An added bonus is that the pots are big enough to accommodate many primulas for a full growing season, allowing me to delay repotting until the young plants are larger and more robust. I use 4”Wx4”D plastic pots these square pots fit nicely into nursery flats and don’t dry out quickly. Each label has the primula name, source, brief description, some cryptic cultural notes, and the date sown. ![]() Nowadays I automate the process by using clear laser address labels on plastic plant markers. As I often sow more than a hundred pots of seed in a year, making plant labels is a tedious task. I prepare my plant labels using the information from the spreadsheet. In the process, I also gain some hints that may help me grow the primulas on more successfully. In the spreadsheet, I include a plant’s cultural requirements as an easy reference for when it comes time to pot up or plant out. I use a computer and spreadsheet for this, as they suit my needs well. It is to record what I am planting plus the seed source and other pertinent details and to make my labels. The very first step I take in sowing seeds is not to prepare pots or sprinkle seed. Any seeds received after the first of March are stored for fall sowing in screw-topped jars in a refrigerator (not freezer) to keep them cool and dry. I sow primula seed as soon as it is received to take advantage of the cool, damp weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Society seed exchanges are excellent sources of Primula species and usually ship seeds to their members in early January. In general, though, most primulas are relatively easy to germinate if the seed is fresh or has been stored with care. ![]() Luckily, I started with Primula japonica, a candelabra that is an easy and reliable grower. My methods have evolved over time as I learned techniques shared by other growers. I have been growing primula species from seed for the past 15 years. Yes, dramatic! Think of the joy of watching your seedlings come up, the wrath toward pests that tromp through your precious seed pots, the anguish accompanying the dreaded words “damping off”, the triumph of seeing mature plants that you’ve grown from tiny seeds! Growing primulas from seed is rewarding for several reasons: seed packets are an economical way to produce a large number of plants seeds are often the only way to acquire some primula species and finally, seed growing can be quite dramatic. ![]() (Taken from Primroses Quarterly, Spring 2007 Vol.
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