Pansies germinate in 7 to 15 days in complete darkness at between 65 and 70 degrees F. I started mine this year (2016) on August 22 (zone 7a--northern Virginia) indoors and cranked down the thermostat on the AC for two weeks. I use a Metro wire shelving system with six, 48"x18" shelves, which support 20, 10"x20" flats that have 15, 4" pots in each flat. I reuse the pots, and soak them in bleach solution between uses. My growing medium is Miracle Grow house plant mix with moisture control. I've tried soil-less mixes before, and they tend to harbor molds. I have not ever sterilized my soil by baking, because the thought of putting soil in my home oven is something my wife isn't eager for me to do. I'm growing Frizzle Sizzle this year in several colors and a mix. I planted 2,500 seeds in 300 pots. I like robust growth that I can thin, if necessary. I covered each row of flats with black contractor plastic bags until day 8, when I approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the seeds germinated. This means some might not germinate, which is one of the reasons why I plant 2,500 seeds. I then removed the covers and turned on the grow lights. My lights are 6500s that are 4' long, 2-tube florescents. I suspend two parallel fixtures from the bottom of the next higher wire shelf, using lengths of wire coat hangers, which allow me to raise or lower the lights by moving the hooks on the coat hanger wires in or out on the next higher wire shelf. The lights are suspended about 2-3" above the tops of the 4" pots right now. Today (9/10), after almost three weeks, most of the seedlings are up with their first set of "true" leaves. I anticipate being able to transplant these 300 pots into my garden by mid to late October, immediately after I plant my bulbs. These pansies will be placed in the ground above the bulbs. Unless we have a very harsh winter, we can expect blooming throughout the winter, with a robust flush of blooms beginning in early spring, until we lift and dispose of the pansies to make room for next year's summer annuals. BTW: I plan on beginning snapdragons in late winter to plant with the pansies in early spring. The pansies will be my border plants, and staggered heights of snapdragons will be planted behind them. I've never tried this before, and I'm looking forward to a promising bloom this spring.
Pansies germinate in 7 to 15 days in complete darkness at between 65 and 70 degrees F. I started mine this year (2016) on August 22 (zone 7a--northern Virginia) indoors and cranked down the thermostat on the AC for two weeks. I use a Metro wire shelving system with six, 48"x18" shelves, which support 20, 10"x20" flats that have 15, 4" pots in each flat. I reuse the pots, and soak them in bleach solution between uses. My growing medium is Miracle Grow house plant mix with moisture control. I've tried soil-less mixes before, and they tend to harbor molds. I have not ever sterilized my soil by baking, because the thought of putting soil in my home oven is something my wife isn't eager for me to do. I'm growing Frizzle Sizzle this year in several colors and a mix. I planted 2,500 seeds in 300 pots. I like robust growth that I can thin, if necessary. I covered each row of flats with black contractor plastic bags until day 8, when I approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the seeds germinated. This means some might not germinate, which is one of the reasons why I plant 2,500 seeds. I then removed the covers and turned on the grow lights. My lights are 6500s that are 4' long, 2-tube florescents. I suspend two parallel fixtures from the bottom of the next higher wire shelf, using lengths of wire coat hangers, which allow me to raise or lower the lights by moving the hooks on the coat hanger wires in or out on the next higher wire shelf. The lights are suspended about 2-3" above the tops of the 4" pots right now. Today (9/10), after almost three weeks, most of the seedlings are up with their first set of "true" leaves. I anticipate being able to transplant these 300 pots into my garden by mid to late October, immediately after I plant my bulbs. These pansies will be placed in the ground above the bulbs. Unless we have a very harsh winter, we can expect blooming throughout the winter, with a robust flush of blooms beginning in early spring, until we lift and dispose of the pansies to make room for next year's summer annuals. BTW: I plan on beginning snapdragons in late winter to plant with the pansies in early spring. The pansies will be my border plants, and staggered heights of snapdragons will be planted behind them. I've never tried this before, and I'm looking forward to a promising bloom this spring.