| Sowing
instructions L-M (sorted by scientific name) |
Lagerstroemia
indica - Crape MyrtleUse
well draining soil mixture, barely cover the seeds. Keep lighty moist,
warm and in full sun. Fertilize monthly
Lathyrus
latifolius - Everlasting Pea Lathyrus odoratus - Sweet pea
Soak the seeds in cold water for two hours before sowing speed
germination. Sow to late winter to early spring ¼in deep in
a good, free draining, seed compost. Make sure the compost is moist but
not wet and seal in a polythene bag until after germination which
usually takes 10-21 days at 55-65F. Any seeds that don't germinate
after this period can be dug up lightly filed to make a small scratch
on the seed coat and replanted.
Lavatera
trimestis - Rose Mallow
Barely cover a couple seeds in a 3" pot, or plant outside after all
danger of frost. Seeds germinate in 7-12 days at 60-70F/15-21C. After
hardening off, transplant to full sun and average soil, planting at
least a foot apart; rich soil will mean many leaves and few flowers
with this plant. Flowers can be pink, rose, or white, are satiny and
often striped and bloom July till fall. Deadhead for more blooms. The
neat little Fairy cheese (fruit) will contain 12 seeds for planting
next year in a different spot.
Leontopodium
alpinum - Edelweiss
Leontopodium
palibinianum - Edelweiss
Sow seeds surface at 65-72ºF. Light needed for best results,
germinates in 5-10 days. Easy.
Lepidium
meyenii - Peruvian Maca
You can plant maca during the whole year, but fastest results you''ll
get when you plant at the begin of spring when it''s still cool. Sow
surface and just push the seeds by hand a bit into the soil. Keep soil
moist and cool. They''ll germinate very quickly and you can transplant
them to their final location when they are a couple of inch tall.
Harvest after appr. 6 months. Maca is very frost tolerant and will
survive even in cold climates.
Lilium
amabile - Lily
Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame.
Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks. Great care should be taken in pricking
out the young seedlings, many people prefer to leave them in the seed
pot until they die down at the end of their second years growth. This
necessitates sowing the seed thinly and using a reasonably fertile
sowing medium. The plants will also require regular feeding when in
growth. Divide the young bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 in
each pot, and grow them on for at least another year before planting
them out into their permanent positions when the plants are dormant.
Lilium
formosanum - Philippine Lily
Sow at 50ºF, germinates in less than two weeks
Lilium
pardalinum - Panther Lily
Sow in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring. Stored seed will
require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being
about 2 months long. Grow on in cool shady conditions. Great care
should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people leave
them in the seed pot until they die down at the end of their second
years growth. This necessitates sowing the seed thinly and using a
reasonably fertile sowing medium. The plants will also require regular
feeding when in growth. Divide the young bulbs when they are dormant,
putting 2 - 3 in each pot, and grow them on for at least another year
before planting them out into their permanent positions when the plants
are dormant
Lilium
regale - Royal Lily
Cold stratify for 8 weeks. Then sow 1/4 inch deep in quality gardening
soil and place them in room temperatur until they germinate (4 days-5
weeks). Keep soil moist. After germination grow seedlings under
growlight or on a sunny window. Keep them inside for 3-4 weeks.
Transplant them outside in a cold enviroment after this initial growth
period. Alternatively you can directly sow them outside in fall.
Lilium
Tigrinum - Tiger Lily
Sow 1/2 inch deep in well drained soil mix in late fall.
Lithops
- Living stones
Sow surface when day
temperatures are around 70-80 degrees and night tempertures
still below 60 degrees on a laom sand mix and push slightly on
to the soil. Don't cover the pot with Plastic, they need good
ventilation at any time. Keep soil slightly moist, Expose 13-14 hours
to bright light, help eventually with a growing light. Make sure, the
night temperatures are not over 60, because they will only germinate if
they have a warm / cold circle. Germinate easily
Lonicera
tataria - Tatarian honeysuckle
Soak seed in room temperature for 24 hours. Place soaked seeds in a
small plastic bag or container filled with slightly moist sterilized
peat moss or vermiculite that has been sprayed with a fungicide
product. Place bag or container in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
Check seeds periodically as germination may occur while in the fridge.
If this occurs, immediately move on to sow them 1/8 inch deep in good
soil and place container in a room about 70 degrees. Keep soil mixture
moist. After germination, grow seedlings in bright light, preferably
under grow lights. Keep seedlings only 3-4 weeks inside unless you have
a cool environment with bright light. Transplant to larger container
outside or in a cold frame after this initial growth period.
Luffa
cylindrica - Sponge Gourd
Sow February to May. Soak seed in warm water for 2 hours before sowing.
Germinate singly in pots, at 68-86F on the surface of a good free
draining, damp seed compost. Apply a sprinkling of compost or
vermiculite, ¼in thick. Place in a propagator or seal
container inside a polythene bag until after germination which usually
takes 7-21 days. Do not exclude light at any stage as this is
beneficial to germination.
Lunnaria
biennis - Money plant
Sow after the average last frost for bloom the following spring.It's
not recommended to start them inside, because they do not transplant
well. Space seeds 1" and barely cover them. Germination occurs between.
14 - 20 days.. When 1" tall, thin to 12" to 15" apart.
Lupinus
succulentus - Arroya Lupine
Lupinus
texensis - Texas Bluebonnet
The best is to plant them in late winter just after the ground has
thawed since the cold helps them sprout. If planted in the fall some
seeds will sprout in the fall while most will come up in the spring. To
get them going in late spring or summer soak them in water overnight,
this will make the seeds swell up and start the growth of the seed.
Transplanting is said to be difficult but the sources say that small
plants can be easily moved if you keep a lot of soil around the roots.
This has not worked well for me, and i use egg boxes to start the
seeds, one in each whole, cut the box in 12 pieces once the seedlings
show up and plant the whole little pot into the ground. The egg boxes
will rotten by the time and keep cutworms away from the young roots.
Magnolia
grandiflora
stratified
seeds may be sown in late winter or spring. Spring sowing appears to be
best in areas where depredation by rodents is a serious problem. The
sown seeds should be covered with about 0.25 in of soil and mulch
should be kept on the beds until all danger from frost is past. The
emerged seedlings need half shade during much of their first summer.
Michelia
champaca - Joy perfume tree
see Cananga odorata
Mimosa
pudica - Sensitive plant
Cover the seeds with very hot water and let soak overnight or until
they swell. Pick out those that didn''t swell and repeat this process
with them. Sow swollen seeds immediately in seeding mix, covering with
two to three times their thickness. Do not over water or allow to dry
out and provide good drainage and bright light. It should germinate
within a few days with pretreatment. Do not over water and keep
humidity low or fungal problems may occur.
Mirabilis
Jalapa - Four o' clock
Sow seeds directly into the garden just before the last frost in your
area. Cover seeds with 1/4" of soil. Space plants 12 inches apart and
thin to two feet apart. Four O''Clock prefer full sun, but will
tolerate partial shade. Note that in partial shade they may grow lanky.
They will do well in rich, well composted soil as they are big eaters.
Keep soil moist. Add a general purpose fertilizer once or twice a month
to encourage vigorous growth.
Murraya
paniculata - Orange Jasmine
Scarify seeds with sandpaper, just a little bit to let the water penetrate better. Soak seeds in warm water for 3-4 days. Then sow 1/4" deep in standard potting mix at 70-80 degrees. Keep soil moist at all times, cover with a clear dome or plastic sheet. Germinate within a week.
Musa
chesmanii, sikkimensis,
velutina,
ornata, nagensium, Musella
lasiocarpa
Sowing Instructions: Sow any time of year
after soaking the seeds for 24 hours in luke warm water. Use a peat
based seed compost and sow 6mm (¼in) deep. After sowing,
seal the seed container inside a polythene bag in order to keep the
compost moist. Germination is slow and erratic and can take 1-6 months
at 80F.
Growing Instructions: As each seed germinates,
transfer it to a 3in pot of good free draining compost taking care not
to damage the fragile roots. Pot on as required, the larger the
container the larger the plant will grow.
Aftercare Instructions: Grow on in warm well
lit conditions. During summer they can be stood outside or planted in
the border but should be brought into well lit frost free conditions
for the winter until plant is fully established. Keep moderately dry.
Some discoloration of the leaf ends may occur through the winter
months, but this won''t harm the plant. After 2 years winterhardy
plants can stay outside.
