Content
Snapdragons may be brought forward from February
To prefer snapdragons, that is how it is done
Snapdragons are among the most attractive flowering plants that have been native to our gardens for several hundred years. Easy to care for, they are easy to grow and bloom beautifully in the first year after planting.
The seed procurement
Snapdragon seeds are available in every well-stocked garden shop. If you want perennial plants you should pay attention to buy the seed for "real" snapdragons when buying. F1 hybrids bloom very attractively and grow well bushy, but have spent after a year and are therefore not overwintered.
Alternatively, you can harvest seeds from your own snapdragon perennials. Again, it is true that there are "real" snapdragons because hybrid seeds form, but these are often not germinable.
The sowing
Already from February you can prefer snapdragons in the house. Self-harvested seeds need a cold stimulus and must be stratified. Mix the seed with some sand and put it in a plastic bag packed in the fridge for a few weeks. Here should be temperatures of about four degrees (measure!).
When sowing, proceed as follows:
Under these conditions, the seed often starts up six days later. But sometimes the snapdragon can also spend much more time, do not lose your patience. If no mold forms or decay destroys the seeds, even after three weeks the first cotyledons can show up.
The singulation
Once the seedlings have formed the second pair of leaves is piqued. Each snapdragon now gets its own pot in which the plant can develop vigorously.
Fill small flowerpots with substrate and press in a hole. Gently lift the seedlings out of the seed pots so that the small root balls are damaged as little as possible. Carefully insert the snapdragon, pour in and put the pots back in a warm and bright place.
Tips
Do not over-water the seedlings. Rotting is the most common reason seed does not germinate. The root ball should be kept moist but not dripping wet.