I have failed with these many a time. This year I sowed under lights @ 74-75 F. 11 of my 12 seeds came up in 6 days for two year old seed. Now I had kept the seed in the fridge in sealed baggie. I did not nick the seeds. I did make one change, though. Instead of watering the container (soaking it) after sowing the seed, I mixed the potting mix with hot water in a sweater box first. This way it was moist and not soaking wet. I think before, they were either too wet and rotted, or too dry.

Well alrightee then...

Bought a fresh pack of seeds OTR over the weekend and sowed them -- no special treatment, nothing at all other than sticking them in the potting mix and putting them under the lights per usual. They're pretty much all up already 5 days later. Go figure.... LOL!

So there goes that old advice to scarify. That's the great thing about the boards -- hearing what works for others!

I wasn't able to get "Empress of India" locally and ended up with "Mahogany" instead -- not sure if I'll like it but really I'm growing primarily for the foliage anyway, never had a lot of blooms on the EOI before.

Too much fertilizer will give more foliage less blooms. No fertilizer = blooms.

They are very easy to grow. I just take the seed, make a little hole with my finger, drop the seed, cover it up and that's it. One of my coworkers told me about this method and I've been doing this for over 15 years!

You are probably doing more harm than good scarifying and soaking nasturtium seed. I have been growing this plant for many years and have never read or heard that the seed needs any special treatment to germinate.

About a month ago I sowed four nasturtium seeds in a pot under fluorescent lights and got four seedlings - no special treatment. The seed was two years old so I sowed it out of curiosity to see if it was still viable.

I bought some Nastutium seeds from Baker Creek. I got good germination the first year but no germination in year 2. In retrospect I concluded that they take a big hit in germination after one year. I suspect that if I planted more seeds I may have gotten germination but a low % like OP experienced.

Yep, I concur Jeb -- just stick them in the potting mix and off they go. But so many seed-starting sources recommend scarifying -- not talking about 'net sources, talking about good 'ol gardening reference books (yes, I still refer to them!). Oh well. Glad I posted last year and took the advice to skip the special treatment.

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-JSSSharedLibrary/default/dw913ac4d0/assets/information/seed-storage-guide.pdf

I like that guide. Nasturtium's listed for 3-7 years...under good conditions. That latter part being the key phrase there, though.

I collect seeds from the fall garden every year, and discard my previous year's seeds unless I had a problem with something from the collection the current year. So far, I've had no problems with 18-month-old seeds stored in envelopes in a standard house environment out of sunlight of any species I grow, but I also don't grow any of those listed with a firm "1" in the column.

Oddly, I have scarified and soaked my nasturtium seeds for years, after reading that advice somewhere, and always had nearly 100% germination. Last year I got lazy and didn't scarify, and got maybe 5% germination. Of course, this is not a scientific study and could have been another factor, I can assure you they were fresh seeds, but I will resume my usually approach this spring. I direct sow them, so perhaps planting in the cooler spring soil, and not indoors under lights, they need a little extra assistance.

-Chris

I plunk a several seeds into a outdoor container come sometime in late May (and then I weed out all but probably two as they develop). But it always make me smile when I see one or two plants that have come up from the ground from seeds that fell from a plant last Fall. We get some not nice winters and yet still they are able to make a go of it...good on them :)

Glad I found this thread, because I always had poor germination too. I'm a little confused, because I thought Nasturtums could grow in the cool weather and put out early, no? I'm thinking I have that wrong, or why would they need heat to germinate. So maybe start indoors on a heat mat to have transplants ready to go?

I am kind of surprised at the difficulties recounted here. IME, nasturtiums are one of the easiest of any annuals to start from seed. I have never scarified, soaked or used heat to germinate the seeds but just poke them into the soil of whatever container I am growing them in. Typically they will germinate in about 2 weeks. And I grow these plants every year.

If one was direct sowing into the ground (not a container), then I would wait until after last frost date and the soil warms a bit before planting. But you do not need to jump through hoops or go to any extremes for germination.

btw, not the most adaptive of annuals to transplanting so I'd never bother to start indoors but rather, plant the seeds directly where I wanted them to grow. They germinate and grow fast enough that there is really no reason to start too early.

Mine started beautifully indoors the year I did that, and had no issues. Afterward, they volunteered outside with no problems. For the time period that they kept it up, I moved them around as I pleased with minimal trouble. But I'm careful, in such cases, to move as much root mass as possible (and take a clod of soil from the destination to fill the hole at the origin).

Nasturtium are middling in terms of transplant.

I had more trouble with morning glory and Melampodium, but both will work with large enough clods and moving fast enough--and good aftercare. Keep moist during establishment (two weeks). Feed lightly to assure that there's enough resources for new root growth. Shield from full sun if necessary during the shocked period (about a week) using light cheesecloth.

"Nasturtium are middling in terms of transplant."

This is not the opinion of many horticultural sites. But feel free to take one opinion over the many if you like. They develop a taproot as seedlings and like peas, prefer not to be disturbed. Sure, you can start inside and move out if you wish, taking care when transplanting. But it is really not necessary to do so since they germinate and grow so easily when direct seeded. And it is a lot more work and risk than required.

Well, for me, they've grown best for me in containers, but I also like them in the corners of raised veggie beds. I have heavier loamy clay and I think they probably prefer a lighter soil. Either way, I have tons of seeds to start, and I'm not in any hurry to have the Nasturtiums growing. I have some Stocks and Calendula for the cool season too.

"I have heavier loamy clay and I think they probably prefer a lighter soil."

I can't say I've noticed that they care. :-)

My pot soil is fairly light, (peat, sometimes with sand), my garden soil is nearly 99% silt, so heavy. In both cases, the things got large, in charge, and tried to take over. I was actually completely OK with that; the only thing I demand is large, bright colors (scent is secondary and I don't really care about it).

Back when, I tended to feed better in containers, but once I solved that little problem, the gardens were happy to blossom in as great an array as the pots. That involved soil testing the gardens, setting the phosphorus numbers a...little high there...adjusting K, and adding more N in a variety of forms through the season to keep a trickle rolling in at all times.

"Either way, I have tons of seeds to start"

Tell me about it. I'm starting to get the itch, but I'm holding off. Starting things too early means I have to play games with stalling growth in late April under the lights (May 1 is our outside date, with May 6-10 our plant date if things go OK--later if not).

The Profusion Zinnia light off the season, usually March first, but they were kind of small last year. I'm considering backing them to February 20th start in my office, with monitoring and their own lights for the first week of sprout.

That comment was directed at the OP and prairiemoon, not you. But since you have decided to take it personally, as much as it pleases you to dismiss it as a "silly game" (snort!!), it is well documented:

"Large seeds of nasturtium plants should be sown directly into their permanent location, as nasturtium flowers do not transplant well. If you must start seeds of nasturtium flowers and then transplant them, use peat pots which can be planted into the ground without disturbing the roots of the growing nasturtium seedling." Gardening Know-How

"They aren’t usually sold as plants, but they are easy to start from seed. They can be easily injured during transplanting, so either direct sow the seeds or use biodegradable seed-starting pots that can be planted into the final destination." Horticulture Magazine

"It is best to use a large celled kit, or fiber pots as nasturtium roots are easily damaged when transplanting." Burpees Seeds

"Nasturtium seeds typically germinate within 10 days and may bloom within a month. Peppery edible nasturtiums don’t transplant well. If you’re starting them a few weeks early indoors, use biodegradable pots that you can bury without disturbing the roots." Mother Earth Gardener

"Nasturtiums produce a taproot and don’t like to have their roots disturbed, which is why direct sowing the seeds is often recommended. If you do want to get a head start on growing the plants and try transplanting them to your garden, you can plant seeds in small peat pots." Properly Rooted.com

There are many other cites stating the same. So I'll say again, just because a lone gardener has had reported success starting indoors and transplanting doesn't mean that everyone will. Otherwise these statements on the difficulty of transplanting would not appear with such frequency.

Why thank you for the implied compliment! Yes, I'm extraordinarily skilled at these things and quite attentive when transplanting. I'm happy to share the results of my experiments and methodology with anybody when I'm asked even halfway pleasantly.

I do enjoy experimenting with the "impossible" and extremely difficult and often find that the "impossible" is not. It's just a probability game.

But some correction is necessary here. I don't try to transplant adolescent or adult plants, only relatively young ones where I can move the entire root mass as noted by the "large clod" statement. And I did not state that this was without shock, as the note above also stated--which included the use of moisture, gentle feeding, and protection from harsh sunlight temporarily until the plant recovered. Certainly not all plants recover, although I find Melampodium to be touchier than nasturtium, often due to the fact that I'm transplanting the former later than the latter due to the outdoor natural sprouting date.

So this would be May transplants at the most. I never claimed otherwise. Claims to the otherwise would be outright lies and a perusal of my above statements will show that I never said that.

And with the link, I was also careful to note that sproutlings shouldn't be kept for long, and should be started in larger pots to contain the developing root system and great care taken not to disturb it while transplanting.

But once again, please, feel free to compliment me any time you like! It's wonderful to hear that my experimentation catapults me into the stratospheric realm of such success that I can achieve 90-95% transplantation on things that simply cannot be done.

Okay, well, this points out a semi - philosophical difference in two approaches to gardening and maybe to other things as well. Some people want to study all the experts and have a road map for their gardening efforts to be more certain of success and efficiency. Some people just love the adventure of experimenting and proving the experts wrong. Personally, I appreciate both ways of looking at it.

As I get older and less energetic, I find I'm less prone to experiment. I used to love to do it. And since I've been foolish enough this year, to choose too many seeds that I'm overwhelmed with the task of getting them all germinated and growing, I'm even less likely to experiment. Just getting it all done is enough of an adventure. [g]

As for the Nasturtiums, I do enjoy them and have always wanted to have more than the measly amount of seeds that germinated for me. I have sometimes direct sown and I guess it's worked okay, I don't think I was paying much attention. I do remember thinking it took awhile for them to get going. So, I'm happy to know that other people have had good germination by just sticking them in the soil when it's warm enough. Easy. That's just what I need this year and I'm going to try that.

Once in awhile I have transplanted things that are thought to be difficult to transplant. I guess we all do that sometimes when something has to be moved. I have also taken a lot of care in doing so and can't remember many failures. I always pay careful attention to watering, size of the root ball and giving shade for the entire first week after transplant and I have had a lot of success and rarely even see a plant wilt. It just seems to me that even if some plants are difficult to transplant, in my garden, I'm always moving things and that's just the price of admission. [g]

Jeb, that is a very pretty Nasturtium plant. I like the blue tint of the foliage.

It is the variety called "Baby Rose' - it is really nice in the garden!

https://all-americaselections.org/product/nasturtium-baby-rose/

Thanks, I"m going to look for that!

Me too prairiemoon2!

(I have a pack of "Empress of India" and "Phoenix" but I really like Jeb's "Baby Rose"!)

Edit: Just ordered a pack...thanks Jeb.

The problem with just poking annual seeds in the ground and waiting for them to germinate up here in the north is won't get flowers until later in the season. The soil just doesn't warm up enough early enough here (container growing a different story). The whole point of annual flowers is season-long color -- waiting until mid-season at the earliest for annuals to flower is kind of pointless IMO.

I had no issues with transplanting nasturtium. That said, when I say transplanting I mean from individual small pots, not a seed tray where all the plants are growing together and you have to tease all the roots apart . Transplanting from small pots into the soil is fine IME, same as with other annuals that are recommended to direct-sow rather than transplant.

It was the germinating the nasturtium that was the problem for me, not the transplanting, even when I grew them years ago. But, based on my experience last season with just plopping them in the potting mix it should be a snap this year!

It is the variety called "Baby Rose' - it is really nice in the garden!

Took delivery yesterday :)

(It doesn't take much to make me happy these days eh? ;))

@rouge - That color look great. I can't wait to try my new mounding Alaska Apricot nasturtiums I bought seeds for. I also have a buttercream colored mounding nasturtium that should be beautiful again also. It doesn't take much to make me happy either these days. We have signs Spring is coming here in Chicago. All week I have been seeing and hearing the cardinals so that is the first sign for me that warm weather is coming. Yippie!!

It might have to do with the seed viability. I've had them sprout in pots outdoors with no issue, had them sprout and then die, and had them never show a sign of life. I have no idea why, same growing conditions every year but different seed packs . . .

Germination for direct seeding has never been an issue for me. This season I will be planting Amazon Jewel, Peach Melba, Phoenix, Cherries Jubilee and Black Velvet. I hope to plant in another week or two.......second half of March is kind of my trigger date for these and sweet peas.

Direct seeding should be a non-issue with most dated, good seed. If it is, the soil might be a bit cool in your locale. Try planting in two shifts--hold some seed and plant two weeks later if the first blast doesn't take.

Or put cloches over the seed to warm it a bit for a few days if your soil temperature is under fifty at the time of planting: https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature

But sure, the seed might be bad, might have been poorly stored, could have gotten damp... Who knows?

Last year I planted a bunch of 3 yr. old seed of a jewel mix that all sprouted and I did a bunch of a new seed that did not germinate well for me at all. All the conditions were the same for them. I just figure those seeds don't want to come to life and go on helping the ones that do want to live. lol! It just seems never to make sense. If I do not get good germination the first time this year I will try a few more and see what happens. They do last until frost here.

The last year's nasturtiums growing in my vegetable garden. I just stick the seeds in the ground, never have any problems with germination. I think if someone has problems it is not the seeds to blame, but rather the company they are buying them from in the first place.

All week I have been seeing and hearing the cardinals so that is the first sign for me that warm weather is coming.

Hey 'Patti' I bet you have cardinals all through the winter. Is it just in the spring you start to hear them more?

I rarely see a cardinal this early and I don't see them in the winter, because we don't fill feeders any more. I am hearing birds for sure. And I was just thinking this morning, I'm putting out the birdbaths next week when it warms up. That ought to get things going...lol. Actually my Aronia bush still has berries on it that the robins always eat, not yet this year. They are always the last to go, must be they're tart.

I am for sure not a "birder" and maybe there are different varieties of cardinals but where I am located, likely north of most of you, I can view cardinals all winter....they stick around all year I guess.

I'm putting out the birdbaths next week when it warms up

I am for sure a bit envious as water in our bbath could very well freeze anytime for the next....6 weeks or so!

Well, the water may freeze here as well, Rouge! I have plastic, so if it freezes they can wait for a little thaw and carry on. [g]

That's very admirable of you PM to look after "your" feathered friends so soon into the season :).

(This is OT but Id love to get a recommendation for a solar powered bird bath/fountain)

Rouge, I can't remember when I normally start filling the bird baths, but this year I seem to be just trying to get spring going as fast as I can and if the birds are already starting to sing in the mornings, I figure they know better than I do. lol Our forecast for next week has 4 days of 60F weather! One day is supposed to get up to 66. So I'm excited. Of course, they're already talking about the fact it's going to get cold again after that, so....

I saw a You Tube video on how to make a solar powered water fountain for the hummers and I hope I can do that this year. It looked pretty easy!

Actually, the bird baths didn't get filled until this weekend. It has been pretty cold and windy until Sunday. I haven't seen a bird in them yet, but I think there have been some. I heard birds singing a lot yesterday. I have three birdbaths filled, even the ceramic is out there, all ready to go. The rain barrels are next.

I have the same trouble with nasturtiums. Since I live in zone 2, I pretty much have to start most seeds indoors. Two weeks have gone by and still no sign of life - same as last year. I'll try soaking some in warm water if these still haven't sprouted by Saturday.

Rhoda, what about trying bottom heat?

I soaked mine overnight last year and had good germination. I planted them without soaking this year and no germination. About to soak some.

This is a seed that doesn’t need much atal growing these now out front on the patio. i put all my planters in the dark! until they germ! 3 days germ tume on this seed🤗🥰 goodluck guys

@Jeb zone5 because of your recommendation here is one of our Baby Rose Nasturtiums grown from seed.

I do like its compact tight habit.

Nice Rouge! It is nice and compact and a good color.

Mrs Joseph - where did you get your seed and what variety are those? Any updates for flowering?

i found germinating nasturtium seeds a bit hit or miss. These days i take cuttings from my nasturtiums. they root easily in water. for the last ten or so years, i just plant rooted cuttings that all originated from one plant with coral coloured flowers. i keep at least one plant in my sunroom over winter. i soppose it helps i’m in a temperate climate .

Phoenix from seed:

I never thought about cuttings of nasturtiums! Thanks!

How long do they usually take to root?

i got Yellow & orange pretty cool guys i see alot of buds to bloom 🤗

Re rooting cuttings, it depends on the time of year. Lately, it’s taken a couple of weeks to see roots.