a lesson in baptisia seed sowing

 A friend gave me some dried baptisia seed pods last fall, and about a month or so ago I liberated the seeds and refrigerated them.  I planted some on Monday afternoon, and by Wednesday morning they had already sprouted.  This was good and bad - I sowed the seeds in the little coir pellets I use for everything else, and didn't realize how large these seedlings would be.  I didn't push them in deep enough, and out of the 25 or so that germinated, about eight or nine were not even worth saving.  They emerged top heavy with stout stems, but they tapered to nothing and flopped over immediately.  The seedlings that appeared robust enough, I quickly transplanted into taller pots and buried them as deep as I dared. 

Only after they germinated did I research the conditions these seedlings prefer - they do not like to be transplanted often - they develop long roots - so I should have started them in tall pots to begin with.  I don't know if these will survive or not, but I have a bounty of extra seeds still in the fridge should I want to try again.  Lesson learned - KNOW YOUR SEEDLING!