how the hell am I gonna grow poppys...

[Bram_]

Hello,
I recently tried to grow papaver somniferom 'persian white'.  I got the seeds to germinate and grow to be 2" tall.  But I can't get the seedlings to survive past 5 weeks.  Does anyone have any advice on growing?  These were grown indoor in a sunny window, how much should I water?  How much light should they get?  I live in the valley in Oregon.  Any tips would be nice.

Cheers,
Jamison

[meme]

Sounds like the might not have had enough light.   Did they look etoliated (tall) before they died?   I often find that getting enough light, but not too much, is what makes raising many seeds difficult.  Poppies are weedy, and need a lot of light.  I have seen them stay TINY even outdoors with a few hours too few sunshine.  How many hours a day did they recieve direct sunlight?  Indirect light is not enough. What side of the building is the window on?  

You should guerilla grow them!   What USDA zone are you in, Oregon varies iirc.


Edit:

Actually, poppies suck because they inspire opiate use in some people, and are illegal in the US <case law proving me wrong ??>   Screw that!  They are only pretty if they are sheltered from the wind, otherwise they look, well, like poppies .  They look like crap then and are worhtless as an ornamental imo

[Bram_]

The window is on the westside of the house.  The plants were a couple of inches tall when they died.  And the plants recieved about 1-4 hours of sunlight per day.  How many hours of sunlight would poppys need?  Thanks.


Jamison

[Stonehenge]

I've had them die on me when they were growing outside. I think i underferted them but who knows what it was? They grow weedy so there must be a way. I've grown them successfully before starting them in peat pots and putting them outside. But sowing seed on the ground resulted in not one sprout. Go figure.

If no one gets prosecuted for simple possession and only for lancing or processing them, then that is the only thing illegal no matter what the statutes say.

[JRL]

One to four hours is not near enough. Sow em outside in early spring. They seemed totally keyed to length of day when I grew em

[meme]

They require full sun, which is more than six hours per day.

[jokergrin]

The only time I've ever been successful in growing them, it was in a large 25-gal container sitting on my patio - south side of the house, blasted all day with full sun!  Other times, it's been partly sunny and they've done terrible.  
I have some Danish Flags coming that I can't wait to try growing.  Each bloom only lasts a day, so that's why they look weedy - use lots of hi-phosphorous fertilizer to encourage blooms...

[gwalchgwyn]

this gardener's experience with these ornamentals is that they don't do too well with low light nor high heat.  my companions, sown in the fall, are thriving outside now with night temps in the 20s (about 3 months of this) but mostly sunny days (low precip); by summer they crisp up & seeds ripen for the cooling fall; i give them the same space in the garden as the cool brassicas

[jokergrin]

this gardener's experience with these ornamentals is that they don't do too well with low light nor high heat.  my companions, sown in the fall, are thriving outside now with night temps in the 20s (about 3 months of this) but mostly sunny days (low precip); by summer they crisp up & seeds ripen for the cooling fall; i give them the same space in the garden as the cool brassicas

I've heard so many people talk about sowing P. som. seeds in the fall!  But I have never been successful in this.  So do they just form little rosettes in the fall and then continue growth in the spring?

[gwalchgwyn]

yes that's right: they need enough time to develop beyond the small seedling stage & then they hold tight at about 2-3 inches until spring when they burst.  these overwintering plants always produce more abundant flowers and robust growth than their spring-germinating relatives, which I believe is due to root growth during the winter.  but i suspect that the relative mildness of the winter has something to do with it as well (temps usually in the 20s & relative unsogginess between snows)

[jokergrin]

yes that's right: they need enough time to develop beyond the small seedling stage & then they hold tight at about 2-3 inches until spring when they burst.  these overwintering plants always produce more abundant flowers and robust growth than their spring-germinating relatives, which I believe is due to root growth during the winter.  but i suspect that the relative mildness of the winter has something to do with it as well (temps usually in the 20s & relative unsogginess between snows)

Very interesting...thanks for the info! This warrants another shot