Well, letting others know might be good. so they won't lose out. Don't trade with her again. Pregermination is always good, to see If any germinate. If you can't pre germinate, then plant out and give them their two weeks germination time. And if they haven't germinated by then, succession plant something else very different that the previous seeds, so if any come up, you'll be able to tell which plant is which. Meanwhile, post a want ad for whichever seeds, you got from her for replacements. Sadly, stuff happens. I did trades where they say they didn't get them, and sent a replacement, or gave free seeds, saying one chance deal, if they don't get them, I can't resend. I did a trade once and was surprised to recieve some seeds marked harvested in 2006! Gee, why weren't they grown, or rehomed in 6 years? Who knows if they will grow. send a preliminary email to a seller asking about the seeds you want, such as how many in a pack, when were they grown/harvested, was it possible for them to have crossed, are they a hybrid variety, were they germination tested, were they from a commercial pack, were they hand saved by the trader, were they grown organically? etc. most growers know all these answers. Also, I bought 5 seeds to a squash, and only one grew. I planted 7 purple beauty pepper seeds, and only 5 sprouted. When I plant a type of seed, and get low on it, I add that seed onto my want list, until I'm able to save seeds to that variety myself. As I'm able to save my own seed to varieties, I take that variety off the want list, and usually put it on the available list. I also ask for seed counts before trading now. Someone asked for something. I had a whole extra pack that I could have sent. When I asked how many seeds she'd send, she said 6. To some, that might be ok, but it's hard for me to front $2.00 for bubble pack postage, to receive, 6 seeds for a 49 cent stamp. To me, sending 6 seeds isn't really worth the postage, when I could buy a whole pack of many seeds something for the same amount. Sometimes, I will trade a pack of 20, for a lesser amount, if I don't have that variety, and the postage cost is the same. If you post what seeds didn't sprout, maybe someone who reads the post, could send you some to you, as a "pay it forward".

Trudi is here. Now. Personally, I cringe when the germination records come up in any thread. A long time ago, some posters thought that it would be nice to have a record, well for them that was what they wanted and needed. I was hugely against it the concept of a chart because it negated the primary reason why I've gone through a decade of hard work, travel, pleading my case to the USDA, fighting off the nay-sayers in forums, and the whopping huge expense of what that all has cost. I wrote "How to Winter Sow" because of what it does to the WSers mind--it's that leap of faith with rewards with a brain rush of creativity and a huge uplift to anyone's sense of self. That's what it has always been about for me, and that's what I always will teach it for. Sure, it is a great germination method, but that's not what it's only or all about. It's about the Winter Sower and how taking that leap changes your inlook and your outlook all for the better. The records were created and maintained by several people at this forum for a few years and when it looked like they would go the wayside because no one could do the upkeeping, or more importantly, provide easy access to the records, I asked if I could keep them at WinterSown because they are not just a created document, but they are also a historical record of the efforts and sometimes the failures of the people who made those records. A few years back there was a brouhaha with another forum over copying the records to create their database. I was told by a WSer that they were basing their database on the one created by this forum. I had no reason to believe that a WSer would tell me a non-truth and I, being who I am, insisted on protecting the work created by people here. I took some blows for it, but the database was not copied, and I will continue in my life to duke it out, if need be, with whomever messes with GW Winter Sowers. In effect, you are my family, my kindred spirits, and followers of the method. We are more than mere gardeners, we are Winter Sowers, and we care for and respect each other as family. Like any family we don't all see eye to eye or do things the same way, but the end result is a family that shares its experiences with any and all who will be positively influenced by this marvelous agricultural phenomena. We were 'green' before it was trendy to be green. We were wise and prudent before current economics forced that upon so many of us. We ARE Winter Sowers. The records are a guideline, and reflect not how a seed does, but how a winter sower did with it. It can't show what soils were used, the experience of the winter sower or the age of the seeds, or the inability to get home on a hot spring day before the seedlings fry, or the dog which destroys a flat, or winds that dry flats like autumn leaves. Basically, if a plant will reseed in your region you can WS it. Success is improved with fresh seeds and experience. Deeper soil dries out slower. Part shade is better than full sun after a flat sprouts simply because the interior is less likely to overheat. Yada yada yada. I could go on and on about how to be succesful, but I don't have to because this forum and any of the other WS forums on the net, and now blogs and videos and lectures and teachers are all sharing their experiences for how they have been succesful Read what you want and adapt what others have done to suit your site, your needs and your own wallet. Hope this helps. I'm about to go out to watch a football game at my SILs, and won't be in touch until much later tonight. If anyone has questions you can post them here, or over at the FB Winter Sowing page, or email me through GW or FB or WS.Org. HUGS to all, don't sweat the little stuff. Take that leap of faith and wrap your heart around it. T PS...BTW, the FB page has now over 700 members, if you do FB please stop by and join if you aren't already there. I'd like to get the group up to over a thousand before the end of Winter.

Since nobody responded to this question, I punted. First of all I discovered each one was one seed and not a seed pod. So I potted the them and covered them with potting soil leaving the already germinating growing tips out, and bagged the pots to hold moisture in. I got nothing! After a few days I removed the seeds from within the soil, laid them on top of the soil and re-bagged them. They immediately started to grow. (Note to self: don't cover Clivia seed.) They are doing well. Hope this helps someone else.

Now would be a good time to pot your seedling babies up. You can use small 2" pots filled with a well draining soil mix. Make a hole with a pencil or your finger to the depth of the whole thing. Roots,seed and the "green part". Place the seed,roots down into the hole. Push the soil around the roots to stabilize it and cover the green with no more than 1/4" of the soil mix. Water well and set in a bright location out of direct sunlight. In a few days you should see the first leaves starting to poke up out of the soil. If you don't have 2" pots you can use styrofoam cups in the 8oz size. Just poke a bunch of drain holes in the bottom and around the sides at the base of the cup. Make sure the holes are large enough that the water will drain easily. When your little trees have their second set of TRUE leaves you can start feeding with a very weak fertilizer solution. The very first set of leaves are not true leaves but rather the Cotyledon leaves . These are the leaves of the embryo. As far as what soil. I use cactus mix as it retains enough moisture but drains very well. I also sprinkle a bit of sand the top of the soil as it deters fungus gnats and damp-off disease. I use just enough sand to cover the top of the soil,maybe 1/16th of an inch. I do not use play sand as its too fine and holds too much moisture. I use coarse grade construction sand. This is the type added to concrete mix Hope this helps. Andi