How to Germinate a Four O'Clock Seed

Four o'clock flowers (Mirablis nyctaginea) are upright perennials reaching 4 1/2 feet in height. Thick, deep roots anchor this shrub-like plant in the ground. The green, triangular leaves are 3 inches long with a white vein down the center. Trumpet-shaped flowers bloom from July through September. The pink, purple, red, yellow or white flowers open up in the afternoon and close again in the evening. The egg-shaped seeds are large, hairy and gray-brown with five raised stripes down the sides. With correct handling, four o'clock seeds germinate within two weeks.

Saucer
Small container
Soap
Water
Bleach
Potting soil
Sand
Spray bottle
Plant pot

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a clean saucer with room temperature water and submerge the seed in the water. Place the saucer in an out-of-way place and let the seed soak overnight. In the morning, the seed should be swollen and well watered.
- 2
  Wash a small container with soapy water and rinse in one part bleach mixed with nine parts water. This process sterilizes the container by eliminating lurking insect pests and plant diseases.
- 3
  Mix together one part potting soil with one part clean sand to create a quick draining soil mixture that holds enough moisture for seed germination. Fill the container with the soil mixture 3/4 full. Leave the soil loose and do not compact it down.
- 4
  Lay the four o'clock seed on top of the soil. Cover the seed with 1/4 inch of sand. Mist the soil with water from a spray bottle of room temperature water. Keep the soil moist while the seed is germinating.
- 5
  Turn the plant pot every day after the seed has sprouted to keep it growing straight. Transplant the seedling into a larger container once it reaches 2 to 4 inches tall. Plant the young plant outside once all danger of a spring frost is passed.

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