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Four o clock seeds: how long to germinate

18 years ago

Hi, I have planted twelve four o clock seeds about nine days ago. They were planted in 2-1/2 inch pots. The pots were placed in an enclosed balcony where the morning low is about 50F and daytime high is in the 70s.

How long do they take to germinate?

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
18 years ago
how deep in the pot?? .. i hope not at the bottom ...

regardless... the 50 degrees at night sounds pretty cold to stimulate a warm weather annual to germinate ...

i might try bringing them into the house for extra warmth, until they sprout, then out to the balconey ...

if i had more than one pot.. hence your use of the term 'pots' ... i might try some in.. some out.. and see if my wormth theory does impact the time to sprout ....

anyway .. 9 days isnt a lot of time in cool temps... be patient ...

good luck.. ken
brenda_near_eno
18 years ago
They need light, so germinate on soil surface - push down slightly to get good soil/moisture contact. Keep damp but not wet. Takes only a few days to germinate. Fifty sounds a little low - they may rot before they germinate.
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Vera, here are my sprouts. they are from seeds fallen from last year. the bunch that is by my foundation - they came up about a month ago, and withstood the really cold weather we had for 10 days in early March. the lil one on the right -- that is about 2 days old. the other already has it's second set of leaves. where it was mentioned "they need light" all of these are on the south side of my house... so I guess they do get "light" (originally when i read that, i was thinking "glow lights") and it's possible mine come up early is they are more protected by the foundation, warmer and get a lot of sun - which warms the soil earlier. if anyone needs/wants seeds... i still have tons (that's my plant posted above) ... and if anyone is in the chicago area... you can come over and dig up seedlings... my neighbor has tons too, which she also pulls out the excess.
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four-o-clocks gota love em
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Searched on "4 O'Clocks" and this discussion came up. Nice old discussion! In my area (Maritime NW) I have never seen 4 O'clocks in the nurseries and big box stores. I'm speculating that's because most of their flowers are sold in bloom, and 4 O'clocks bloom when larger. They probably don't bloom in little 6-packs or even in 1-gallon containers. I'm guessing about that. Also, if the flowers are not reliably open when the stores are open, people might not buy them. I bought seeds via the internet. Feeling nostalgic about gardening from my childhood, and these 4 O'clocks were part of that. I grew some about 10 years ago and as I recall they did OK here. I'm more into gardening now than I was then, so maybe they'll grow better. Plus I have a deer and rabbit problem, and maybe they'll be resistant to those animals. Maybe. I read start them 6 to 8 weeks indoors before the last frost, for cool climates like mine. They can also be planted in the ground, but maybe will start blooming later. A packet has plenty of sees, so I can try both. Nice discussion! I've lost the experiences of older gardeners in my family, and it seems there aren't a lot of gardeners in my neighborhood, so it's up to me to discover what works and what doesn't. Pass-along plants like these are worth preserving for the next generation!
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I'll keep an eye out to make sure water logging does not occur. As of now, that is what I have purchased for this years seeds. Its my first time and I've had no difficulty with them except the 4's. I'm trying to keep my spending to a minimun in case I have to puchase more soil amendments like I had to for my veggies. I'd rather keep my veggies producing. You are very kind Rhizo for all your help.
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These seeds are easy to germinate without any help. Did you know you can save the roots and overwinter them in some vermiculite...start them inside in potting mix in the Spring and you've got a jumpstart on the growing season?
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aspiring
18 years ago
oh dear, I didnt know they needed light to germinate! gosh talk about being a duffus. I planted some seeds on Monday - I better go move the kit....
aspiring
18 years ago
Well.... wouldnt you know mine sprouted sat'day morning when I woke up..... I sowed em Mon 6th.

yahhh

so they took 5 days
bakemom_gw
18 years ago
Winter sown ones tend to wait until things are a bit warmer around here - like mid-april for Columbus (planted outdoors in containers with vented tops). However, they re-seed like crazy just tossed on the ground by the plant. When in doubt, I just think like Ma Nature. I direct sow (toss) them in the fall and sometimes winter sow a container or two.

If you still want to winter sow them, I would soak the seeds and then follow the instructions on the Winter Sowing Forum.
erlang
16 years ago
If 4 o clock eeds are sown in July in zone 4, can they be expected to survive the winter? thanks.
lynn_d
16 years ago
No, you will have to gather seed and replant next season.

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