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IgnorantOne
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P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings?
#26560992 - 03/27/20 11:32 AM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Title sort of states it all.
On year two of doing Hen's and Chick's. Last year was buckets and they did not do too well. This year I have a dedicated garden that gets full sun and I have 50+ seedlings sprouting already.
Per the usual, my seed dropping technique is crappy so I have clumps of seedlings in area and will need to cull them down. Two questions, at what height/age should I cull them and what is the spacing supposed to be? I think 6inc apart but possibly more, I forget.
TYIA for all answers. I have def researched this before but have forgotten since last year.
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openmind
curious


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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: IgnorantOne]
#26561258 - 03/27/20 02:10 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Just a heads up, there's a thread we have going specifically for poppies, check it out>>>
2020 Poppy Thread
Once the seedlings have a few sets of leaves I'll start to thin them out.
I don't thin out everything at once, but I do so over a 2 to 3 week period while they are small seedlings before they start to bolt and grow rapidly...I'll cull & thin out the plot/patch a little bit ever other day or so. I do it this way because I grow them in the ground and the young plants are susceptible to damage from all sorts of random things (insects, my dogs, slugs/snails, neighbors chickens, heavy rain/hail the weather, etc etc etc)...
...so I don't want to thin out everything at once just in case some of them are damaged/killed by other things I want to leave as many as I can in place until they start to bolt (if that makes sense, I'm kinda stoned & sleepy at the moment and don't know how to convey what I'm trying to say lol). That's just what I do though, not necessarily "the way" to do it.
Basically...once they have a set of true leaves it's fine to start to thin them out.
But shortly before they start to bolt and grow up rapidly, I'll do a final and thorough thinning and make sure they are spaced apart sufficiently.
As far as spacing goes....From what I gather, 8 inches minimum, 12 inches is ideal.
This is only my 2nd time around growing this plant. Last year the few I grew were a bit crowded...and the patch I have growing this year is also a bit crowded, some are only spaced about 6 inches, but they're growing up just fine.
-OM
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IgnorantOne
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: openmind]
#26561279 - 03/27/20 02:25 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Ty for your thoughtful and informative reply, I understood what you were saying lol. You have confirmed my thoughts, thank you again.
They are in a freshly turned garden so I am out there every few days to rip out weeds/grass that survived the soil turn.
So, just to make sure I am clear, wait until I start seeing the "lettuce" leaves appear, then put at least 8 inches between each seedling?
Side question: I make tea out of them, should I keep the whole plant and just shred it all or just the top 6-8 inches? I know goodies are throughout the plant but the type and amount of alkaloids change as you go down the plant.
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openmind
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: IgnorantOne] 1
#26561341 - 03/27/20 02:57 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
IgnorantOne said: Ty for your thoughtful and informative reply, I understood what you were saying lol. You have confirmed my thoughts, thank you again.
They are in a freshly turned garden so I am out there every few days to rip out weeds/grass that survived the soil turn.
So, just to make sure I am clear, wait until I start seeing the "lettuce" leaves appear, then put at least 8 inches between each seedling?
Side question: I make tea out of them, should I keep the whole plant and just shred it all or just the top 6-8 inches? I know goodies are throughout the plant but the type and amount of alkaloids change as you go down the plant.

If there's a bunch of baby seedlings clumped together in bunches, like in the 2nd pic from the left, I'll give them a pinch to cull & thin them out even when they still have their cotyledons.
But I mostly wait until they have a set or two of true leaves, like the 3rd pic from the left.
I don't think you have to wait at all really, you can start to thin them out as soon as they've germinated.
About using the whole plant or just the top/pods...That's something I've wondered about as well. I don't have a lot of experience working with this plant yet so I can't answer. I make tea as well, and when I did it last year I used the pod and about 8 to 10 inches of the stalk connected to the pod.
I've considered doing two "batches"...one with the pods/top of the stalks, and one with the foliage & rest of the plant. Mostly out of curiosity, just to see if the rest of the plant has a different alkaloid profile/feel to it.
-OM
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IgnorantOne
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: openmind]
#26561376 - 03/27/20 03:15 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Heard.
Wish I could grow enough to experiment with. Probably going to do two batches like you have suggested. Try one, then the other, and then mix them if it seems wise.
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Edited by IgnorantOne (03/27/20 03:16 PM)
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Allium
Registered: 03/16/20
Posts: 2,722
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: IgnorantOne]
#26561483 - 03/27/20 04:11 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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I have never thinned mine. I just let them do their thing.
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IgnorantOne
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: Allium]
#26561561 - 03/27/20 04:52 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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I have read that a lack of space adversely effects pod size/plant size.
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Allium
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: IgnorantOne] 1
#26561620 - 03/27/20 05:15 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Yeah it does.
I just always grew out so many that it was impossible to cull anything, haha!
This year I did some in pots, so I can space them, and see what happens.
I still have a ton that I just tossed in the flowerbed though.
Last year, I din't thin, and I still got huge blooms ,and multi podded plants though, so it's no exactly that necessary,
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IgnorantOne
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: Allium]
#26561711 - 03/27/20 05:57 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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That is rather interesting. I may start a third flower bed to test your process lol
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Allium
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: IgnorantOne] 1
#26561753 - 03/27/20 06:13 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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Here is what you get when you don't thin them.
I see nothing wrong with this picture at all 
I'm not saying not to do it, but it becomes an impossible chore for those of us who grow out many thousands of seeds.
Edited by Allium (03/27/20 06:13 PM)
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sacramentum
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Re: P. Somniferum, When to Cull Seedlings? [Re: Allium]
#26565275 - 03/29/20 01:04 PM (3 years, 9 months ago) |
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i love how round those pods are
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