Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Seedy Subjects! => Grow From Seed => Topic started by: arisaema on June 01, 2017, 10:21:30 AM

Title: Storing Helleborus thibetanus-seeds
Post by: arisaema on June 01, 2017, 10:21:30 AM

How would you recommend storing Helleborus thibetanus seeds to best preserve viability? I'm torn between throwing them in a plastic bag in the fridge, or moist packing them with vermiculite and keep them at room temperature.

Title: Re: Storing Helleborus thibetanus-seeds
Post by: Lesley Cox on June 01, 2017, 11:22:24 AM

With absolutely no experience at all of H. thibetanus, I'd go for the latter, assuming you are planning to sow the seed at whatever you consider to be the best tide. If you have enough, try some each way and I'd sow some right away as well, fresh always being best, in my estimation.
Whichever of your two options you take, keep a frequent eye on them as there may well be germination in the plastic bags if the seed is of good quality.

Title: Re: Storing Helleborus thibetanus-seeds
Post by: johnw on June 01, 2017, 12:34:23 PM

We've sown directly & kept evenly moist.  Also in a plastic bag with just moist live green sphagnum. Believe the former worked best and as Lesley says they must be fresh.

john

Title: Re: Storing Helleborus thibetanus-seeds
Post by: Pauli on June 01, 2017, 03:18:35 PM

I did it the same way as John without Problems!

Title: Re: Storing Helleborus thibetanus-seeds
Post by: arisaema on June 05, 2017, 07:05:52 AM

Thanks guys, I'll try the live sphagnum in room temperature next time, I had hoped to get some wild collected seeds but they had unfortunately dropped already. They'd be impossible to grow here in Chengdu unfortunately, even Epimedium struggle in the heat here.