I think we've all been vernalized!

Today we learned about vernalization, also called seed stratification.  We learned that we needed to do the vernalization (seed stratification) process on those milkweed seeds we received for our Monarch Waystation.

This is vernalization -

ver·nal·ize

  [vur-nl-ahyz] 

verb (used with object), ver·nal·ized, ver·nal·iz·ing.

to shorten the growth period of (a plant) by chilling or other special treatment of it, its seeds, or its bulbs.

But I found very little (that I could understand) until I did a search for "seed stratification."  Then I found this Wikipedia entry:

In horticulture, stratification is the process of pretreating seeds to simulate natural winter conditions that a seed must endure before germination. Many seed species undergo an embryonic dormancy phase, and generally will not sprout until this dormancy is broken.

This article explained it more in gardening terms than if I wanted to grow winter wheat, which I don't.  So our three kinds of milkweeds need to be seed stratified for several weeks, the Scarlet Sage needs to be seeded and kept indoors, and the rest can just be planted outside...after the danger of frost has past...maybe the middle of June this year?

First, here are some seeds we planted today.  The Scarlet Sage is on the far left, then Coleus, Rosemary, more Coleus, and Italian Basil.

This is covered with the plastic "greenhouse" lid now and has been soaking up sunshine all day.  Here's hoping for big things!

This seed stratification process is used to simulate winter for these seeds - like they were sitting down in the cold, damp ground all winter waiting to grow in the spring.  One way to do this artificially is to plant the seeds in some potting soil and keep it in the refrigerator.  It was understood that not everyone wants to keep potting soil in their refrigerator, so they have this paper towel method.  Soak a paper towel in water, lay out the seeds on it, fold it, compress it a little, put it in a plastic bag and then into the refrigerator.  We chose that method!

And again, hoping for big things!

Then as I was thinking about the word "vernalization" today, a word I had never heard of, I wondered if all of us in these northern "climes" had been a little vernalized this year.  Fifty to sixty  straight days of temperatures BELOW ZERO, not even below freezing, BELOW ZERO!  I was trying to remember if we even had any kind of a thaw this winter--January? Nope.  February? Nope.  March, yes for a day and a half and then back down below zero.  So here's hoping for a nice gradual warmup so we can ease our way out of our dormancy.  

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Then this afternoon on our way down to the Lake, we saw these strangers on the backwater area near the lake.  

 They looked a little lost, like they were either missing the rest of their geese friends or they're really wondering what happened to the water they should be swimming in right there.  The Flagg River right up that road was flowing freely, but this was still pretty frozen.  Maybe tomorrow!

I just heard geese honking overhead as I was typing this post!

Isn't spring great?