Seed Viability,

[Johnboy]

My Chives have somehow lost their vigour and need replacing. A friend had some very sturdy plants that had gone to seed so I took some seeding heads on Thursday morning. I threshed and cleaned up the seed in the afternoon and at about midnight I decided to test their viability and sowed a pinch of seed into a 9cm pot and then scored the top across and then down and lightly tamped it and as the compost was already moist I decided not to actually water them. It is now 26 hours since I did that and to my surprise have just noticed these regimented lines of seeds almost a quarter of an inch high. I suspect that they are not planted deep enough so I have just very carefully put a layer of damp vermiculite (seeding grade) over the top.
This means that the seeds have germinated in less than 24 hours so I suspect that they a viable!
JB.

[glallotments]

You must have become one who gardens according to the moon and got the phase just right for chives!

[alan refail]

Hi JB

All of us of a certain age remember that

Bayleaf.JPG (13.86 KiB) Viewed 3363 times

was very good with

chives.JPG (13.39 KiB) Viewed 3363 times

[Nature's Babe]

I usually find, digging up the clump and splitting into small clumps and replanting reinvigorates them

[Johnboy]

Hi NB,
This has been done many times over the years but somehow the strain seem to have lost its vigour. Time to start afresh.
I make a fair amount of potato salad every year and from about 20 clumps I sometimes struggle to find enough chives to cut.
Hi Glallotments,
The seed has come from a garden where the chives have never been cut and the person never grows anything for himself. I suppose nature could sow by the moon but I would rather put it down to total neglect.
JB.