How to Germinate Black Eyed Susan Vines

Fill 3-inch starter pots with a soil mixture made-up of four parts loam and one part perlite. Pack the soil into the bottom of each pot to remove trapped air.

Plant one black-eyed Susan vine seed in each pot. Cover the seed with a one-eighth-inch-thick layer of soil. Pat the soil firm atop the seed.

Place the starter pots on a nursery tray to make moving and handling them easier. Water each pot with a spray bottle after they are placed on the nursery tray. Wet the top half inch of soil in each pot.

Place the nursery tray atop a greenhouse heat mat near a large, south-facing window with bright light. Set the temperature on the mat to 78 degrees. Apply bottom-heat for 12 hours each day. Switch off the greenhouse heat mat at night.

Mist the soil in each pot with the spray bottle whenever the surface dries out. Maintain moisture in the top half inch of soil at all times as the black-eyed Susan vine seeds germinate.

Watch for the first signs of germination in 10 to 14 days. Remove the greenhouse heat mat once the seeds germinate, but keep the starter pots near a source of bright light as they grow.

Transplant the 3-inch starter pots into a permanent bed providing full sun and adequate drainage once all danger of frost has passed and outdoor temperatures stay above 55 degrees at night.