I ventured into growing peony seedlings in 2022 and have had some success and failures. Followed both the indoor and outdoor method from APS and I have a few questions that I'm hoping those with more experience can answer now that I'm starting my 3rd year of growing from APS seed exchange.
I prefer the indoor method because I think I learn better by observation. Many of the seeds will sprout during the first warm period even though the APS guide says they need a chill period to sprout. What should I do when these first roots appear before I've had a chance to chill them? Should I wait until I see leaflets before planting?
I'm also wondering about timing of the warm and cool period. I've been following the guide of 3 months warm then 3 months cold, which means it's sometimes hard to time when to move the seedling outdoors. Last year I had some seedlings sprouting roots in September after a warm/cold cycle. I grew them in pots indoors for three months, then moved the pots outside at the end of December to get another chill period. Doing a little digging this spring it looks like many of the seeds have perished and I'm wondering what I should have done differently.
Good news is 4/5 of my year two seedlings from "Hot Gates" are all starting to sprout. One looks to have died and I'm not sure if that's typical or if I should have done something different culturally.
Any advice is appreciated!
