A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Hollyhock seed question

Do Hollyhock seeds need to be cold striated before sowing? I sowed some in pots almost 2 weeks ago and none of them have come up yet, so I was thinking perhaps they needed a cold period first. I've never started them from seed before.

I've never heard that they need the cold. Are the pots inside or outside? To begin with they need light or sun most of the day. And they need to be keep moist, not wet, but a little damp. This is just from my experience. An expert will come along with the REAL information later. When do you plan to transplant since it's so hot.

I'm not sure about that, but I can telly ou what I did with my Hollyhock seeds:

1. I peled off the seed covering, some did not contain a seeds

2. Soaked the seeds in tap water changing the water daily until I saw a smal root appear.

3. Planted the small rooted seed in soil and barely covered it, patted down the soil

4. Put half a 2L soda bottle over it and they sprouted in about a week

Maybe the seeds that you planted did not contain seeds inside the small seed pocket? When I was peling back those seeds, I found the only bout half of them had seeds in them, the other half I either found nothing, an immature seed, or a small white insect curled inside (think they are the pupae of the the weevil, you know how wasps are white when they are molting or developing from larvae to adults...you get my point right)? Anyways, I also hear that some people sown them in the fall or wintersow them, maybe my seeds were pre chilled? Let us know how it goes! Good Luck! Oh yeah, sorry bout the spelling mistakes, not a very good typer.

The pots are outside in the sun. I didn't cover the seeds with soil and I keep them moist. So far, nothing. I will give them a little longer and then try different seeds. I was planning on setting them out this fall, so I hope I can get them to sprout soon. Thanks for all your advice.

Alan, if you decide to sow some more seeds, you might try covering them with about 1\8" soil and don't put them in direct sun. I start mine this time of year in the shade of the eaves on the north side of the house. They gets lots of bright, indirect light but no direct sun that would cook them. Water daily so soil is slightly moist but not soggy.

OK...I'm a total idiot. I didn't realize that there were seed pods...I thought those were the seeds...so now I've removed the seeds from the pods and sowed them and now maybe I'll get some results.

I love you Alan. Have great success with your Hollyhocks.

oh my goodness so thats probablie why mine didnt come up to.thanks

I remember in First Grade we grew beans in a plastic baggies to learn about plants. I think there was a piece of napkin in the bag and the bag was kept in a sunny window and checked for water daily? I have a cat that is continually knocking over anything with water in it although he won't drink water from his own dish. Would this method work with Hollyhock seeds?