Rewilding My Lot

Despite having my seed germination environment a little too damp, after nine days I had 24 Texas Mountain Laurel seeds that were sprouting roots and 4 where I couldn’t tell their status.

The next step was to gently place them in soil so as not to damage the little roots, so here’s what I did.

I filled fresh 4″ pots with dry soil (FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil from Green Jay Gardens) to the rim (not packed). I poked a hole with my finger and dropped a seed in, root downwards.

I then gave each pot several taps on the ground, which caused the soil and seed to settle together.

After that I watered the pots well, which caused the soil to settle some more. It probably wasn’t necessary, given what happens in nature, but I did add a little sprinkle of extra soil on top of the seeds to help keep moisture in.

For a couple of reasons I’ve set up a temporary nursery in the house to take care of these babies. One is that we’re in the height of summer right now with daily temperatures at least in the 90s (F), and the other is that Genista Broom Moth caterpillars like to eat my Texas Mountain Laurel new growth and tender seedlings wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Most likely I’ll transition seedlings to outside in the fall.