Growing Tips

Planting & Fertilizing

Seeds stratified in the refrigerator should be sown as soon as the required cold period elapses. If seeds begin to germinate before this, plant them immediately in soil, sand or peat moss. To reduce the risk of disease, sterilize the soil or sand prior to planting by placing it in an 80°C/175°F oven for two hours.

Remove the seed from the stratification bags and sow up to five seeds in one 10-centimeter pot. To keep the pots moist during germination, cover them with a clear plastic bag or regularly mist the surface. Check daily for signs of drying. Once the seeds have germinated, keep the seedlings evenly moist, but not too wet. Wet soil is an invitation for disease. Thin seedlings to one per pot. Excess seedlings can be transplanted once they are two centimetres.

About three weeks after germination, begin fertilizing with an all-purpose soluble fertilizer such as 20-20-20. Plants potted in soil will require fewer regular applications (once a month) than those potted in sand or peat (once every two weeks). To ensure that the fertilizer does not build up, keep each application fairly weak and water until it begins to drip out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.