Specific Families and Genera > Hepatica

Hepatica from seed

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Carsten:
Hepatica seed is ripening these days and for the next few weeks. So I started to sow them now.

Best practise for me is to sow the seeds as soon as they are ripe and easily fall out of the seed heads. To prevent the seeds from disapearing between all my pots and to tell the different crossings on the same plant apart I use small gauze bags and connect it to a label with the data of the crossing.
A plastic pot is filled up with a mix of Seramis, pumice or zeolite, which is free draining and the seeds are easily pricked out when I seperate them some 2 years later.
Spread the seeds evenly and let them enough space to grow for a season or two. Then cover the seeds with +/- 10mm of finely chopped and composted pine needles.
 
I place the seed pots on the floor of my greenhouse and water regularly that the seeds never dry out.
Other composts and a cover of gravel will work as well but for me itīs easier to keep the seeds moist at any time but not water locked this way. I start feeding them when the seedlings clearly start to grow from April/May the following year. In the first season most seedlings only show their seed leaves but sometimes another 1 or 2 extra leaves appear. In this case you might be lucky to see the first flowers in the 2. season of their growth.

Carsten:
Some seeds only germinate in the 2. year while I might be able harvesting seeds in the same pot. As many crossings only show interesting features in the F2 generation a flower in the 2. year after sowing is very valuable.

Herman Mylemans:
Carsten, thank you for the interesting information!

Pennine Wanderer:
Very interesting Carsten.  It just shows you are never too old to learn.  Thanks. Dave

Carsten:
Almost 3 years after sowing, it is now high time for repotting the Hepaticas. The pot is densely overgrown and well rooted.

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