When you're raised in the nursery business, even when you leave, it never really leaves you. It's in the blood - there's always something being sprouted, planted, and watered at our place. The veggies are going bonkers and swamp mallows that I started from seed are looking like plants that might actually flower next year. This summer's project was a little coontie production area on the back step. I took some seeds from my parents' numerous coonties, soaked them for 24 hours to loosen up the orange seed coat, then scraped it off and planted the seeds.
This started out mostly as an experiment because I've never seen a coontie started from seed. A google search helped me with getting the seed coat off, but I couldn't find any reliable information about how to plant the seeds, so I put some on the surface, some halfway submerged, and some buried just under the surface.
Turns out they like to be on top or halfway in the soil, not totally buried. It took on average 3 weeks for seeds to sprout, although some were speedy and others are taking their sweet time.
Here, the speedy ones are just beginning to unfurl and put out baby coontie leaves at the tip of their shoots.
When I planted these seeds my expectations were low. I was hoping for one or maybe two to grow, but wasn't going to be disappointed if none did. Et voila, about 90% of them have sprouted at this point. Now I just have to keep them alive, then I'll have more coonties than I know what to do with. Maybe start a nursery? Just kidding!
In other news, Shadowfax felt that her coat was not providing her with adequate camouflage for sneaking up on squirrels, raccoons, and feral cats, so she invested in some greener camouflage. She calls it Real Grass Collar Camo.
