Update on Calochortus tolmiei germination

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For those who purchased seeds of Calochortus tolmiei, and are keeping them in moist storage (vermiculite or moist towel) – please don’t forget to check on them.

Seeds kept in moist/cold stratification (fridge) from Jan. 4 – showed roots on Feb. 26 (well maybe few days earlier). So, they need 7-8 weeks of cold/moist for roots emergence. After that they require a warm period to complete their germination.

Calochortus tolmiei germinating seeds; they can now be potted and kept at warm

Some sources indicate the necessity of 1 month of cold; we know now that the pattern of germination varies greatly depending on the collection site, garden versus wild collected, mother-plant status, and so on…

* Calochortus leichtlinii – the seeds were also placed in cold/moist stratification on Jan. 4, they are very swollen but no signs of radicles yet.

More updates to follow…

Mea culpa – Paeonia brownii germination

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Before the FAQ on pre-ordering, mea culpa for providing wrong advice regarding Paeonia brownii germination.
Seeds arrived at a very busy time last fall (not that this should be an excuse), and after a quick search I wrongly assumed they require a warm cycle for root protruding followed by a cold one for shoot growing, like many other peony species.

I also followed this line of thought and kept my seeds in moist storage at room temperature starting mid-October. By January I felt something was not right and at the beginning of February I put the Ziploc bag containing the seeds in the fridge. One month later few of them already show cracked teguments!

Paeonia brownii seeds after 1 month of cold-moist stratification (fridge)

Good information IS available on the subject if one looks well enough and uses some critical thinking. I am sure that an AI would have come with the right advice in a split second.
Paeonia brownii seeds require 2-3 months of cold/moist stratification in order to germinate.

Those who received seeds last year please click to read the pdf below; better even, download it for your files. It contains a plant profile for Paeonia brownii with everything you need to know. It mentions that the young roots are sensitive, so as soon as I’ll notice the roots growing I will take one more picture, plant them in pots in a well-drained mix, and continue to provide the remaining cold period as such.

Paeonia brownii: distribution, ecology, propagation, cultivation

There is much talk about AI writing these days; I even answered recently a short questionnaire for someone working in AI development, looking to better understand the problems of products/content writing process encountered by on-line businesses.
No doubt, the time will come when they will do all the work for us: faster and competently.

Until then, I shall be excused for continuing to make humanly mistakes.
Who knows, maybe in the future this will remain a ‘signature’ of our writings.
They will inherently contain, somewhere, somehow, an error. 
A tiny mark of our beautifully flawed human nature.

Seeds collecting in February?

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Yes, it is possible especially if you don’t pay good attention in late fall.

Somehow I didn’t notice the first fruit produced by Calycanthus until last Saturday! It flowered beautifully last spring and then a few green fruits were aborted during late summer. I thought that was it and didn’t pay attention afterwards.
A nice surprise; I received the young plant three years ago from a friend and it was very satisfying for both of us to see it fruitful :)

Calycanthus floridus (Carolina allspice) is an excellent native shrub which can be grown in many situations from sun to shade; fast growing with beautiful shiny foliage, it is rarely affected by any pests. Did I forget to mention the sweetly fragrant, burgundy flowers?
The fruit is an interesting large, brown capsule, which can be mistaken with a fallen leaf/small branch, and holds few large seeds. They are very easy to germinate (read about nicking) and show up with convoluted cotyledon leaves (a rare case).


Speaking NA natives, I put together a short list of other species which flower around the same time in mid April-May, and are suitable for cold climates. They all grow in the same bed with the Calycanthus. If only I would have more space….
T. cuneatum, T. luteum, Uvularia grandiflora, Mitella diphylla, Asarum canadense, Hepatica acutiloba, Trautvetteria caroliniensis

Trillium cuneatum

Trillium luteum

Mitella diphylla1

Asarum canadense

Uvularia grandiflora

Friday’s seeds with the GA3

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I don’t aim to repeat here everything written about the gibberellic acid; most is easily accessible on the wide net. Anyone interested in plants knows that gibberellins are plant hormones which control various processes and the synthetic forms of the gibberellic acid are used in the horticultural industry for various purposes: from seed germination to inducing early flowering, fruit set, hybridization, and so on.

For those who never use it and/or are at the beginning of their growing from seeds journey, I will emphasize a few practical aspects about preparing and using a GA3 solution for home sowing by describing precisely what I do.

First, sources of GA3:  google and you shall find :)
Every year there are various on-line offerings of powder GA3. I do not want to advertise for one source or another, just a warning: if something looks too cheap, it may not be the best quality.

How to use GA3

In powder form – many still employ this method although it is not as reliable as a prepared solution. Personally I don’t use the powder treatment; you cannot be sure of the concentration applied and if the seeds will absorb it equally.
 Nevertheless, it’s easy to apply. One of the most common methods is to place the seeds on a moist folded piece of paper towel or a coffee filter and to add the GA3 (the amount taken on a toothpick tip). Place everything inside a plastic bag and keep it there until next day; then, sow the seeds right away.

Solution – if you want to be sure about the concentration, it is advisable to use it as a solution. The suitable concentrations to promote seed germination vary among different species, and there are still many species for which we don’t know if their germination would be better with GA3.

Many times you just need to experiment. I noticed from my experience and reading lots of articles on seed germination that good results can be obtained using concentrations from 250 ppm to 1000 ppm.

It is not difficult to prepare your own solution: best is to make a basic 1000 ppm solution and then use it as such or at lower concentrations by dilution.

 How to prepare your basic 1000 ppm GA3 solution (assuming you have GA3 98% purity)

The basic stock solution of 1000 ppm (parts per million) is prepared by dissolving GA3 in water at a rate of 1mg (1000 mg= 1 g) in 1 ml (1000 ml= 1 l).

Therefore, if you buy one packet of 100 mg GA3, it will have to be dissolved in 100 ml of water to obtain a 1000 ppm solution; 200 mg in 200 ml and so on….
For home use I don’t think anyone needs more than 100 ml, so let’s do this:

Have handy: your powder GA3 100 mg, 100 ml distilled water (tap water OK too), little amount of alcohol (purest ethanol possible), and a clean 100 ml (or larger) bottle for the final solution. I use the water at room temperature.

Bottle with GA3 solution

Add the powder and maybe ¼ of the water, plus a few drops of alcohol in the bottle and start shaking well; be patient; add more of the water and keep shaking. If the GA3 doesn’t dissolve well, add a few more drops of alcohol; shaking, shaking….20(30) min. should do it.

If after all this the powder has not entirely dissolved it means the GA3 you bought had many impurities.

So you have your 1000 ppm solution.
Label your 1000 ppm GA3 bottle and keep it in the fridge. Don’t forget that this is a chemical substance after all, and it shouldn’t be kept in containers without a clear label. The solution remains active for at least 2 years, probably even longer, but of course its efficacy will decrease.

To prepare a 500 ppm solution, extract any given quantity from the 1000 ppm sol. and add the same quantity of water, all in a separate bottle (don’t forget to label it).

What to treat with GA3?

Think first about what kind of seeds you are sowing and which are their germination requirements.

GA3 is often used to replace the cold period required by various species for seeds germination (cold/moist stratification) and to speed up germination in general.
Therefore, if you live in a warm climate, you are running short of time, or want to speed up the process, you can use it for these purposes.
Warning: it does not always work; don’t be disappointed. For some species even very cold winters won’t do the trick to break seeds dormancy.
Also, sometimes, it is necessary to use a combination of treatments.

For those living in a climate with cold winters, it is much simpler and even better to sow and provide the cold/moist stratification outdoors over the winter.

For Aconitum spp. (and other Ranunculaceae species which have seeds with immature embryos), GA3 has been found useful to promoting embryo growth, so indirectly it will improve germination.

It also comes in handy when sowing older seeds, which may have a lower germination capacity.

There is no point to use GA3 for any kind of seeds. For example, in the case of species with very hard/impermeable seed coats (Fabaceae), using GA3 makes no difference because it cannot be absorbed.

Applying the treatment

Prepare a few small containers (bottle caps, small holders, yoghurt cups…), place your seeds inside and pour GA3 solution on top, just enough to cover the seeds. For larger size seeds, you can also use small plastic bags. I usually leave the seeds in solution until next day.
Important: have everything ready and sow the next day after the treatment; water the pots well, and place at warm or cold as required.

GA3 treatment and sowing the seeds afterwards; sow as usual, next day after treating the seeds

For tiny, fine seeds (Saxifraga for example) it’s more practical to place the seeds on a piece of paper towel, soak it with GA3 solution, fold the paper and keep it in a plastic bag until next day; before sowing, just squeeze the paper towel and then it will be easy to shake the seeds on top of the potting mix. Likewise, a pipette/syringe can be used to collect and distribute the small seeds on the mix.

Side effects: one common side effect is that the seedlings will grow elongated and weak, especially if the concentration was too strong and/or the seed coats remain attached to the cotyledons (in this case cover the pot with a moist paper towel, and you can remove the seed coats after they get soft); Gentiana lutea seedlings after GA3 treatment.

 

What I am using it for?

I had my share of using GA3 just for fun, like many others probably. Right now I sometime use GA3:

On experimental purpose when reliable germination info is not available and for older seeds to test the germination capacity, especially for small size seeds.

On a more regular base for:

Glaucidium palmatum: there is a bit of controversy in this case and after I have germinated seeds for a few years and also heard other people’s experiences, it is fair to say that this is a species with combined morpho-physiological dormancy: from any given batch, some seeds will germinate at warm, some only after a cold period. I find that with a GA3 treatment I obtain a better germination at warm (but a few seeds will still germinate only next year after one more warm/cold period).

One can easily sow Glaucidium without GA3 in late fall/winter and provide cold/moist stratification; some seeds will germinate in the following spring, some in the second year.

Podophyllum hexandrum – for the Chinese mayapple,  the treatment with GA3 will induce germination with the true leaves, thus speeding up the process; in the second image – seedlings obtained with GA3 treatment in the first summer.

Podophyllum hexandrum seeds -GA3

Podophyllum hexandrum seedlings GA3

Aquilegia species:  only because I start my Aquilegia species indoors; I use 500 ppm GA3 to promote a good, uniform germination (but you can easily provide Aquilegia with cold/moist stratification and obtain good germination).Aquilegia nigricans germinated seeds

Sometimes for Gentiana species: some will germinate well when treated with 500- 1000 ppm GA3 (G. lutea, G. purpurea).

 

I also got good results for Rhodiola spp., few Thalictrum species (to speed up the germination), Androsace villosa (and subsp. of villosa).

Germinating right now after GA3 treatment and short term cold/dark – Androsace barbulata. I noticed them a bit too late but they will green up under ligths.

Androsace barbulata seedlings

 

For Aconitum dry stored seeds; some Aconitum species will not germinate after the seeds get too dry, and I am trying to see if/how GA3 can induce/improve their germination; read more and see images: Starting notes on Aconitum germination.

Conclusion: to use it or not to use it?

Keep in mind that GA3 is not a ‘miracle’ solution for all the seeds dormancy/germination related problems.
It is definitely an aid for seeds germination and we can have fun experimenting, but anyone can very well grow plants from seeds without the help of GA3.

 

 

 

Updates for the hot water treatment

A very good day for updates to the hot water treatment (howling winds, blowing snow and ice pellets…).

The first seedlings resulted from the hot water treatment are basking under the lights right now and I can draw the conclusion that although it is necessary to repeat the treatment because not all seeds will imbibe after a first soak, overall this is a very easy and effective treatment.
I recommend it for all the species in Fabaceae family. I did sow Hedysarum in the fall two years ago and got poor germination in the spring.

Various Fabaceae germinating fast after hot water treatment

I just sown the swollen seeds and left the others in water, repeating the treatment. No small surprise, a few seeds will even start to germinate in water (Oxytropis lanata, O. halleri and Hedysarum grandiflorum).

Hedysarum grandiflorum hot water treated seeds

I didn’t show it previously but I also treated Lupinus breweri seeds; they react beautifully (with repeat of the treatment).

Lupinus breweri seeds treated with hot water

One more picture with the first Baptisia seedlings: Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’; it feels good to think about solar flares today!

Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’ seedlings

Notes on germination: Erythronium I

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Notes on Erythronium germination I (February 9, 2019)

Just a note for those who purchased Erythronium americanum seeds last year (that was a nice crop) – the seeds kept in moist storage at cold (fridge) are germinating! Luckily that I had to look for other moist packed seeds for an order.
Depending where you are, temperature wise, this may be happening in your pot right now! Exciting :)

Erythronium americanum germinating seeds Feb.9 2019

E. grandiflorum seeds are looking OK but no signs of germination yet, after all they were collected much later than E. americanum. I’ll keep you posted.
More sowing to do….

Fridays seeds – GA3 short preview

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With this and that time goes by and the post about GA3 for the seeds treatments series is not ready.
I offer a short preview from the section: What am I using it for?

“I had my share of using GA3 just for fun, like many others probably. Right now I am using GA3 on a regular base just for few species (like Glaucidium, Podophyllum hexandrum…), in experimental purpose when reliable germination info is not available and for older seeds to test their germination capacity/viability (especially for small size seeds)”.

Treated with GA3 and sown experimental: Primula glaucescens, because it’s a bit late for outdoor cold/moist stratification and I found an article reporting good germination using GA3. It is Fridays Seeds, so here’s one more picture with soaked seeds :)

Primula glaucescens seeds soaked in GA3

Testing for: Primula minima and  Soldanella pusilla – wild coll. seeds in 2017. I don’t know how long they keep good germination capacity and before I rush to collect a larger quantity of such seeds it would be good to know.

GA3 seeds treatment and a flower for all readers :)                                             

Explanations in more detail next time…And, more flowers because we need them badly.

Primula minima and Soldanella pusilla in wild habitat, Carpathian Mts.

 

Continuing the sowing: in hot water

Time for more sowing and of course more seed treatments.
Technically speaking, the hot water treatment is included in the general term of seeds scarification, which also refers to the nicking/sandpapering (mechanical scarification) and the acid scarification (chemical).
They are all done for the same purpose: to weaken the seed coats and make them permeable to water and gases. They are useful for any seeds that have impermeable seed coats, regardless if warm or cold germinators.
Routinely are done for Fabaceae species, but not only. Without these treatments the seeds will still germinate but more slowly and irregular, so why waste time?

*Usually if such seeds are sown in late fall/early winter, the natural freezing and thawing cycles of winter will soften the seed coats and thus (in most cases) is not necessary to scarify the seeds before sowing.

Mechanical scarification and the hot water treatment are very easy to apply at home.

Treatment with hot (boiling) water

It just happened that I had on my sowing list a few species that require scarification, either sandpapering or the hot water treatment. For seeds of Oxytropis halleri, Hedysarum grandiflorum and Astragalus vesicarius I would usually do the scarification with sandpaper, but I don’t really like to scarify my fingers together with the small seeds, so I tried the hot water treatment this time (Feb.4-6).

The method is straightforward: place the seeds in a small container and pour boiling water on top of them; wrap it up in a cloth/aluminum foil and leave them for a day.
Next day, due to minuscule fissures in the seeds coat, the seeds should look swollen, sometimes 2-3 times the original size. The treatment can be repeated if necessary.

Using the hot water treatment I obtained the same amount of swollen seeds as when using sandpaper, so I’m glad it works even if partially. Not two seeds are the same ;) of course, most surely as an adaptation of not having all seeds germinating at the same time (i.e. all seedlings destroyed in case of unfavorable conditions).

Sow the seeds right away and water very well. It is important not to let the seeds dry out after they got imbibed with water. Place the pots at warm or at cold if cold/moist stratification is required.

I also used this method for a couple of yellow flowered Baptisia cultivars I acquired from ORG&HP Society seed exchange. Most probably they won’t come completely true from seeds (being hybrids) but by any other colour will look well together with Baptisia australis. One can never have enough Baptisia plants in the garden.

Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’ seeds swollen after hot water treatment

Mechanical scarification

It is done for the same purpose of ‘eroding’ the seed coat to allow water and gases imbibition. Most usual is to rub the seeds between 2 pieces of sandpaper for a few seconds or longer (use the medium or fine grind).
For small seeds, it’s easier said than done because one cannot observe if they were scarified enough or too much. Remember from the nicking when I mentioned that hard seed coats don’t thicken uniformly? It is better to scarify less than too much. I always place the seeds afterwards in a moist towel for a day or two to make sure that the seed coats were well scratched (the seeds should look swollen); if not, repeat again.

For larger seeds doing this is much easier and you can even employ a metal file. I didn’t take a picture of the filed seeds when I did this for

Triosteum aurantiacum seedling

Triosteum aurantiacum fruits. I’ve shown them recently in cross section; the extremely thick tegument would  need a few good years to break down in a natural way in the soil.
The well scarified fruits placed in cold/moist stratification afterwards, will lead to an acceptable germination in the following spring. You can see the result in the image, the seedlings grow fast, they were planted in the ground last fall.

 

Chemical scarification
For species with extremely hard seed coats, chemical scarification by use of acids is recommended but in my opinion it is not doable for home use and I won’t detailed it.
At home, you can always try the regular scarification for species where acid scarification is recommended. Even if not entirely effective, it will help partially in thinning the seed coats.
For example, acid scarification is known to improve the germination for Rubus species.

Among the species which would benefit from these treatments: Amphicarpaea, Dalea, Lupinus, Oxytropis, Astragalus, Hedysarum, Lespedeza, Ceanothus, Cercis, Triosteum, Gleditsia,…..to mention just a few.

Happy treating/sowing!

Updates for the hot water treatment – one week later (Feb. 12)

Although it is necessary to repeat the treatment because not all seeds will imbibe after a first soak, overall this is a very easy and effective treatment.
I recommend it for all the species in Fabaceae family.
In some cases the seeds may even start to germinate in the water (when repeating the treatment).

Hedysarum, Astragalus and Oxytropis seedlings, one week after hot water treatment

 

Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’ seedlings

Updates: see how some of the species shown here (and others) are looking later in March.
Updates for the hot water treatment
Friday’s hairy seedlings

 

 

Friday’s seeds: Clematis hexapetala

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and Clematis lancifolia?

A very good way to welcome February with new seeds, collected and arrived from far away: Primorye (Far East Russia).
With pubescent achenes and plumose styles, Clematis hexapetala came well prepared for this frigid weather. Seeds available in the shop soon!

Clematis hexapetala, wild collected seeds

And here’ s a picture with this beautiful shrubby Clematis in culture:

Clematis hexapetala

I also hope this to be a good occasion to clarify the situation of another Clematis, grown from a seeds exchange as C. hexapetala. Seeds are probably still going around as such. The flowers are similar but not difficult to notice that the leaves are different:  simple or ternate  (1- or 2-pinnatisect  for C. hexapetala).

Using Flora of China I can only classify it as Clematis cf. lancifolia but overall there is little info available about it. I look forward to hear other opinions (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200007666)
See the gallery below (more photos available on request).

Clematis cf. lancifolia flowers

Clematis cf. lancifolia leaves

Clematis cf. lancifolia leaves2

Clematis cf. lancifolia seeds

More about seeds treatments for sowing: GA3, hot water and scarifying, next week.

Friday’s seeds – soak, cut & nick

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A timely post; these methods may come in handy for all those sowing or preparing to sow at this time of year.
They are not mandatory, one can just sow and be patient; any viable seeds will germinate when the time is right for them.

The purpose of these methods can vary: to check on the status of seeds/embryo, soften the seed/fruit teguments, improve and/or speed up the germination. They can be used for medium to large size seeds but not practical for small and tiny seeds.

Let’s remember first that in order to survive in a dry state over extended periods of unfavorable conditions, all seeds are equipped with +/- impermeable seed coats. Without going into a review of seeds dormancy types, in all cases, the first thing necessary for the ‘awakening’ process, is water absorption/imbibition.
Some seeds can absorb water fast when available, and if also the temperature is optimal, they germinate rapidly; in other cases, this process can take longer, up to many years in fact.

SOAKING

Soaking the seeds in water over various periods of time mimics the natural conditions they would encounter in the fall or spring when the soil moisture is abundant. It is recommended to daily change the water.
Soaking can be done for various purposes: just to hydrate the seeds/fruit teguments or for further exploration; also, it is much easier to proceed with the cutting or nicking after seed coats are soften a bit.

To speed up the water imbibition and thus the processes that initiate the germination.

Also, soaking the seeds for a couple of days will allow for a better absorption of GA3.

As recently shown, in case of Ephedra distachya, simply soaking the seeds triggered their germination (thin seed coats, warm germinator).

For seeds with impermeable coats, just soaking won’t suffice, of course and it needs to be combined with other treatments, like nicking or scarification for example (about scarification next time).

Ruscus colchicus seeds: slighly scarified and soaked for few days; dry seeds to the right. Notice that the seeds have enlarged 2-3 times in size in a very short period of time

CUTTING (SECTIONS)

This is an exploratory method done to visually inspect the status of the insides of seeds/fruits. It allows a quick assessment of the viability/status of the embryo.
The cutting can be done transversal or longitudinal, it depends on the purpose and type of seed/fruit. In all cases it should reveal a whitish/yellowish inside, usually the endosperm in which the embryo is embedded, like shown in the pictures below (in case of immature embryos, they cannot be observed unless using a microscope).
In the case of exalbuminate seeds (no endosperm), the cut will just go through the embryo itself.

Lindera benzoin, sectioned seed

For Caulophyllum species it is an useful method to monitor the embryo development (on seeds kept in moist storage!).

Notice the growth of the embryo over time, in the second year it resemble a small grub :)

In some cases the cut through fruits/seeds can reveal that they are sterile/empty. For species known to have pollination/fertilization problems it is always good to test a small batch of seeds/fruits. Acer triflorum and Franklinia alatamaha case studies are shown below.

Cutting also allows a quick inspection of the thickness of seed coats/fruit wall and provides hints for further treatments. See the case of Triosteum aurantiacum, where the very thick fruit tegument suggests further action in order to allow the water imbibition (scarification).

The very thick/hard fruit wall explains why the seeds would need few years to germinate in natural conditions; by scarifiying as much as possible the fruit wall to allow water penetration to the seed, will speed up the germination


A special method of cutting the seeds can be used to speed up germination for aril Irises. It involves cutting a thin piece from the micropilar end of the seed.
The method is explained in detail HERE. I am currently trying it on a small batch of Iris suaveolens BDob.17 (offered in 2917) and the results are promising!

Iris suaveolens BDob17 – germination start 1 week after the seeds cut (as described in the method above)

NICKING

It involves nicking or chipping of a small area of the seed coat. It is easily done on large seeds with impermeable seed coats.

However, impermeable doesn’t necessarily means thick, and nicking always needs to be done with care.
You would be surprised for example how thin is the seed coat of lotus seeds (Nelumbo species)!
And remember, these are seeds that can maintain their viability for thousands of years!

If a small part of the endosperm/cotyledons is nicked accidentally, it is usually OK.

 

To be continued…’tis the sowing season!

 

 

 

First seedlings of 2019 – update on Ephedra

Short break from other more menial tasks to show the first seedlings of 2019!
To many more!

See: About Ephedra and cutting seeds

Ephedra distachya seedlings – seeds soaked for 5/6 days with radicles emerged, first shoots after 6/7 more days

Friday’s Seeds, and flowers – the bean family

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About Fabaceae (i.e. Leguminosae) this Friday: seeds and not only. This is a gigantic family with many species of agricultural and ornamental importance. But we can have a glimpse at various seeds/fruits, ponder at their diversity and remember some of the plants and their flowers.
The page is published and those interested can found it on the Seeds Library menu Here

Being such a cold winter day I will help with remembering few flowers :)
Hover with the mouse over images to see the names.

From the practical point of view I am sure many know that seeds from this family will germinate better/faster after scarification or treatment with hot water.

About Ephedra and cutting seeds

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I don’t always get the chance to talk more about various species offered in the seeds shop which are not that well known/cultivated for ornamental purpose. This opportunity came unexpectedly for Ephedra distachya.

Ephedra species, commonly known as Mormon tea, joint-fir (and few others) are better known for their medicinal properties.
But not many are aware that Ephedra species are Gymnosperms, a singular genus in Fam. Ephedraceae, which in its turn is the sole Fam. in the Order Ephedrales.

Almost all species are dioecious and growing in dry, rocky/sandy habitats. Considering their evergreen aspect and colorful cones, they also make for interesting garden plants, a quality which should be exploited more.
It is extremely rare to see Ephedra in someone’s garden in our northern temperate climate. And yet, there are hardy species; we just need to be more open to growing new species.

Ephedra distachya is a low-growing shrub from Southern and Central Europe to Central Asia, which prefers rocky places in full sun location. The seeds were collected in 2017 from the Dobrogea region, close to the Black Sea in Romania.

Ephedra distachya, sea grape – female plant with ripe cones

Because not too much info regarding the seeds/germination/viability was available, I recently took it out of the inventory in order to test the seeds. I do this regularly with seeds in their 2-3+ year of storage, but with Ephedra I had one more reason for testing: the seeds I sowed in early fall 2017 soon after collecting, did not germinate by fall 2018.

An easy and fast way to assess the seeds is the ‘cut method’:  slice transversally through the seeds and visually (magnifying glass) inspect the ‘insides’, which should be whitish/yellowish in color. This will show that the seeds are not empty (which happens sometimes) and the endosperm/embryo are viable (unless using a microscope is hard to say most of the time if you’ve cut through the endosperm or the embryo).
After this first phase, one can follow with further germination tests, if desired/necessary.
In the case of seeds with a very hard seed coat or slippery, it is easier to cut the soaked seeds. I will elaborate about this method some other time.

Long story short – the seeds soaking started on Jan.3; water was changed daily. Yesterday (Jan. 7) this was the situation: after 5 days of soaking at room temperature, the seeds are starting to germinate! No need for cutting, proceed to sowing :)

Ephedra distachya seeds starting to germinate (radicles emerging)

 So, why these seeds have not germinated in the pot?
One explanation would be that I missed the watering of the little pot at some point, which is possible.
It is very easy to leave the pots too dry during the critical point when the germination starts when you don’t actually see the above ground signs of the seedlings.
It wouldn’t be the first time when I missed to properly water pots with seedlings. A good reminder to keep a better eye on the sowings!

Now, who wants to grow something different for their garden?
Ephedra distachya seeds are back in stock and other rarely cultivated species suitable to grow in similar location are still available (like Hedysarum grandiflorum, Astragalus vesicarius,…).

First Fridays Seeds 2019

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Best wishes to all readers for successful plant growing and beautiful gardens in 2019!

For today, a germinating seed of Paeonia wendelboi – a bridge between the past year and the present one.

Paeonia wendelboi germinating seed (at warm); the root appeared in winter 2018 (it was very tiny but nothing escapes my magnifying glass, or so I like to think). The shoot will start to grow only after a cold period, the way it goes with most peonies.

And a message, seeds speaking generally:

Do not forget  that this is the perfect time for sowing species which require cold/moist stratification!
If done too late, especially in the case of a mild winter, the cold period won’t suffice and the seeds will need one more cold cycle to germinate.

I would like to draw your attention especially to a few moist packed seeds.
Beside the fact that for a very good price you can get seeds which will most likely germinate, by comparison with sowing them dry, some, like Aconitum spp. , may be an one time offer. Others, like Thalictrum thalictroides, which require more driving to the collection site, will be offered only on alternate years.

Even with the garden collected seeds, it can happen to miss the seeds of species like Saruma henryi.
Thus, it is always best to get these kind of seeds when available.

You can easily find them all by browsing the Moist packed Seeds and Corydalis Seeds categories.

Belated Fridays Seeds: Paeonia brownii

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I forgot about the Fridays Seeds :o
In my defense, I was trying to finish the first batch of winter sowings, before other/new seeds arrive. Being end of the month I also had to check all the remaining moist packed seeds, kept at cold or warm.

A leisurely Saturday is a good occasion to show the seeds of Paeonia brownii.
I didn’t show them before because all seeds that arrived were presold and none of them made it to the online shop inventory. With more requests left unsatisfied I didn’t want to aggravate the situation.

Paeonia brownii is one of the only two North American peony species and it has different seeds than the ones we are more used seeing. I would call it the Cinderella of the peonies (seeds wise) because they are nothing but attractive, especially when dry: brownish and large with an irregular shape.

In the rush of the moment I even missed to take pictures of the dry seeds; the ones shown here are already in moist packing since late October (kept at warm).

Paeonia brownii seeds: kept in moist storage since late October. Moist seeds should not be left to dry out at any moment, hence only a quick picture with the seeds on moist towel ;)

Those interested can read more and see pictures of this intriguing peony species HERE.

Sowing seeds = Exercising hope

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Like all respectable seeds/plant addict I already started sowing and will continue to do so well into the New Year.

Same like weeding, I feel sowing seeds will easily get you into meditation mood; quietly filling pots and laying out the little ‘beads’ on top, covering, watering; automated like motions….
A large part of the seeds will germinate but only some of the seedlings will get to ‘adulthood’ and even fewer will get to be planted in the garden. This is good. Otherwise, we won’t be able to continue the ‘exercise’.

Full tray with sowings almost ready to go outside: Aconitum spp., Penstemons, Zizia, Leptarrhena, Romanzoffia…to mention just a few

That’s what I came to believe this is all about: the hopeful expectation of seeing the tiny, green sprouts showing up one day; managing to grow the actual plants is secondary. If it happens, fine, but even if does not, we will gladly continue, year after year to repeat the process. It is like exercising hope.

By exercising, one always gets better. See what I’m getting at? :) Keep exercising hope!

Seeds of Aconitum moldavicum and Aconitum cf. kusnezoffii are available now for those interested: moist packed after a short period of dry keeping. To maximize the chances of germination this coming spring you can also treat them with GA3.