Poppy Seeding
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Andrew
Posted on: June 01, 2004

I live in zone 6a, and I have just planted poppies for the first time (last week of May). I was wondering if I will see any flowers this year?

Most poppy seeds need to be moistened and then undergo freezing and thawing a few times before they will germinate. That is why we recommend sowing in fall or early spring. In your zone freezing in the last week of May is not very likely. You probably won’t see much germination this year, but if you can keep ants and birds from gobbling the seed, they should come up next spring. If you want plants this year, get another packet, mix it with fine sand, moisten the mix, put it in the freezer for the night and take it out for the day. Do this for a week and then surface-sow the whole thing and make sure to keep the seed bed moist- hard to do late in the growing season -- or the seeds will die. Mulching with evergreen branches should be a great help.

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