New seeds (flower, nursery, northern, cold)

[RUBIES77]

I planted new seeds indoors. Should I cover them with plastic? Thank you,

[paperhouse]

Until they sprout, yes. It'll help hold in moisture. What'd you plant?

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by paperhouse

Until they sprout, yes. It'll help hold in moisture. What'd you plant?

It is a long story: Sometime ago I visited Newport, Rhode Island and saw this beautiful Rudbeckia flower by a mansion by the ocean, with very long petals, the heads are about 4 iches, and about 24 inches long. I have Rudbeckias home, but this one was of a different variety, and it stood out.

Upon my return home, I researched a multitude of varieties with no luck. There are over 1,000 varieties of Rudbeckias. So, I decided to go back to Newport and ask every garden store that I could come across, if they knew about the plant I was describing. Again, no one could identified it.

So, I decided to go back to the mansion, and wait until I was able to see signs of humans. I finally did speak with the owner of the home, and she was so gracious to give me two plants, but she was not sure of the specific name: One was from a different species of Rudbeckia, and the other one turned out to be, when it finally flowered, the one I saw the first time! I was so elated and grateful to this homeowner, and since then, I return to Newport, every year without fail.

It turned out to be an annual, which I suspected it, since not many people had it there. The name is Indian Summer, and I bought some Rudbeckia seeds from Pinetree Seeds, and planted them side by side. That is how I finally found out the name of it......and I love it!!!!!!!!

[citydweller]

I also noticed those in a nursery magazine I received the other day. Also, online I just read they will reseed so that should keep you going. Good luck!

[azoria]

Originally Posted by RUBIES77

I planted new seeds indoors. Should I cover them with plastic? Thank you,

I wouldn't.

It is a good thing to keep the soil evenly moist when sprouting seeds, which means the soil surface should not dry out. But covering the trays with plastic impedes air circulation which invites a host of other problems, damping off being the most serious effect of reduced air circulation. Damping off will kill the seedlings very quickly, as soon as they sprout and send up a shoot, they will keel over and die.

I usually have access to a greenhouse for starting seeds, so I'm lucky. When I don't, I start them outside in a flat with a permeable covering. Wooden frame with plastic insert that can be raised from the surface of the flat, I've used old windows--but to seal the seed flats in plastic is to kill the seedlings surely (I've tried it, I know). You must have air flow while retaining heat and humidity.

In northern climates many folks use coldframes. Cold frame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia