Seed Starting Begonia and Foxglove

Glad to already have some seed trays I cleaned but didn't use from last season.

Starting 3 types of begonias all in the same tray. They won't be labeled so hopefully I can identify them when they get their true leaves. I've grown Big Red and Bada Bing before so I should be able to tell which is which.

Filled each tray with Jiffy seed starting mix.

Didn't sit them in a tray of water but used a spray bottle to wet each cell until water ran out the bottom then poured off the excess. I used warm water. Sowed all 20 pelleted seeds of Illumination and Big Red and 3 in each cell of Bada Bing. Begonia have taken at least a month in the past to germinate for me. Pressed each seed so it made contact with the soil and spritzed to wet the coating of the pelleted seeds. The seedling starts out very tiny and may be hard to see. Seeing the seeds germinate is the funnest part for me although I'll have to wait a while to see the begonias.

Sowed them all. That may not have been a good thing. I get overwhelmed with too many seeds in a tray. Sprinkled them on the top of a tray not sown in individual cells. Then lightly covered with seed starting mix and spritzed with water.

Plugged in the heating mat to warm it up. It should be warm before unrolling so I don't damage the heat coils in the mat. I got this several years ago from Hydro Galaxy. There are other alternatives to bottom heat including the top of a warm refrigerator or furnace or other appliance that has a warm surface. According to the seed packages for the begonias, bottom heat aids germination. What have I learned from growing them before. Although they take a long time to germinate, the grow bigger each day and are very hardy. They like humidity and I keep the humidity dome on them most of the time with some ventilation until they're a good size. During the summer, I bought taller domes for when they grow larger.

Placed on the warm mat. Florescence lights are on. I keep them on all night and turn off in the morning. My seedlings normally get about 14 hours under light.

Wanted to start them first instead of foxgloves but it took me a while to remember where the seeds were. They've been in the refrigerator for months to mimic a period of cold called stratification. Some seeds need a period of cold before they germinate.

Amaryllis Marilyn is trying to open. No, not yet. It isn't Christmas.  Hopefully the buds will continue to increase in size before opening.