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# Plan to sow the seeds 10 to 12 weeks before your average last frost in spring. # Fill a shallow container or a flat with individual cells with a seed-starting mix. Moisten the mix and let it drain. # Sow seeds in rows in the container or 3 to 4 seeds per cell. Cover the seeds completely with 1/4 inch of the mix; press the mix down lightly and spritz the surface with water to moisten it and settle the seeds. Vinca requires total darkness to germinate; if light reaches the seeds, fewer of them will germinate. Cover the container with a sheet of black plastic or slip it inside a black plastic trash bag (instead of the usual clear plastic bag you use for other seeds, such as petunias and geraniums). If you can, set the container on a heating cable or mat to maintain a temperature of 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) in the media. # Seeds will germinate in one to two weeks. Immediately remove the plastic cover and place the container in your sunniest window or in a fluorescent-light garden. Grow the plants at 70 degrees F or higher. # Don't overwater or overfeed the seedlings. Remember that vinca is drought tolerant. Water when the planting medium dries, but before the plants wilt. Fertilize about 10 days after the seeds have germinated. Use a water-soluble fertilizer that is low in phosphorus (the second number on a plant food label: 10-4-3, for example) and preferably obtains most of its nitrogen (the first number on the label) from a source other than ammonium nitrate. # When seedlings are about 2 inches tall, snip off all but the strongest plant in each cell at soil level. Space plants in flats about 2 inches apart. Transplant them to individual 2-1/2-inch pots when they reach about 3 inches tall and have at least three to four true leaves. Provide good air circulation by not overcrowding the plants. # Provide high light levels, a southern window for example, to avoid "stretched" or leggy plants. # Fertilize again in two weeks. # Keep the plants indoors until soil and air temperatures outdoors are consistently above 65 degrees F. # Vinca branches naturally so you do not need to pinch out the growing tips to create a full, bushy plant. |
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