Evening star., 1948-02-01
Methods of Planting Seeds Vary
- a
Hardy Varieties May Be Sown on Snow
While Others Need Special Treatment
By. W. n. Younemon


It Is not uncommon to see a
farmer sowing grass seed on the
snow in February and March on his
pasture lands. This is one method
of reseeding thin stands. Some
seeds are hardy and germinate best
if they are given this apparently
rugged treatment. The seeds, being
dark, absorb the heat of the suns
rays and melt the snow, thus work.
ing their way through the snow and
down to the soil where they lodge
ready to germinate as soon as con-
Editions are favorable.
Many gardeners treat all kinds
Of seeds as though they are tender
and cannot withstand any but the
most favorable treatment. This is
true for some kinds. Seeds are dor
mant plants surrounded by a store
of plant food and various protect
ing coats. Those kinds having
tough, almost impervious coats may
need freezing and thawing, or the
penetration of snow water to get
them ready to grow. They are COM
monty referred to as hardy seeds
are not inquired by cold weather
and freezing, and are the kinds
farmers and gardeners SOW on snow.
Besides the grass seeds referred to
above, the gardener may sow the
annual poppies-Iceland and Shir-
ley, the Ragged Robin bachelors
button), larkspur, etc. Normally we
scatter the seeds of these where
the soil has been prepared. 1t is
not reasonable to expect seeds
sown in poorly prepared soil to
make strong vigorous growth. II
the seed had been available at the
time of soil preparation that Is
the season for sowing, but most
gardeners do not buy their supplies
of seed until the catalogues come
early in January, and they are the
gardeners who can sow on the snow.
The planting of less hardy seeds
may await milder weather in March
or early April, but many gardeners
will prefer to start them indoors to
insure having them bloom as early
as possible. The tender seeds, such
as the petunias and bedding dahlies,
cannot be soWn out-of-doors with
safety until late April or early May.
Use Medium Pots.
Starting seed indoors is best done
in medium size flower pots or flats.
The pots arr more desirable II Is
plants or less are wanted. Pots are
easier to handle than the heavier
fats. If only one or two similar
kinds are in a pot. the plants are
ready to transplant at the same
time. A fiat with several kinds ger
minating at different times is some
what of a nuisance because it can
not be finished until the last kind
is ready for transplanting.
A few years ago the home gar
dener often found the starting OF
seeds a chore, the "damping- of
fungus killing the seedlings. To
avoid such losses the gardener fol-
lowed one or more methods of soil
sterilization, such as baking the
soil, mixing one of the organic mer-
curry compounds in the planting
mixture, or treating the soil surface
with red copper oxide. Even with
these practices, careless watering or
poor ventilation sometimes resulted
in severe plant losses.
Today we may use one of several
planting materials and be relatively
free from the "damping loft" dis
ease. Granulated sphagnum moss
fly ash, vermiculite, are examples
of these materials that may be usec
in pots, flats or seed beds. A layer
an inch or two may be spread ovel
coarse soil or other porous material
in the container. Sow the seeo
thinly so that the seedlings may be
handled with greater ease and less
injury. Thickly sown seedlings must
be transplanted without delay as
soon as the first pair of true leaves
develop, otherwise they become spin
ding whereas we should have stur-
dy. stocky plants.
Tiny seeds may be pressed into
the soil, or they may be covered
with a thin coating of fine sand,
sphagnum or other noncrusting ma
terial. In a seed bed they may be
covered with a piece of burlap which
should be removed as soon as ger
mination begins. Larger seeds are
covered with a layer of sand, equal
to four times the diameter Of the
seed.
Use Plant Covers.
With the seeds sown and the soil
well watered, paper or glass cover
should be used to reduce evaporation
and surface drying. Some say seeds
terminate best in dark place. This
may be risky, for the seedlings need
to be brought into sunlight as quickly
as they poke their heads through
the surface. Most gardeners place
the pots or flats in a sunny situa-
ton and keep them there.
The watering of the seed pots and
fats, as mentioned above. is much
less of chore than formerly. The
materials hold moisture to the seeds