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Nath

Papaver somniferum

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In the SAB store it has - Papaver somniferum Seeds (australian black food grade) 100g. Are these poppy seeds for eating or what? I am after GENIUNE Papaver somniferum seeds.. where would be the best place to get them? Im not after any variations like the pink peoppy as I already have pink ones coming from a friend. I am doing a display of them in my backyard, along with a few ponds and mango trees.. so I really want them all the same colour(red).

Thanks

Nath

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These 100g containers of poppyseed are for consumption. I have no idea if they are viable. (the $4 packs of seed are never more than 24 months old, so would be viable, although growing them is against the law, so we advise not to )

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Ok thanks, anyone know a good reliable source for P. somniferum seeds that will definately germinate? Herbalistics dont seem to stock them.. im still a bit confused, they are legal to grow, right? Just not to harvest/consume?

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We've just got a few new varieties in so we'll put them in the webstore in the next few days.

No, it is not legal to grow poppies. It is legal to possess and consume the seed, but it is not legal to grow the plant.

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Ok, thanks for clearing that up for me! I wouldn't want to do anything illegal. I have California poppy seeds which I bought from BIG W for growing.. they are currently 2 weeks since germination and are popping up nicely in my potting mix/rockwool soil/hydro mix. The ones which hit the rockwool clumps are noticably larger than the others.. Ill be doing more comparisons in the future with hydro and soil.. can't wait!~

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I'm fairly sure I was lucky, but my P. somniferum from SAB only took a week to germinate. Surviving was a different story :(

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Cool.. Im gonna order some Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds too so I might as well get it all from SAB! Did you do a grow thread on them at all, apothecary? Mind if I ask what happen? Are they hard to cultivate.. or could it be the climate? Im in WA, so its a good climate for them. My cali poppy seeds have been in the ground 17 days or so, and are cranking unbelievably.. they are in a soil/hydro mix.

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Don't ask! :(( Saddest story of my life.

After seeing the amazingly quick germination begin, the weather warmed up just long enough for ants to make one final pre winter trip out and steal all the ungerminated/half germinating seeds.

Which left me with only 3 seedlings out of the 10-20 I originally planted.

Then a few days later I came home and one had vanished! Simply gone :ph34r:

At this point I had a surprise germination, so back up to 3, and then 2 succumbed to that goddamned fungus which puts a kink in the stem so they fall over and die. :ana:

Eventually after almost losing the last one to lack of nutrient in the soil, it also succumbed to the fungus, and 3 weeks after germ, I had no seedlings.

:angry::ana::angry::ana::o:angry::ana::angry::ana:

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I had to edit my first reply as it wasn't too clear about which seed I was referring to.

Apothecary - rodents love the juicy new poppy shoots. One rat can easily eat dozens of 'hearts' in one night. The seems to be less palatable once the flower stalk shoots upwards.

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There are so many just coming into flower around the Perth metro area at the moment, Those lovely red flowers are just starting to straighten their stems. Ahhhhhh what a beautiful time of year!

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Apoth, I understand your sunken heart, its a wierrrrd feeling.

The time, was bout two months ago.

The setting, a beautiful day - one week from spring.

I checked them at lunch time; hmmm, two had falen over to stem rot/fungus. no worries still a good twelve.

I went to double english after lunch, extra boring and unproductive.

3 30, finish skool to find every single sprout on its side being over thrown by an unstobble bullshit fungus.

Well, I had to go to my after skool class (seriously) but nahh, not like this, nahh. But I had to go because we had a sac. So I did the sac and got to leave an hour and 1/2 early due to mitigating circumstances :D

plus I l8er found out I could replant. bout 50 sprouts. TWO SURVIVED THE FUNGUS, and are still surving.

My point is this is obviously a problem and I've never, ever read about any solution.

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That fungus is simply "damping off" there are ways to prevent it. Plant seeds well apart in seperate containers and water with dilute CHESHUNT COMPOUND or copper based fungicide. Alright?

By the way I live in the exotic northern island of UK and here it is legal to grow poppies. Ha.

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Poppies can be like tobacco in that you just throw and forget...don't be too woried.We get heaps of flanders' and some similar types brought here by the chinese diggers.

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No point growing any species of poppy in perth now

they are sown in late autumn to grow over winter ( to impressive sizes) and flower now through to november

if u plant before next april u will waste ur seed

in fact once in a spot if you weed out the grasses they often self seed every year in that climate.

(for legal to grow papaver spp. of course)

Cal poppy and mex poppy also prefer a winter growing period over there

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Yes a lady up the road has some of the BIGGEST poppies i have ever seen, she has such a beautiful garden at this time of year. Might have to go and have a chat with her

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:ana: Oh i know how ye all feel... I had a few little babys going, about 20 to start. After a few weeks the number was down to 5. Thats cool still 5. Then down to three, then two. Well all was well for months, two beautys powering on :D One with leaves over 15cm wide! And stood almost 50cm tall, and that was just in lettuce stage. Oh things were golden...then the slugs hit...almost demolished the smaller plant in a few days. I decided to spray with pyrethrum, something i must strongly recommend to everyone NOT TO DO :angry: I left the spray on for a few hours and hosed off. THe next day the slugs were back again, chomping away(i know they told all their friends about how good this new tucker was). Long story short, smaller plant dead. Bigger one a mere shadow of its former glory, and looking worse everyday. Just my advice to anyone planning on growing legal poppys next year, put fuc#ing heaps of snail pellets around them and dont use pyrethrum!

Trip Dr

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although growing them is against the law, so we advise not to )

Is that the growing of ALL poppies or just the psychoactive strains?

We have a double headed variety that grows in our front garden everyyear, and we allow it to because of its splendid flowers. I assumed it was legal because of its neutralised activity...

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Im looking forward to growing a new crop of poppies this year but I know what your talking about when it comes to seedlings dieing after thay germinate' all I do now is start them in pots and plant them into the ground when their big unuf to defend themself against nature.

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Hi Rev, I played my california poppy seeds just over 2 weeks ago.. and now the majority of them would've come up, and are growing fine.. im sure normal poppies will be ok for me to grow if I sow them soon, this week.

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Cal poppies like it hot and dry. Papavers don't.

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Cal and mexican poppies do ok in perth in either summer or winter though you get the biggest plants if they grow through the wetter season

in summer they are smaller with less foliage unles you irrigate

Papavers ive found are less adaptable

they really do not like the hot easterlies and scorching summer sun there

also if planted now most types will bold prematurely giving tiny tiny plants with smaller flowers

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also if planted now most types will bold prematurely giving tiny tiny plants with smaller flowers

Very much like planting cannabis, outdoors, in autumn.

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Ah makes sense.. they are in a greenhouse though so hope that makes a bit of difference.. there are large mango and avacado trees shading it also.a

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Cal poppies like it hot and dry. Papavers don't.

So growing p.somn in Afghanistan is out of the question, then T ? :D

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Do you have any idea how cold Afghan winters are??

Poppies need water and cool to grow, but love heat and dry to flower and seed. If they don't get the water and cool for their growth period then the crop will be extremely stunted. Afghanistan has very severe winters just as it has severe summers. Much of Afghanistan gets heavy frosts, snow and ice - especially the hills below the moutains, which is where most of the poppies are cultivated. The snow melt and spring rains make the plants grow to phenomenal size in March and April and then in about May or June as the summer heat hits the fields the harvest begins. By July/August the fields are usually finished.

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