[Anton]

Thanks for the reply. What's the weather like in your part of the world, as compared with the UK? I am Belgium so the climate is much the same, just a bit warmer than across the channel.

[Subversive_plot]

Anton, our weather has been more up-and-down than usual this year.  Today it's 26 C, partly cloudy, with some rain coming in (more or less normal for this time of year). A little over 2 weeks ago, I was covering plants outdoors due to freezing weather over night (highly unusual for this time of year, at least here!).  The good news is that storms have been milder than usual; relatively few tornadoes (touch wood!  ).

In a month or so, it will start to get hot, with high temperatures over 30 C (and possibly over 40 C) through at least September.

[Anton]

Wow! Tornadoes!  We had 40° C here for a couple days about three years ago.  I just stayed inside. It was absolutely unbearable. Impossible to go outside.

(I meant to say "I am in Belgium" not "I am Belgium).

Anton

[Subversive_plot]

Wow! Tornadoes!  We had 40° C here for a couple days about three years ago.  I just stayed inside. It was absolutely unbearable. Impossible to go outside.

(I meant to say "I am in Belgium" not "I am Belgium).

Anton

Tornadoes are something we always need to be aware of, but especially in the spring.  We have had tornado warnings here, close to where I live, earlier this year (warning equals a funnel cloud sighted,or confirmed on radar).  Tornadoes are usually associated with strong cold front storms.  There are public alerts, including a siren system, and warnings through various phone apps are available (which is what I rely on).  The odd thing about tornadoes is that you can have devastating damage where the tornado strikes, but a few hundred feet away might have little if any damage.

During the hot months (June to September), we routinely have daytime high temperatures of 30 to 37 C, and occasionally hotter.  40 C is rare, but does happen from time to time, the highest I have personally experienced is 43 C, in June!  In my younger days, I worked more outdoors, including some days in east Texas in temperatures as high as 105 F (41 C). 

[Anton]

So to recap.
I have used three packets of Crimson Crush seeds (each containing 10 seeds). The first attempt with the first packet (bought last year but expiring next year, I think) yielded three plants. Fearing incompetence on my part I got my wife to sow the next packet. Nothing at all came up. With the final packet (like the previous one bought this year) I took your advice and chitted them. Four of the seeds started to sprout so I put them in a pot (that was on 4 May), the other four are still in my "chitting box" and showing no sign of sprouting, the four in the pot have still not surfaced!

Anton

[JayG]

Can't comment about the viability of your seeds, but hopefully worth pointing out that, assuming the few plants you have survive, you can easily root the side shoots when you remove them to produce more plants.

[Anton]

Thanks.

Anton

[Subversive_plot]

Sorry to hear your troubles with Crimson Crush.  The only suggestion I have left is to put the potted ones somewhere a little warm?  Maybe 70 to 80 F (21 to 27 C)?

[Anton]

Thanks for the advice.

[steven c]

i dont know how your starting them we use electric propagator i think they would benefit from bottom heat might be late in season now we started in january   good luck.

[Anton]

Thanks for your reply. I just sowed them in pots and put them under a window in the attice. I have been doing this for years and they have all been successful. I have always had too many plants.