Transplanting/caring for young Hepatica seedlings 

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We talked about seeds and  Hepatica germination – we need to have patience. Not only the seeds may germinate in the second year after sowing even if they were kept moist, also the seedlings, in most cases, are not very fast to develop.  Some will remain at the cotyledon leaves stage in the first season, others will grow one true leaf. In either case, they can be quite tiny and intimidating.

Let’s see about transplanting.

When to transplant?
One feature of Hepatica is that they put up a good growth in the spring through summer (roots, leaves, seeds, future flower buds) and then they take a ‘break’ until next year. For this reason I like to transplant in early spring or if not, in the fall; at least, the young plants will start the next season already well prepared.

What potting mix to use?
There are various recipes recommended by Hepatica growers. Unfortunately, most are not easy to reproduce exactly here. I’ve tried to mix various products available in the last years and some were better than others. What I want in the end is to have an easy to reproduce recipe using soil brands anyone can buy (in Canada).

I came up with this mix, which I think is pretty good: mix all ingredients in equal parts (1:1:1)
Perlite
Pro-mix potting soil
All-purpose potting mix:  Fafard brand is a good one. Unfortunately this sector of the landscape industry is non-regulated and most brands don’t specify the contents of the potting mix, plus, in almost in all cases they contain too much peat.

As a rule, as long as good drainage is ensured all should be well, so other combinations could be tried.

 Pots

Taller pots are preferable. You can basically use any type/size of pot proportionally sized in regards to the seedlings size and transplant 1-2 seedling/pot.
To avoid handling many individual small pots one can also use a rectangular planter instead. Another option is a compact-tray with a good height.

Hepatica americana container seedlings

Hepatica americana seedlings

Transplanting
Remove the seedlings from the sowing pot and carefully separate them. As seen in the pictures, Hepatica seedlings have a fine root system.
Transfer the seedlings in a new pot, add mix and take care to press only around the roots. The watering will settle down the mix well (add more mix if necessary).

Clockwise: Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix – seedlings removed from the pot; Hepatica japonica transplanted, flowering seedling, H. acutiloba pastel mix seedlings showing the roots; compact-tray with H. nobilis and H. acutiloba seedlings

Location: same like for adult plants, keep the pots/trays in a location with plenty of sun in the spring and shade starting summer. If necessary cover them with a plastic mesh. Water when necessarily (deep watering and let dry between) if the pots are not exposed to rain; a light fertilizer during the spring growth is beneficial.

Planting in the ground:
Usually in the third year the seedlings  can be planted in the ground.
To continue growing in pots transplant again to a larger size pot/container. Hepatica species are fitted for container growing if you have a small garden, or unsuitable soil conditions. You can easily provide sun in the spring and shade starting summer by moving the container in different spots.

Most often also the first flowers will appear in the third year to reward your efforts!

Various forms of Hepatica japonica 3 years-old plants

*I referred in general to Hepatica because in the end there is no difference between various species when it comes to germinating the seeds and transplanting (H. americana, H. acutiloba, H. nobilis, H. japonica and H. henryi).

FAQ – Hot water treatment

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We discussed last year about the hot water treatment, a very easy to apply germination method which can successfully replace the use of scarification for the Fabaceae species. However, it is hard to say if it would be effective for all species and if all species will germinate at room temperature afterwards.

In addition, I will provide answers to few common questions and plates with seeds images for all species/genera I personally tried/try with this method.

How much the seeds should/will swell after a hot water treatment?
It depends on the species, the size and shapes of the seeds varies greatly, but usually the seeds can increase in size 2-3 times than the original size. Sometimes you may notice a ‘dramatic’ change in the seeds aspect/size (ex. Lupinus breweri).

Is it possible that no seeds will swell after 1 treatment?
Yes, it can happen, repeat again (for ex. Senna hebecarpa, Oxytropis, Trifolium seeds are slow to react).

How much time should the seeds remain in water?
Usually the next day you will see if the seeds have swollen (and how many), but to be sure you can keep them in the water for 2-3 more days (change the water daily).
In extreme case, seeds may even start to germinate in water after a while! (Hedysarum, Thermopsis).

Will all the seeds swell at once?
No, in the majority of cases after the first treatment only a few seeds will swell. Sow the swollen seeds after each treatment and repeat for the others (2-3+ times).

How soon will the seeds germinate?
It varies greatly with the species, some will start to germinate in few days, others will take a longer time (for ex. various Baptisia were slow to germinate).

Fabaceae – Hot water treatment 2019; notice the increase in size and the differences between species; all were germinated at room temp. afterwards

Current trials:

Fabaceae – Hot water treatment 2020; seeds aspect after 2 treatments. For each species notice seeds still of normal size and also swollen seeds.

 

 

Sowing advice for springtime

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With the first snowdrops in bloom spring is undeniably in the air. It is an exciting time with renewed hope and we all think about new plants to add in the garden.
Some people plan well ahead about what to grow from seeds, but others maybe purchase seeds and plants on the impulse of the moment. Then, there are always seeds arriving late from seeds exchanges.

Because all the latest orders had in common a combination of species, warm and cold germinators, I feel obliged to repeat how to proceed at this time in order to obtain the best results with minimum effort. Good timing for sowing is important!
If you don’t need advice, jump to the end of the post to see a few ‘green things’ from the garden :) (2020) All grown from seeds, except the snowdrops.

For those in the Northern Hemisphere
Species that are indicated to germinate at warm (15-20C) can be sown right away if you use indoor lighting for growing seedlings or later (April/early May) if you intend to keep the pots outdoor.

*Species indicated to have double dormancy that require first a slightly warm cycle, followed by a cold one in order to germinate (Hydrophyllum, Euonymus, Actaea…) – can be sowed later, in the summer. Most Peonies are also in this category; sowing in late June to August gives them more than enough time to develop the roots until late fall. Same goes for two stage warm germinating Lilium species (L. michiganense, L. monadelphum…).

Most Fabaceae can be treated with the ‘hot water treatment’ and considered warm germinators. Last year tests gave excellent results (Hedysarum, Oxytropis, Astragalus, Baptisia, Thermopsis, Lupinus*).

Species that can be sowed ‘in situ’ & indicated warm germinators (Papaver, Erinus, various Campanula, Capnoides, Arisaema tryphyllum, some Viola spp.…) – wait until April/early May and cast the seeds in place, incorporating lightly (most such seeds are fine and need light to germinate), keep the area moist and if there are too many critters around consider placing a mesh on top of the sowing location.

Species indicated as: sow in the fall or with cold/moist stratification – I advise you to keep the seeds packets in the fridge until fall, and then proceed with sowing at the right time (in pots or ‘in situ’).

You can of course try to provide cold/moist stratification in the fridge, but don’t expect the same good results; it doesn’t work very well for all species. Also, you may end up with seeds germinating in June/July and with young seedlings by late fall – too young to withstanding the winter cold.

 Moist packed seeds: are only sold spring – summer to late fall. The exception are the two years germinators  like Caulophyllum and Medeola; when stock supply and temperatures allow sometimes seeds are offered in late spring. Sow them outdoors.

Cypripedium and other orchids and mycorrhizals: if not using ‘in vitro’ equipment, as discussed already, there is a slight chance that by incorporating the seeds in the garden, usually in late fall, close to where other orchids thrive, to be successful. Note the ‘slight chance’.

Those in the Southern Hemisphere: reverse the timings, sow the cold germinators, keep the warm ones in the fridge.

snowdrops

Draba lasiocarpa (warm germinator)

Erinus alpinus (warm)

Papaver atlanticum ‘Flore-Pleno’ (direct sowing)

Polygala vulgaris (cold)

Potentilla porphyrantha (warm)

Helleborus foetidus (moist, warm/cold)

Mitella diphylla (cold)

Fridays Frits

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Do you wonder about your Fritillaria seeds/seedlings/young bulbs? Wonder no more.

With many thanks to a very impatient grower, we can have a look at Fritillaria recurva little bulbs. Also, at my germinating seeds of Fritillaria atropurpurea.

The one-year old bulbs were found at the bottom of the pot. Fritillaria seeds are adapted to wind dispersal (like many Liliaceae actually) and should be sown superficial; then, the growing seedlings will adjust the bulbs to their desired, proper depth.

Fritillaria recurva: seeds to one-year old bulbs

My stratified seeds of Fritillaria atropupurea on Jan. 1st are starting to germinate (1,5 months of cold/moist stratification). And, by the look of the embryos, Fritillaria affinis will follow shortly.

As I already mentioned,  I’m not much of a Frits grower. I’ve grown a couple of species (non-flowering yet) and only this season I have sown more. By the way it goes, it is best to grow the bulbs in the same pot for two years; if necessary transplant the whole content of the sowing pot in a bigger one, keeping the bulbs at the same depth.

Fritillaria atropurpurea germinating seeds after 1,5 months cold/moist stratification (fridge)

If you have pictures related with the Frits species seeds purchased, please don’t hesitate to share!

 

Spetlem: Lewisia rediviva

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The bitteroot seeds I sown a month ago have sprouted. I looked at the little seedlings and thought about their story; the story of spetlem, from a time when the species wasn’t even yet described!

Lewisia rediviva seedlings; seeds sown January 4th, kept at room temp. for +/- 10 days, then in the garage (+/- 5C). I was planning to put the sowings outdoors but there was no snow for a while…The germination pattern can vary depending on the collection site (origin for these seeds: Butte Co., California)

An excerpt from an article recounting the discovery of the species during the Lewis and Clark expedition, available here: http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/311.
“An old Flathead Indian woman sat weeping on the bank of the In-schu-te-schu, or Red Willow River, in the shadow of the Chi-quil-quil-kane, or Red Mountains, singing a death song for her starving children. The rising sun heard her plaint, and sent a red spirit-bird to comfort her. The bird promised that from each of her falling tears a new flower would grow, tinted with the rose of his feathers and the white of her hair, and springing from a root as bitter as her sorrow but as nourishing as her love. The prophecy came true, and her people called the plant spetlem -“bitter”.”

Lewisia rediviva in flower; with many thanks to the provider of the picture.

How the bitteroot came to be collected during the Lewis and Clark expedition(1804/06), how it was named and by whom, and more importantly how profound this little species was intertwined with Indigenous Peoples  lives – I hope you will read about it all in the article provided. It is a great story, especially for a cold, snowy day!

Advice for growing it, and more beautiful pictures, in this thread from SRGC forum: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=15817.0

 

Results on Rubus chamaemorus germination – update 2 and 3

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For those who didn’t follow the story from the beginning, please see these links:
Homework for today: Rubus chamaemorus germination – December, 2019
Preliminary results on Rubus chamaemorus germination – update 1 (Jan. 10, 2020)

Lot#2 has been eliminated (the seeds were damaged during the endocarp removal).

Lot#1 – the first signs of germination appeared pretty fast, with the radicle emerging first, in most cases.
A few seeds were also discarded, but almost all the remaining ones showed signs of germination (radicle growth and greening of cotyledons).
The container/and the pot with transplanted germinated seeds have been kept under light at +/- 20C.

Rubus chamaemorus seeds starting to germinate, Jan 19

Rubus chamaemorus germinated seed

The main aim of the experiment was to see if the seeds indeed germinate at warm/room temperature, and they do.
But excising the seeds from the pyrenes is not an easy job and many will get damaged during the process. Especially for large lots of fruits, it is a completely unpractical method.

Rubus chamaemorus pyrenes: hwt x 3 times, placed at warm/light

Another attempt is being made by using a hot water treatment (hwt) on the pyrenes. The hot water treatment gave excellent results last year for replacing the mechanical scarification usually employed for Fabaceae seeds.

Lot#3 was treated with boiling water 3 times, one day after another starting on Jan. 16, and then placed in the same conditions like lot#2. We’ll see if the treatment was enough to produce fissures in the endocarps and allow germination without extracting the seeds.
Update will follow.

 

Recap:
If Rubus chamaemorus fruits are sowed, they require 270 days of cold/moist stratification in order for the endocarp to broke down and allow the seeds to germinate. Translation: for fruits sowing in late fall, expect some germination in the third spring after sowing.

If you manage to remove the endocarps without damaging the seeds, they will germinate quite fast at warm (room temp.)/light.

 

Update 3 – regarding germination trials out (2021):

First, because I had a question about it: what went wrong with excising the seeds from within the pyrenes?
The problem was that using a very sharp scalpel, the seeds were damaged while cutting through the pericarp. Microscopic cuts or punctures led to the damage of the seeds and embryos.

Unless one is a surgeon, I don’t see it as a feasible method, even if the few unharmed seeds did try to germinate.

So, in early spring of 2021 I went back to a classical method of scarification used by plant nurseries for this type of ‘seeds’ by using  sulphuric acid. This is not something that can be applied at home and I don’t know if it is much in use in the nurseries nowadays; out of curiosity I had to give it a try.

One lot of seeds was treated with sulphuric acid for 45 min and another one for 1 h.

Rubus chamaemorus pyrenes – H2SO4 treatment in April 2021, kept in Petri dish on moist towel; picture taken Sept. 12/2021

Afterwards, the ‘seeds’ were kept under lights at room temperature, and… nothing happened. Some seeds seem a bit enlarged but obviously the time wasn’t enough for the endocarp to be eroded enough in order to allow water imbibition.
Later on I found one study suggesting a 3h treatment with sulphuric acid; maybe I will try it this coming winter.

 

Also, another more friendly method, like nicking, was also tried with no success.
Then I left a sample of pyrenes sitting in water since March! I thought that some may give in and imbibe but it didn’t happen.

 

Rubus chamaemorus pyrenes – after receiving hot water treatment x 3 times in spring 2021, then kept in water (regularly changed); picture taken Sept.12/2021

Conclusion: for home gardeners sowing as usual and patience may provide the best outcome in regards to germination of this species. Repeated cycles of warm/cold/warm/cold are necessary for the endocarp to broke down and allow water imbibition of the seeds and start the germination process.

Blue-eyes Wednesday

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The June garden review (in progress) it is a good occasion to update the info on Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Slender blue-eyed grass).
Seeds offered as S. montanum for a couple of years were probably a mixture of both species (please see the note on the S. montanum page).

When the light blue, delicate flowers start swaying atop of the grassy leaved tight clump in June, I always wonder why we don’t cultivate more the blue-eyed grass species.
Besides their beauty, all are super cold hardy, pollinator friendly, not requiring a lot of space and good companions to other native and non-native species.
Close to S. mucronatum I grow Primula mistassinica, Parnasia glauca, Viola nephrophylla; last summer were added young plants of Zigadenus elegans and  Prenanthes racemosa. Any other species preferring a slightly moist location (even temporarily flooded) in full sun to part-shade, would be good companions.

Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Slender blue-eyed grass) flowering in June

Preliminary results on Rubus chamaemorus germination – update 1

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January 10, 2020
The first post on R. chamaemorus (December 2019): HERE

First, a simple, short presentation of the Rubus fruit so that we understand the photos. The fruit is an aggregate of drupes. Each drupe presents a fleshy part (intended as a reward for dispersers) and a ‘pyrene’ in which the seed is protected by the hard fruit endocarp similar to the peach stone. Inside the pyrene, there is a seed covered by a thin seedcoat.
The embryo in Rubus species is fully formed, showing a small radicle and two large cotyledons.

Rubus chamaemorus pyrene

The endocarp of the pyrene is very hard, reason for the difficulties in germinating the seeds.
We shall see how to remove it in a simple way and determine if the seeds germinate at warm or need a cold period, to clarify the contradictory existent sources. I realize now that this may be due to the fact that some people tried to germinate the pyrenes while others tried the actual seeds!
When sowing the pyrenes, 270 days of cold/moist stratification are said to be required for germination, meaning 2 years (Baskin & Baskin).

Two lots of pyrenes were used.
Lot#1 was soaked in water since Dec. 18, with the water changed once in a while.
Lot#2 was soaked and also treated with hot water twice at interval of one week (see the ‘hot water treatment’ post).

I sectioned the first few pyrenes last week just to see how it goes, but the germination experiment was started only two days ago; that means about 3 weeks of soaking in water.

The endocarps were removed with a scalpel under a magnifying lamp. The easy way to remove them is by making a small section on the curved side of the pyrene, towards the rounded end. This way you avoid damaging the embryo radicle, which is at the opposite end.

 Rubus chamaemorus; pyrenes showing where to section to remove the endocarp

Despite the recommendation of the article presented in the first post, I find no need for nicking the seedcoat, which is very thin and sometimes even slides out easily (especially in lot #2).

Findings: the pyrenes treated with hot water were definitely easier to cut than the ones only soaked in water. For lot# 2 some of the seeds were already soft, a sign that the soaking time was too long. It is clear that the hot water treatment is very effective, leading to fine fissures in the endocarp. The soaking time should be reduced a bit, maybe at two weeks.

After removing the endocarps, the seeds were placed right away in containers (with lids) prepared with a layer of moist vermiculite and a coffee filter on top; this will allow for easy observation. I borrowed the idea from a friend who used it for stratification of seeds in the fridge.

The seeds (some still with half of the endocarp) and the embryos are sitting on top of the coffee filter, which can be easily replaced in case some of them develop mold (quite possible)

Considering the aspect of lot#2 of pyrenes and seeds, I wonder if the hot water treatment (done a bit differently) may not be enough to allow the seeds to germinate (?). I still have a small lot of pyrenes and will start one more treatment right away.
Removing the endocarps is not a practical solution for large scale sowing, plus other Rubus species (all with hard endocarps) have very small pyrenes.

So, until the next update – let’s have the kettle going!

Special thanks: to Trond Hoy for providing the bakeapple seeds and to Keith Baldie for sharing with me his method of stratification.

Homework for today: Rubus chamaemorus germination

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Recently I exchanged few words about the Rubus chamaemorus (bakeapple) with someone who purchased seeds. While reading again a short but quite explicit article on the subject, I thought it would be good to do a little experiment of my own.
Although it needs a specialized habitat to grow well, R. chamaemorus is a desirable species; unfortunately difficult to germinate due to the very hard endocarp (the ‘seeds’ are actually pyrenes ;).

Today I had to pack seeds again and it was the perfect occasion: I counted two lots of pyrenes for the experiment. I intend to soak one lot as usual in water and for the other one I’ll use the ‘hot water’ treatment to see if it makes it easier to remove the endocarp.

I will update this post along the experiment, but until then anyone interested can do  a bit of homework:

GERMINATION STUDIES OF BAKEAPPLE (CLOUDBERRY) SEEDS – cjps79-010

Other studies also suggests removing of the endocarp to obtain germination but there are contradictory reports about the germination temperature.

 

 

The heart

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While preparing orders last couple of days, I stumbled upon a perfectly heart shaped seed among Fritillaria atropurpurea stock.
I took it as a sign that I must also sow few seeds and put aside a tiny package for myself, heart included :)

Fritillaria atropurpurea seeds

 

There is one last pck. left for Fritillaria atropurpurea. All other Frits sold out at the moment, thank you – merci

 

Reminder: this is the best time to start sowing species that require cold/moist stratification!!!

Beyond flowers II

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Sanguinaria canadensis, our most beloved spring harbinger must be appreciated beyond its flowers; albeit beautiful, they last only few days. In very dry years, the leaves may go dormant early. However, with enough moisture they remain lovely until late fall!

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) pictured a few days ago

Asarum canadense it is also a ‘beyond flowers’ species; the flowers appear at the ground level and are barely noticeable. But the leaves emerge in early spring and throughout the season will keep very good company as a groundcover for other species, plus they remain decorative until late October.

Asarum canadense (wild ginger) leaves spotting the woodland floor in late October

Soon, only the queens of the woodlands (i.e. Hepatica) will be reigning over the forest, together with a few loyal evergreens (Chimaphila, various sedges and Mitchella repens). Their foliage will be replaced by the new leaves only in the spring after the flowering.

Asarum canadense and Hepatica acutiloba foliage in late October

Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix

You can grow these species together, like in their natural habitat (add few Trilliums and Erythronium americanum, Claytonia virginica…) or in various other combinations.

Sanguinaria canadensis spring

Asarum canadense spring

Hepatica acutiloba spring foliage

Appreciate them beyond the flowers, spring, summer and fall!

 

Rock polypody

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Playing with Polypodium virginianum spores? Have a mossy boulder? maybe better to proceed to sowing :)

Polypodium virginianum spores