Becky, your instructions are so easy to understand and follow. Anyone intimidated about growing daylilies from seed should find themselves saying "I can do that!" after reading your article. The information is just as pertinent today as it was a year ago. Well Done!

Vickie - THANK YOU!

This method works very well for me. I hope it does for others, too!

Becky, these intructions are wonderful! You have the perfect number of pictures to help with the step-by-step process and I love how you explained the use of H202 in the process. Very well done! I plan to follow your instructions once my seed pods have finished forming, but so far they are still pretty green. I imagine I have another few weeks to go before most of them are ready. And thank you for clarifying how far under a light the seedlings should be--that helps!

I do have to admit, though, that I cringed when you said you use Styrofoam cups...aside from the impact on the landfills, it is my understanding that they release toxic gases when they are broken. I'm not so sure I would use them in lieu of perlite because they might be adding toxins to your soil. I did a quick search if I could find an article to explain the toxic gas release, but I found one that talks about it's deleterious effects on the water supply, instead: http://www.green-4-u.com/2008/... (I love your post! I'm just concerned that if so many people follow your instructions--like I plan to!--they will also do the Styrofoam thing without realizing how harmful it is.)

Believe me, THAT was a big concern for me too.

The reason I wound up using them though is ...

I germinate my seeds through the Winter. I have all the cups in the small plastic shoe boxes on a window sill so that once they start germinating, the warm sunlight will help them grow. At night in the window, it gets rather cold. The styrofoam seems to help insulate the plants and holds some of the warmth from the day through part of the night. That way the young seedlings don't get so cold that they stop growing or worse possibly die. Daylilies are hardy though, so that might not be a valid concern.

Also ... I have used paper cups and they deteriorate rather quickly. And have used plastic cups that I have found are often difficult for me to get the seedlings out of the cup without completely disturbing the roots. The styrofoam cups are much more flexible and easier for me, personally, to remove the dirt with roots in tact when I am ready to plant them out in the garden.

I experimented with different containers and the styrofoam won out for all these reasons. And I am NOT one who wants to further pollute the earth. That is why I mentioned in another comment NOT to use the deteriorating shredded cups in pots with edible plants! I do think they are toxic.

I will say that I get 3 growing seasons of use out of each styrofoam cups. I make them last for the reason that they are likely bad for the environment.

If anyone comes up with a better alternative to use, I would love to know about it!!!

I use the cheap, single sized yogurt containers from Krogers (not the Yoplait which are angled wrong). Then poke a few holes in the bottom, the sides are slick, you can write on them and re-use for a long time. I also use cottage cheese containers as plant starters. All are durable, light weight, easy to store when you aren't using them and "squeezable" to assist in removing the new plants.

thanks Paul for posting the idea of using yogurt cups. I could have a good supply if I start washing them up! I have the single and family size.

Thank you so much for these instructions. I live in Indiana and have multiple times tried starting the seeds outside to no avail. In my mind I assumed that since the plant grows so well in this area that they would survive winter. Not so much. Trying your method now. Hopefully, I will now produce viable starts. I am getting older and am trying to get as many perennial plants in my one acre garden as I can before I retire. Appreciate your easily understood instructions.

Slsmith191 - Welcome to NGA! I gave you an acorn tip to help you collect acorns for the raffles featured on this site many months out of the year. (There is an August raffle starting later tonight.)

Thank you for checking out my article! I hope you have some great results trying my method to start plants from seeds! You might also want to check out my other article on how to make a Grow-Light Shelving unit for plants:
https://garden.org/ideas/view/...

I love being able to find advice when I need it. I have a wonderful daylily that formed a seed pod this year. I would love to have more, even it they are hybrids of beautiful lilies around it. I lost the names but more importantly, not the plants..

Your suggestion about peroxide is a great idea. I'm going to try it on my orchids ( I just have 2 left so what the heck). It probably kill off the fungus that seems to be everywhere around here. Mushrooms come up all the time. I may try that in certain spots in my outdoor garden too. Maybe just right where the mushrooms come up.

Pearlite is a volcanic rock heated to a very high temperature. I don't know for sure, but I would bet the environmental impact of Styrofoam and pearlite in total might be pretty much the same. We used to use vermiculite. I don't see that any more and that is nice. It was rich in asbestos. I'm glad I didn't have money to insulate my attic before I found out! I don't know what volcanic rock is used but I will find out.

Absaroka2001 - to NGA! Glad you like my article. Good luck with your Daylily seeds. I hope the peroxide works as good for you as it does for me. Sharing an acorn with you to welcome you to this great forum.

Think your method is fool-proof as I did this in last couple weeks of August and all but two of 20 cups have produced plants!
Should I bring them in and place in a window just before we get our first frost here in Tennessee? Wasn't sure how you handled them from Fall until Spring???
Thanks much for your work and have joined the NGA.

Yes, bring them in and place them in a sunny south window if you can before frost hits. Young seedlings will often succumb to freezes because they haven't yet developed a large and extensive root system.

to NGA!