09/20/2026
Alrighty. Let’s talk about Shell Pink. To knick or not to knick. I grew this stunner of a variety for the first time last year. I’m not going to lie, it was a real bitch to germinate. Since I got from 2 different growers, I was a bit puzzled. I did the paper towel method and just didn’t have a lot of luck on any level. What I got, I grew in the hoop house with all the love, and care I could provide, and she produced extremely well. I run germination test on all my varieties before I package up. I ran into the same problem this year and was seriously disappointed because my seed crop was quite large. I know knicking or scoring the seeds isn’t really done anymore since in recent years of seed development, the outer coating isn’t quite as tough as varieties past. Shell Pink was developed by Keith Hammett and introduced in 2025 at the Chelsea Flower Show and boy is it a stunner. The almost translucent pink with the stunning dark stem makes a a total knock out. Anyway, I thought I would give it a go. I ran another germination test. I knicked another few seeds and within 5 days germination has happened. My initial test is from August 16, still no sprouts. I will continue to wait and see. Not that I will tell anyone to knick or score their Shell Pink, that is up to you. As for myself, I will knick this one as I’m not known for having patients. Update as of September 20th, my non knicked shell pink are now starting to sprout.
