Hints:

Chipping Seeds: To protect your fingers, hold each seed between the "jaws" of needle-nose pliers on top of a cutting board as you nick it with the tip of a utility knife.

Soaking Seeds: You easily can soak seeds overnight in Styrofoam cups, writing the name of each seed on the side of its cup. If you need to heat the soak-ing water to a certain temperature, use a candy thermometer to measure that temper-ature. Otherwise, use lukewarm (room temperature) water.

Smoke Treatment: For seeds that require smoke treatment, add 1 teaspoon commercial smoke flavoring to every 3 tablespoons of water you are using. For the best results, find a flavoring that contains only smoke and water in its ingredients list.

Cold or Warm Treatment: When seeds need to be kept damp and either warm or cold for a certain number of months, fold a paper towel into a card shape. After writing the name of the seeds and the date on front of the "card" with an indelible marker, soak the paper towel in water, squeeze out the excess water, and place the seeds inside the card.

You can keep several such cards inside a folded-over sandwich bag to help preserve their moisture.

Gibberellic Acid: If you need to use gibberellic acid, dissolve a 100 mg packet of the white powder in about 1/2 cup of water overnight. Then add an equal amount of water to the mix to make a 500 ppm solution, which is best for most species. You then can soak your seeds in the solution overnight before sowing them.

 

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

 

Plants Beginning with B

Basil: Sow the seeds 1/16-inch (1.5 mm) deep in damp and sterile seed-starting mix. Keep the container at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, usually in less than a week.

Begonia: Press the seeds into the surface of damp and sterile seed-starting mix, but don’t cover them with the mix. Place their containers under the center of a grow light at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) and the seeds should sprout within 10 to 30 days.

Berlandiera: Press the seeds into the surface of damp and sterile seed-starting mix, but don’t cover them with the mix. Place their containers under the center of a grow light at about 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, usually in about 5 days.

Bignonia: Press the seeds into the surface of damp and sterile seed-starting mix, but don’t cover them with the mix. Place their containers under the center of a grow light at about 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, which may take as long as 30 days or more.

Billardiera: Soak the seeds overnight in smoke-infused water before sowing them in damp and sterile seed-starting mix, barely covering the seeds with that mix. Keep their container at about 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, which usually requires at least 21 days up to a year or more.

Boronia: Soak the seeds overnight in smoke-infused water before pressing them into the surface of damp and sterile seed-starting mix. Place their containers under the center of a grow light at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, which may take as long as 30 to 60 days or more.

Brugmansia: Sow the seeds in damp and sterile seed-starting mix, barely covering the seeds with that mix. Keep their container at about 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, which sometimes takes 30 days or more.

Brunfelsia (yesterday, today, and tomorrow plant): Sow the seeds in damp and sterile seed-starting mix, barely covering the seeds with that mix.  Keep the container at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) until the seeds sprout, usually in about 20 days.

Buddleya or Buddleia (butterfly bush): Press the seeds into the surface of damp and sterile seed-starting mix, but don’t cover them with the mix. Place their containers under the center of a grow light at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) and the seeds should sprout in 5 to 20 days.