TIRED OF WAITING
by Theresa Farris
March 23, 2010
K/1 students were tired of waiting for spring to show itself, so they took to the greenhouse (along with the help of Mrs. Smith) to get a jump on planting flowers we will need to put in our butterfly garden. When we return from spring break we should be able to see the fruits of our labor (so to speak). Most of the seeds should germinate within 7-10 days. We also had several seeds that had to have special treatment known as cold stratification, or chilling, before planting to assure germination will occur.
Cold stratification mimics the natural seasonal changes needed by some seeds to ensure germination in the spring. The seeds can be placed in damp soil and stored in a cool place to chill for the recommended time. We placed a variety of milkweed seeds in soil and placed them in a baggy in the refrigerator. These seeds will be ready to plant the second week in April.
