How to Germinate Pansy Seeds

Pansies come in a wide range of patterns and colors.

Landscapers and gardeners prize the pansy, an annual plant, for its prolific display of colorful five-petaled flowers that often have a pattern reminiscent of a little face. Pansies come in a range of colors, from white to yellow, orange, red, blue, lavender or purple. The seeds of the flower germinate readily in the right conditions and can be started indoors or in a cold frame to provide pansies for planting in spring.

Things You'll Need

• Seed flat
• Sterile seed starter soil
• Black plastic bag
• Rubber band
• 3-inch plant pots
• Potting soil

Instructions

1. Fill a seed tray with a sterile seed starter soil. Sow the pansy seeds several to a cell within the tray. Cover the seeds lightly with around 1/8 inch of soil. Water the seeds lightly, yet thoroughly.

2. Place the seed tray in a black plastic bag. Punch several holes in the bag around the bottom of the tray to allow air to circulate. Seal the bag with a rubber band.

3. Place the tray in a cooler area of your home or in a cold frame outdoors. Water the soil regularly to keep it damp. The seeds should sprout within 10 to 20 days. Scale back watering after the seedlings emerge.

4. Remove the seed tray from the plastic bag once the seeds sprout. Remove all but the strongest pansy seedling from each cell in the seed tray.

5. Remove the pansy plants from the seed tray when each plant has two or three leaves. Plant each pansy in its own pot filled with a quality potting soil to grow until it is time to plant them in the garden.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant pansy seeds in the early spring before the last frost, for planting later in mid spring.

References

• Texas A&M University: Pansy
• Auburn University; Pansy; Dr. J. Raymond Kessler, Jr.
• Utah State University Cooperative Extension: Growing Pansies