Question
QUESTION: Is it safe to assume that if a plant is identified as a deep shade type (eg-African Impatians) that starting from seed and growing until ready for transplant to the garden can be done with less than the usual amount of sun than say, a tomato plant?

Thanks for your help

Carl Meyers

ANSWER: Hi Carl,
Thanx for your question.  African impatiens seeds should be pressed into the soil and not covered.  They require light to germinate.  I would be leery of assuming that just because a plant grows well in deep shade that its seed will not require light to germinate.  Nature is capricious and inconsistent sometimes.  Coleus is another plant that does very well in shade but its seed require light for best germination.  In my experience most seed germinate best when they are lightly covered with soil.  I suppose a lot of this has to do with the seed getting sufficiently exposed to moisture more than anything else but I haven't read all the botanic reasons for this.  The ones that do best covered are usually plants that grow in full sun tool.  Anyway, I learned the hard way about seeds that require light to germinate and seeds that don't.  Lettuce seeds require light and I planted two trays one year and got about 10% germination.  Later, I read in one of my reference books that lettuce seed germinate best when just pressed into the soil.  I go to the Internet or use my reference books from Norm Deno now if I'm not sure about light requirements.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your helpful response. I wasn't very clear in my question--I'm really asking not about seed germination, but rather about the growing of the plants until they are ready to transplant. For example I use a bright room in my home to grow seedlings, but I don't get direct sunlight except for a few hours in the morning. I would like to grow some flowers this way but I hate to see plants become spindly and weak from lack of sun. I was hoping that plants identified as deep shade might do OK in less light during their early phase. Thanks again for your help.

Carlk Meyers

Answer
Hi Carl,
Thanx for the clarification.  Oddly enough, seedlings that eventually grow into shade-loving or shade-tolerating plants, will grow stronger and quicker if exposed to 8-12 hours of light such as a 40-watt shop light or at the least, a bright, sunny window in a southern or eastern exposure.  I have grown a wide variety of flower, tree, shrub, vegetable seedlings etc. under articial light with much success indoors, even plants that are shade-loving or shade-tolerating.  I hope this helps.
Tom