Germination of Moraea huttonii

[Redmires]

I've been sent some Moraea huttonii seed with an order and would be grateful for advice on when to sow and how to treat it - a web search produced conflicting suggestions. I adore the winter-flowering Moraea but can't provide appropriate conditions, so even though this species looks much less striking I'm still ridiculously excited to have the chance to try growing a Moraea and don't want to waste the seed by treating inappropriately.

[Maggi Young]

The Ontario RG & HPS  germination guide  https://www.onrockgarden.com/index.php/germination-guide  for M. alticola says  "Sow @ 20°C. Seed germinates within 3 months"
 I don't know about M. huttonii    but I know that many Moraea don't like artificial heat and prefer a more "usual" cold, chill regime.
Have you looked a the Pacific Bulb Society site to see if they have any germination info there? https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/MoraeaSpeciesFive

[MarcR]

Moraea huttonii needs temperatures of 10-15c to germinate. Germination is slow and uneven; but reliable. You might want to buy a used small refrigerator and set it to 12C. An LED growlight can be placed inside.

[Redmires]

That's very helpful Marc. My minuscule budget won't run to a fridge, but I can easily provide that temperature range at the moment - and right through until late spring - although I may have to be a bit careful about ventilation whilst the seeds are indoors. I'll get them sown ASAP and cross my fingers for good results.

[MarcR]

I recently bought 2 small refrigerators for $30 (£20) each. They don't need to be budget breakers. When buying used ones, I don't care what they look like because I'm not putting food in them.  I wash them down inside first with straight chlorine bleach then after a rinse with straight vinegar. That will kill any lurking nastieys.
I have one set at 40F (4C) and one at 54F (12C).  That way I don't need to start seeds in the kitchen fridge.

[Tomte]

Not quite the original topic (but still related as it relates to germinating in the fridge): I regularly keep seed of fritillaria aurea from the seed ex in the fridge but so far have not been successful in germinating that species. This year I also tried F. serpenticola. They are kept cool from at least November on, sometimes until March. Does anyone else have succeeded in germination these species recently obtained from the seed ex? I did not get many seeds each an wonder whether these were viable in the first place. Or is there some trick to help things along? How about moisture level in the fridge? I keep them in a non-ventilated fridge but do not water frequently (soil keeps moist, of course, as it’s covered with grit). Any thoughts?

[Maggi Young]

Not quite the original topic (but still related as it relates to germinating in the fridge): I regularly keep seed of fritillaria aurea from the seed ex in the fridge but so far have not been successful in germinating that species. This year I also tried F. serpenticola. They are kept cool from at least November on, sometimes until March. Does anyone else have succeeded in germination these species recently obtained from the seed ex? I did not get many seeds each an wonder whether these were viable in the first place. Or is there some trick to help things along? How about moisture level in the fridge? I keep them in a non-ventilated fridge but do not water frequently (soil keeps moist, of course, as it’s covered with grit). Any thoughts?

 

Ian Young warns against putting all/any  bulb seed in the fridge for storage  too early, as it may still need time to fully develop . It may be that your "reluctant" seed has been refridgerated too soon, even before you received it.

[MarcR]

Tomte,

I am not familiar with the 2 species you mentioned; but Fritillarias generally need light and fluctuating temperatures including freezing.  You would likely do better to plant them outdoors as soon as you receive them; because they have a very short 'shelf life'.