Winter Sowing butterfly plants

10 years ago

Hello everyone! It's great to be back on the forum after a winter's "vacation." It was a horrible winter here in the Northeast, actually. We had snowstorm after snowstorm-really, it was a banner year for us. We've had big storms before, but never such a succession of storms, as far as I can remember.

Anyway, I am looking forward to butterfly season, and I posted this question on the winter sowing forum, but I thought I would ask you all as well.

First of all, most of my sprouts are up! This is my first year winter sowing and I was thrilled today to go out and see that most of my jugs have little sprouts! I am doing plants for a butterfly garden, mostly native.

I wanted to add some butterfly annuals as well, so last weekend I planted several jugs with Mexican sunflower, zinnia, and Yvonne's Salvia. I live in New Jersey and the temperatures are starting to moderate here, but we could still get frost for another four or five weeks. Right now I have the jugs indoors, where they haven't popped yet since it's only been a few days. I don't really have enough light inside, though, and I would like to get them out into the sun as soon as possible. Is it safe to move them outside yet?

(I was hoping to get them under fluorescent lights since I have a setup in the basement, but I had the basement waterproofed this winter and everything is still at sixes and sevens down there and the lights are not set up yet.:-(. That is why I find myself in difficulties.)

Thank you for any input!
Liz

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Comments (6)

docmom_gw
10 years ago
Liz,
I would definitely put the jugs outside. If it isn't warm enough, the seeds won't germinate. If they do sprout, they are still protected from a light frost by the containers. If a truly deep freeze threatens, then throw an old blanket or sheet over them for the night. But, they'll do much better outdoors in the sun. I have jugs outside with zinnias sown, and I'm zone 5. I don't have a single sprout yet, in almost 100 jugs. Can you say Zone Envy?

Martha
Ruth_MI
10 years ago
Martha - Have you winter-sown zinnias before this year? If so, about when did they start blooming in your garden? Any issues with sprouts getting hit by cold and dying?

I have some seeds that can take to a nearby greenhouse to start for me, but I'd like to save $ and start them myself if they have a reasonable chance of doing well.

Thanks!
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Susan, Oh, okay, I don't know what I was thinking that you had started them indoors. I'm hoping that I'll get a head start on them this way. I didn't plant quite all of them yet because I wasn't sure if I was starting them too early. Now that our last frost date is about two months from now (April 15), I suppose that I could start the rest inside. My problem is that I ran out of containers and will have to go get some more. I have all of my individual one and two-gallon ones used with my swamp milkweed started outside, and the smaller individual ones have butterfly weed and tropical milkweed in them. Then I also have 3 flats (72 in a flat) with swamp milkweed in two of them started outside and butterfly weed in the other one. Then I also have butterfly weed and tropical milkweed started in cups. I probably am up to close to 300 milkweed plants here, assuming that the seeds all germinate (I put two in each container), and I'm not even done yet. lol Of course, then there's the Chelone glabra, Zizia aurea, Zizia aptera, Heraculeum maximum, Foeniculum vulgare azoricum, and Angelica atropurpurea seeds from you that I have winter sown. I started some snapdragons inside, Blazing Star Liatris, also Agastache foeniculum and Blue Fescue (I suppose I could have winter sown those last two). I'll direct sow my lupines, zinnias, cosmos, and dill. There, I think I remembered everybody. :) I want to try to locate a small spicebush around here. I wonder if there'd be any harm in digging one out and relocating it here at the edge of our yard next to the woods? A sassafras tree would be nice too. Of course, I'm thinking about other plants for next year...I'd even plant a paw paw tree if I knew that I could get ZST up here, but my Butterflies Through Binoculars book shows their range ending around the southern border of PA. There are so many different kinds of butterflies that I'd like to attract here, but I don't think I want to dig up our whole backyard. :) It's snowing a lot here right now. Schools let out at noon today and have already cancelled for tomorrow. I suppose the weather will soon clear up out your way. Come on spring! Cathy
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docmom_gw
10 years ago
Ruth,
Yes, I've sown Zinnias for several years. I don't remember when they started blooming, but certainly early enough to get a very satisfactory season. The jugs warm sooner than the ground, so I do get a considerable head start compared to direct sowing, and it's easier to control the moisture. I've not lost any to cold or frost.

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Ruth_MI
10 years ago
Martha,

That's really helpful information, thanks! I did one container of zinnias a few days ago but will definitely start some more today.
MissSherry
10 years ago
Good to hear from you again, Liz!

I've never winter sowed any of the seeds you mentioned, but I do know that Mexican sunflowers/tithonia, need heat to germinate and even more to grow. I once sowed them (outside in containers) too early in the spring, and they made pitiful, spindly plants that wouldn't grow. When I resowed later, they thrived. I've ordered tithonia seeds, should be here today, and I plan to wait until the nights aren't so cool to start them.

Sherry
vera_eastern_wa
10 years ago
In my experience, I would wait on the Zinnia and Mexican Sunflowers....More than once I've had them sprout too early then kill over, still cozy and covered in their containers, on freezing nights. I usually waited until May for tender annuals in Eastern WA. Now this year however, in my new location in the Mountains of Central Idaho, I've got many of my tenders started indoors due to the shorter season (though we are zone 5). We can have 60-70 F days but still be dipping way low until end of May and frost can come as early as beg. of August! Urgh!! From now on it's only hardy annuals out before then :)

Good luck

Vera

Winter Sowing butterfly plants

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