Germinating now- - photos of seedlings

[Lori S.]

Oooh, Thermopsis barbata! 
I haven't gotten that one but did germinate Thermopsis smithiana this spring indoors, which I'd expect ought to be similar.  After soaking overnight (not sure why I did that as I don't usually for Fabaceae, however, my notes say I did  ), then scarifying (which I pretty well always do for Fabaceae), they germinated after 6 days at room temperature. They grew pretty strongly, though they were etoliated under the lights indoors - however, I don't usually find that to be a problem, since once they are planted outdoors, they normally tighten up as new growth is produced.
After planting the three resulting seedlings out (didn't have many seeds to start with but didn't note the number), they looked okay for a while, then died.   

[Matt T]

I gather it takes quite a while to flower.

Wasn't it Göteborg BG who flowered it last year? After a 10 year wait!

[David Nicholson]

Wasn't it Göteborg BG who flowered it last year? After a 10 year wait!

Erm!, I don't think I'll bother trying

[Matt T]

Wasn't it Göteborg BG who flowered it last year? After a 10 year wait!

It flowered 2 years ago, 12 years after sowing: https://henrikzetterlund.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/tiden-gar-fort-nar-man-har-roligt/

[Matt T]

Erm!, I don't think I'll bother trying

Gardeners are optimists, David. Never stop sowing seeds!

[Tristan_He]

To be honest I didn't give the Thermopsis barbata any special treatment. Just sowed the seeds (which are reassuringly large and plump - think a fully engorged tick) on perlite in my usual seed mix and covered with more perlite. Then left them outdoors. No scarifying or soaking. I have been potting them up pretty soon after germination though into a John Innes No 2 with added grit, as they develop quite a large taproot. One is out on the rockery already.

They are quite a hairy, grey-leaved plant and I do not think they would do well indoors. We'll see how they do, perhaps they will like our cool, wet, windy climate (something has to!). Hopefully they won't rot in the winter.

Just hoping I can improve on Gothenburg BG's time to flowering though, 10 years is a long time...

Tristan

[Lori S.]

Sure, hard seed coats will soften enough through time to allow germination when left outdoors in the rain and what not... that must be what happens in nature (plus sometimes some tumbling around that may help by abrading the seed coats, e.g. for desert species that depend on flash floods for germination).   The benefit of scarifying pea seeds, to me, is to hasten germination from an indoor, winter planting, so that plants can be grown large enough to plant out in spring, not that it necessarily needs to be done.  Just out of curiosity, how long did yours take to germinate?

[Tristan_He]

They were sown at the start of May. One came up fairly quickly (June? - I'm afraid I don't take notes); the others while we were on holiday, sometime in August. The seeds are so big that it's possible to repot germinated seedlings and then resow the rest. I don't generally sow alpines indoors - quite happy to leave outdoors in the elements and wait.

I really must make space for a cold frame though.

[Robert]

A skunk over turned a pot full of dormant Delphinium hanseni seedlings last night. Generally I would replant them in the late winter - very early spring.



They received zero water during the summer. Even the tiny roots are viable. Now that I am forced into action, I will plant some in the back of a dry bed (no summer irrigation), the remainder I will replant in a couple of 01 Gallon pots. Most likely they will all bloom next spring.

[hud357]

Hippeastrum harrisonii seedlings doing very well.

Could you post an update?

Mine are doing OK but perhaps I need to change the media. Yours in August look like mine do now. What do I need to change?

[johnralphcarpenter]

Don't know. They're growing in a mixture of GrowChar seed compost and perlite, in a ziplock bag with the top open, on a shady bedroom window ledge. Lots more similar germinating now as well, I'll take some photographs.

[ikizzeki]

It is great to see that now seedlings from my seeds are growing all over  the world 

Hans

Thanks so much, Hans j. Hippeastrum harrisonii germination perfectly.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Here are the Hippeastrum harrisonii seedlings now, still growing well. Also some seedlings from PBS seeds:

Hippeastrum Ex 'Charisma'
Hippeastrum Ex 'Fancy Red Garden Type'
Hippeastrum Ex 'Orange Tet'
Hippeastrum Ex 'Strong Red Form'

[johnralphcarpenter]

Some more from PBS seeds:

Hippeastrum Ex 'Voodoo'
Hippeastrum stylosum
Hippeastrum puniceum
x Hippeastrelia
Crinum bulbispermum 'Jumbo Strain'

[hud357]

Here are the Hippeastrum harrisonii seedlings now, still growing well.

Hmm... They look a lot bigger and healthier than mine. Time for a re-think.