and they're doing well, cheers.

 

I usually grow them in my unheated greenhouse too just covering the seed with grit or vermiculite, which variety you growing Robojobs?, love delphiniums here's my favourite I grew from seed called 'Tall Black Knight', aaaah roll on summer

 

We have a Blue and White border and decided that this year we want to significantly increase the Delph's (and their cousins )in it, and given that the mega ones such as from Blackmore and Langdon are pricey (but no doubt worth it ...) I thought I'd try to get some bulk in the beds by raising from seed this year ... and then buy some nice ones when the Lottery Win ("real soon now" ) rolls in.

I'm trying:

nickys-nursery.co.uk

Delphinium Raider Blue
Delphinium Dasante

Larkspur Sublime Deep Blue
Larkspur Sublime Azure Blue

seedaholic.com

Delphinium Belladonna "Bellamosum Dark Blue"
Delphinium, Round Table "Black Knight"
Delphinium, Round Table "Galahad"
Delphinium, Round Table "King Arthur"

Delphinium Belladonna "Casablanca"


plant-world-seeds.com

ACONITUM CARMICHAELII VERY LATE FORM

CAMPANULA LATIFOLIA 'BRANTWOOD'

GardenersCorner Seed Parcel

Delphinium Pacific Hybrids (Blue)

Campanula carpatica F1 White
Campanula carpatica F1 Blue from Joolz

Larkspur Dark Blue

RHS Members Seed thingie:

Aconitum napellus

Campanula lactiflora

 

That's one heck of a lot of Delphs Kristen !

 

Do you think? Overdone it a bit maybe? Hehehehe ...

I let a Lilium regale go to seed last Autumn, only got one seed head which i thought was a bit disappointing ... until I opened it up I've got two full sized seed trays crammed with seedlings now ... I reckon 600 seedlings ... I have no idea what the attrition rate will be, but Regale can be quite quick to flower, from seed - 2 years perhaps? - so there is a chance that they will be putting the Delphiniums to shame!

 

Like Kristen, Delphinium Pacific Hybrids (Blue) From the seed parcel Simbad
The reason I put the tray in the airing cupboard is because I thought you needed to get them germinated. It worked anyway!

 

Ive got some of them also from the seed parcel plus pink ones,not started mine yet ive just wrote a note on them to myself sow jan -may i better get gracking on with them then x
Let me know if you want some as there seems to be a fair few in my stash x

 

Thanks Joolz, I haven't heated the gh this winter and if I put any more trays in the windows I think I'll get hit over the head with one!

 

Sounds like me..over done it again i think i will have to start them off in the greenhouse next month,no room in the inn at mo

 

I'm growing Delphiniums from seed for the first time this year. At present there are none in my garden and I've decided to have a go at one of the more unusual ones. Delphinium 'Summer Morning'. Has anyone tried it please?

 

Aaaah think they may be the ones I put in the parcel nice to know they're germinating well , these are the plants they were collected from, sorry not a very good picture but gives you an idea of the colours, I grew some myself from seed collected from these and got a really unusual grey coloured one must get a picture this year, it didn't grow very tall in its first year so hoping this year its taller.

 

Were the pink ones Astolat joolz