Roscoea cautleyoides

[David Nicholson]

I have been given some seeds of the above which the doner thought! were collected in 2005 and have been stored in a fridge. They are at present stored in my (our, I am told! fridge. Could anyone help in respect of sowing details. One Site I have looked at suggests a sowing tyemperature of 71/75F but I don't know where in the World the site author was based.

Any views/information would be appreciated.

[Lesley Cox]

David, Roscoea cautleoides is very hardy and if you were to sow the seed anytime now and put it outside - covered with grit - and wait, in due course something will happen. It's a lovely thing and totally reliable in my experience. It also self sows to some extent. Likes a coolish, dampish place and looks good with the orangey and yellow primulas.

[KentGardener]

Hi David

I have emailed you seperately with a scan from the RHS gingers book describing Roscoea germination.

summary:
best to do when very fresh
if stored in fridge for any length of time then germination will not be as good and will be sporadic
soak seeds that have been stored before sowing

regards

John

[David Nicholson]

Lesley and John, thanks for both your responses. I think I shall follow both points of view. Sow some now and leave them outside, sow some now in the propogator, sow some in early April. Given the view, in the articles that John sent me, that Roscoea seed looses its viability in storage perhaps I need to keep my fingers crossed.

[SueG]

Hi David

On the other hand they won't grow in the packet!

Sue

PS I speak as someone who has tried to grow plants in their seed packets for years

[David Nicholson]

With you all the way Sue. The salad compartment of our fridge is full of assorted plastic boxes containing seed. I really must be disciplined this year and stop worrying about whether the time of year is right or not. "This man means to sow" shall be the motto.

[David Nicholson]

Sowed two batches of R cautleyoides seed outdoors and one in the greenhouse on 28 January. The outdoors ones are through but no trace yet in the greenhouse. Provided that they don't die on me looks as though I shall have lots of little plants to spare. How long should I leave them in the seed pots before pricking out please?

 Intended to take a picture but can't find camera anywhere, must be another senior moment. Maureen says she hasn't moved it (bet she has!!)

[Lesley Cox]

I wouldn't prick them out at all but leave for another full growing season before touching them. Several times I've potted up the young seedlings only to lose the lot. I now let them grow another year (after the germinating year) then pot them up or plant out when they've died down for the second time.

[David Shaw]

In general I agree with Lesley and would not normally touch the seeds in their first year. An exception would be if the growth was very dense in which case I would transfer the whole potfull, no splitting, en block into a larger pot with a JI#1 compost. This is what I do after a couple of years anyway.
If the small bulbs don't need moving to a larger pot remember that they are using what little nutrient there is in the seed compost. I like to give a liquid feed of weak tomato fertiliser a couple of times before they die back in order to help on their way to becoming stronger bulbs next year.

[Lesley Cox]

Spot on, David (S). Many people don't put any fertilizer in their seed mix but I always add some osmacote plus, 9 months to my potting mix which is also my seed mix, so I don't bother with extra fert when keeping seedlings growing on in the same pot. But yes, David (N) put the whole potful into a larger pot as they will grow quite quickly. With R. cautleoides, every seed germinates I think, so they're always a tight mass after germination.

[David Shaw]

We use a very different seed compost Lesley. Whilst you add a little bit extra yours we use basic JI and then weaken it with an equal amount of grit.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks to Lesley and to David for the very helpful advice, which I shall follow. I had another look through my seed frame today and noticed that in addition to the two pots of Roscoea courtleyoides I also have good germination in a pot each of R. scillifolia, R.alpina pink form and R. courleyoides Jeffrey Thomas. Roscoes coming out of my ears! If I manage to get that lot to a reasonable size I shall be looking for a Nursery to supply

[Lesley Cox]

We don't have JI composts available here unfortunately, though I have the recipes if I cared to make them up, from the old L D Hills Propagation of Alpines book. However, most gritty mixes are OK. Commercial mixes tend to be made up of peat only with a miniscule amount of grit added. They're too wet for alpines in my opinion, but too dry once they DO dry out, and are virtually unwettable again.