How I Winter Sow Native Plant Seeds - VA Bluebells, Woods Reed Grass, Carex Grisea, VA Strawberry

[@ChristinaRBell]

I'm dying to see the trailer hitch tamp down method:)

[@ninetypercentnative]

You know you gotta do what you gotta do!

[@gaillarkin7409]

Enjoyed another informative video. I especially like the little VA strawberries.

[@ninetypercentnative]

I am hoping to get more to harvest this year. I figure if I plant enough the birds won't eat them all! :)

[@amerwine]

So glad I found your channel! I myself in PA zone 6a just finished all my winter sowing. All natives! I’m at 95% native and hope to have my property certified this year. Thanks for your videos!

[@ninetypercentnative]

me too! Which certification are you doing? I did Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary and learned so much from the experience. Would love to hear more about your projects! :)

[@amerwine]

@@ninetypercentnative I looked at a variety of certifications, going for Penn State master gardener certification. I meet all the qualifications but need to send photos and videos to complete the application. Have to wait to get some good pictures, everything covered in snow. Good luck with your sowing, this is my third year winter sowing with great success.

[@ninetypercentnative]

@@amerwine Awesome! Good luck, that will be so much fun! I have my application in for the spring session of the master naturalist program here in VA. Hope to hear back from them soon!

[@triciaratliff3366]

What a great video! Packed with so much useful information about multiple options. Thank you. (I'm sharing this link)

[@ninetypercentnative]

Awesome, thank you! I gotta get going on seed for this season...I am soooo behind!

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

I'm going to try that freezer/fridge cycling thing, that sounds doable! I've had a really hard time with germination this year, I am growing a couple of natives in the carrot family that just will not germinate -- Lomatium urtriculatum and Perideridia oregana, which I really want but it seems like all of my seeds have been duds this year or just my stratification has been too flat with one temperature (I've just put them in the back of the fridge all winter).

[@ninetypercentnative]

Hi Hayley! The Lomatium urtriculatum looks very similar to the Golden Alexander/Zizia Aurea that is native here on the east coast. One of my favorites! Have you tried putting them outside in the fall and just letting mother nature take care of the stratification. I get the best results with that method. You may already know this, but native take so much longer to germinate than like cutting flower seeds or veg. I am going to be planting out some of the VA bluebells that I sowed in this video. I kept them in their flats an extra year. Hoping you get some little seedlings soon!!!

[@heidijasper5915]

Can you show where and how you cold stratify outdoors? Which side of the house? Do you have a box to protect the seeds from critters?

[@ninetypercentnative]

Hi Heidi! I will definitely have a video of that in November. In the mean time though, what I do is a make my soil, and I have deep cell plug flats that are falling apart but I have been using for years. I use the deeper containers for my natives because they stay in their cells for a lot longer than like the cutting flowers and vegetables. I sow seeds on the top of the soil, cover with coarse vermiculite or poultry grit maybe soil depending on the seed, tamp it down a bit for good seed contact with the soil and soak a few hours to overnight in a flood tray. I have two frames my husband built for me that has chicken wire on the lids so I can keep the squirrels and chipmunks out. I put all my flats and containers in there. They are just out in the open. Before I had the chicken wire to cover the frames I would use deer fencing over the top and secure with bricks. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

[@willyarnold7810]

With the carex how many seeds do you put in each little container?

[@ninetypercentnative]

Hi Willy! I over seed. I don't do a specific amount but I am thinking I probably sprinkle in about 10..? .