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.

 

Starting notes on Aconitum germination – 2018

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Yesterday I sowed the first Aconitum seeds of the season! – a good occasion to also publish this post, drafted since late spring.

Aconitum is a large genus with many beautiful species, usually growing in mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere, popularly known as wolf’s banes or monkshoods. Many know that they are toxic/medicinal species, but more than that they are highly valued as garden plants.

Like many other species from fam. Ranunculaceae they can prove difficult to germinate from dry stored seeds. Most often it is not possible to moist pack the seeds right away; some collectors are not aware of the requirement or they are unwilling to do it because it is too tedious.

Experienced growers from all over the world will confirm the fact that dry kept seeds of various Aconitum species will generally germinate poorly/germinate in the second year after sowing, or in many cases will never germinate.

My intention is to compile a list for Aconitum species showing their germination pattern when using fresh, moist packed or dry seeds. Knowing which species retain good germination capacity even after their seeds are kept dry for a given amount of time would be very useful.

Generally speaking, we know for sure few facts about Aconitum seeds/germination:
– at the time of seed collecting the embryos are underdeveloped
– the germination can’t occur until the embryos reach a certain size, usually after a period of cold/moist stratification.
– GA3 treatment can promote embryo growth for some species, and thus can be useful in combination with the cold/moist period.

The list below was compiled from my own data and supplied by others on the Scottish Rock Garden Forum, where you can also find a thread open on this subject. Feel free to contribute.

 

And few pictures with various Aconitum species that germinated this spring (2018), in the second year after sowing (dry seeds, GA3 treatment), seedlings, new seeds and the new batch of Aconitum sowings!

Few Aconitum species  will be available late next week!

 

Friday’s Seeds – Callirhoe and the mericarps

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I always strive to make sure the quality of seeds at BotanyCa is top notch. When a few seeds remain available for a given species, it becomes even more an important issue. Such was the case for Callirhoe digitata (Fam. Malvaceae) yesterday.

What we usually call seeds are actually mericarps, parts of a dry fruit called schizocarp; they contain 1 seed each. However, some mericarps can be empty or contain a malformed seed; not too many were left, so a closer look was necessary.

I would like to emphasize that for the purpose of sowing it’s not necessary to extract the seeds from the mericarps.
Reason I did this: to make sure how many good seeds are still available and, to take & show pictures with the actual seeds.

Callirhoe digitata (Fringed poppy mallow, standing wine cup) – mericarps and seeds

Another similar species, seeds wise, is Iliamna rivularis – Streambank wild hollyhock.
In this case each mericarp contains 2-3(4) seeds, shown below.

Iliamna rivularis seeds

Iliamna rivularis flowers

 

The return to Bukiniczia

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With the help of a new magnifier lamp (a super dark November had something to do with this), I went slowly through all the Bukiniczia calyces (which are usually called ‘seeds’: read Next please – Bukiniczia cabulica).
I did not count precisely but I can tell that +/-20% of them presented seeds. This percentage may of course be different for other clones.

You can find the seeds in the shop now – Bukiniczia cabulica
2 pck/order are allowed; this way those who don’t desire other seeds can order using the low shipping rates.

This is how Bukiniczia SEEDS look like:

Bukiniczia cabulica seeds

*A reminder that products in The Seeds List can display out of stock temporarily until the inventory is replenished.

**When you receive whole calyces as ‘seeds’ for Bukiniczia, Armeria, Limonium, Acantholimon (and possibly others from Plumbaginaceae), check to see if there are actually any seeds before sowing.

Gift cards

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It is cold and, thanks to Canada Post union, slow going, so I use the occasion to announce the newly posted Gift Cards category – up and running on the shop.

In short: they can be used any time, sent to the purchaser or to the gift recipient or as a pdf file to be downloaded.
The only condition is that the whole value has to be redeemed in one purchase.

Click on the card to read the whole info

Stay tuned for the Friday’s seeds; we will play a ‘seeds game’ to keep us entertained.
The winner’s prize – a 25$ Gift card!

Maybe a consolation prize too; I’m not done yet with the logistics…