Pansy, Violas...... ...

16 years ago

Does anyone have any tricks for these 2? I WS at least 12 different varieties. Most germinated over 6-8 weeks ago and they are puny No matter if I left them in the original container, or potted them up. I would have loved bunches, and also didn't have great luck last year. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

Monica

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Comments (3)

bonnys
16 years ago
I wintersowed Sugared Almonds (pansy) and Johnny Jump Ups (violas). Both are doing well. The Sugared Almonds are still in their winter sown containers but are not at all crowded so they are getting good light and water/food. The Johnny Jump Ups are planted in cheap top soil that I mounded around my shade garden rock and are growing well. They also have plenty of room and not much competition. Some of my other wsn seedlings, especially those that are crowded, are still quite small. I think space is a factor. I don't know if I helped you but it was neat to share my experience and made me think about getting my crowded babies out into the gardens. Maybe I should take my vacation time from work to do that....
Bonny
monipsych
Original Author
16 years ago
Giving this a bump.....does any one else have any thoughts? I would love tons of these in my garden/containers.
Thanks again!
Monica
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prairiemoon2 z6b MA
16 years ago
Hi Monica..

I love pansies too and I have tried them for two years now. I haven't tried as many packets as you have, but about 5 different packets. I do get germination but not as well as I think I should. I have some of mine planted out and some still in their ws container and blooming in the containers.

I don't think mine has grown as much as I would expect either, but that is true for a number of things for me this year. My soil is ok, and they are not crowded. I haven't really fertilized so that might help I am sure.

I only get about 5 or 6 plants per milk jug and that is a small percentage of what I sow. I did put Blue Denim into my beds last year and that came back or reseeded, not sure which and it is blooming well.

It seems to me that the fall pansies that I left in a large container all winter, came back and started blooming by the time the spring ws pansies were barely showing their true leaves. I am wondering if I would get better germination and early and fuller bloom in the spring, if I try starting seeds in late summer/early fall, so I will have seedlings going into the winter. I am going to try that this fall.

Otherwise, I am going to keep sowing pansies every spring and placing them in the garden and hoping they will reseed and I will at some point have them coming back on their own without sowing them.

I don't have any suggestions to try. I just chock it up to..maybe some years are just better than others. The best year for pansies for me was a year I didn't even winter sow any and they reseeded all around three large containers that were placed around a mulched sitting area. Wow, they were gorgeous that year! Go figure!

They do like cool weather and our spring was really strange, so by the time they germinated it was too cold than too warm and not really the best weather for them.

Maybe someone else has a better hint? :-)