poppies

[seedcorn]

When my folks brought some plants over, I inherited some poppies. Can't transplant them (they die), let them go to seed (picked the seeds when dry and spread them where I wanted them) and so far no luck in getting them started........But yet, they come up wild in my garden.......

What am I doing wrong? Do I need to harvest the seed and not try to sow them until spring? I've got an area where I'd love for them to take over.

 

[lesa]

I have had limited luck starting them in the spring, in a cold frame. You have just about given up on them, before they sprout. I suggest harvesting the seeds and trying them in the spring. I had a batch of them last summer and of course, their location is where the moles dug up all the ground. Not much hope now...Trying a few more in the cold frame, as we speak. Good luck!

 

[Catalina]

Here's an old thread about poppy planting http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=24701

I freeze or chill my poppy seeds prior to planting.

 

[seedcorn]

thank you, now I know to harvest seeds and wait till spring unless I want to freeze them first.

 

[vfem]

I transplanted mine.... and amazingly they are doing well in pots right now in the front yard and back deck. I have 2 kinds of poppies though, wild california poppies and some Flander's field poppies. This is my first attempt. My daughter crushed about 100 sprouts I had going in March, so I'm kinda bummed. I only managed to transplant the 5-6 she didn't kill.

I just noticed some poppy buds on the flander's poppies in the front pot... they are popping up between the tidal wave petunia I planted with them.

I would just chill the seeds and throw them out where you want them... probably cover them in bird netting to keep them out... don't poppy seeds to be grown laying on top of the soil and not buried?!

 

[Catalina]

thank you, now I know to harvest seeds and wait till spring unless I want to freeze them first.

Or you can sprinkle them in your garden in the Fall and let mother nature chill and freeze them during the winter.

I have about 50 million poppy sprout volunteers in my garden this year, because I didn't have the heart to kill any last year and every flower bloomed and spread their seeds everywhere.

Once they start growing you can't get rid of them!

 

[insiderart]

Yeah spread the seeds where you want them when they ripen in the pods. Of if you want to harvest the seed and freeze it, the rule of thumb is to plant "poppies in the snow". If it doesn't snow in your area, then a really cold time.

 

[seedcorn]

We have snow. I've scattered the seed but probably at the wrong time of the year. If any come up this year, I'll harvest the seeds and scatter them after freezing them.