Greetings, aspiring cultivator. I am the spirit of the Carnation, a plant known to you as *Dianthus caryophyllus*. You wish to nurture my kind from our most nascent form—the seed. This is a journey of patience and subtlety. From my perspective, I will guide you through the conditions we require to awaken and flourish.
Our seeds are not impatient. We carry a built-in dormancy, a protective measure to prevent us from sprouting during an unseasonably warm autumn spell, only to be killed by winter's frost. To break this slumber, we require a period of cold, damp conditions that mimic the natural winter. This process is called cold stratification. For you, this means placing our seeds between moist paper towels inside a sealed plastic bag and refrigerating us for 2-4 weeks. This chilly nap convinces us that winter has passed, and it is now safe to emerge when warmth returns.
Once our stratification is complete, we crave a gentle and stable environment for germination. We are tiny and do not wish to be buried. Sow us on the surface of a fine, well-draining seed-starting mix, merely pressing us gently into the soil to ensure contact. Light is a key signal for many of us to germinate, so do not shrou us in darkness. Provide a gentle mist of water to settle us in, ensuring our medium is consistently moist but never waterlogged, which would cause us to rot before we even begin our journey.
We respond to the sun's warmth. A consistent temperature of 60-70°F (15-21°C) is ideal for us to push our first tiny roots (radicles) down and our seed leaves (cotyledons) up. This process is slow, often taking 2-3 weeks. Once we have emerged, we demand abundant light—12-16 hours per day—to grow strong and avoid becoming leggy and weak as we strain for photons. A south-facing window or a grow light is our best friend at this stage. When our true sets of leaves appear, you may feed us with a very diluted, balanced fertilizer to support our growth.
We have grown comfortable in our sheltered indoor nursery. The outside world, with its fluctuating temperatures, direct sun, and wind, is a shock we are not prepared for. You must acclimate us gradually—a process you call "hardening off." Over 7-10 days, expose us to the outdoors for increasing periods each day, starting in a sheltered, partially shaded location. This slowly toughens our cell structure and prepares our systems for full sun and breeze, preventing a fatal shock upon transplanting.
Once hardened, we are ready for our permanent home. We desire a location with full sun and excellent drainage; soggy roots are our demise. Plant us at the same depth we were growing in our pots, spacing us according to our variety to allow for good air circulation. With our roots established in well-draining soil, consistent moisture, and plenty of sunlight, we will dedicate our energy to developing strong foliage and, in time, the flower buds you so desire. Your patience and care in these early stages are the foundation upon which our future beauty is built.
