Iris species

[ashley]

Well remember they have to manage on their own in the wild David

As I understand it, interventions may speed up or increase the success rate of germination but are not essential.

[Rafa]

Fred, after 16 cemet mixer in the afternoon I have my hands quite unsteady 

Thank you very much John for this precise and useful advices.

Pat I put little sticks with the names, and after hydratation I use them for the bags.

[JohnLonsdale]

ZeroTol is a stabilized, concentrated form of peroxide that is commercially available.  For sterilizing seeds I generally use a 1:50 dilution.  I don't know what this translates to as a final peroxide concentration but I'll check the label when I get a chance.

Best,

John

[Lesley Cox]

David, I have some onco seed on the way to me now and I plan to try the "forced germination" method described so well in this thread. However, I have pretty good success with junos just sowing in a gritty seed mix and covering with half to one centimetre of grit. It is helpfuil if the seed is fresh but even with older seed they come through in time, often just one or two in the first year then another couple later and so on. Don't ever throw the pots out of rarer species, until you're sure there are no more to come.

With my own seed of species like magnifica, vicaria, bucharica, if sown fresh they germinate as well and as quickly as, say, Narcissus or frit seed from one's own garden.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks Lesley and Ashley.

[Hans A.]

Thanks a lot John,
I tried it once with peroxid but as it seemed a bit agressive  now I only soak the seeds in a  bleachsolution (20%) for about 10 minutes just before I start the procedure. Had rarly any fungus infection in the past.
Using fresh seeds natural germination of Oncos here is similar or only a bit slower as for normal Bearded Iris.

[Maggi Young]

A note that there is another thread on a similar subject.....
Forced Germination - preparing onco seed.....
here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6450.0

[Nick_the_grief]

As well as a magnifying glass on a stand, maybe a pair of long nosed tweezers would be useful, to hold the individual seeds.

Alan Newton has a natty pair of magnifying glasses on a sort of welder's mask type thingy....... perhaps he'll let me know where he got it? Maybe the sort of thing stamp collectors or fly-tyers use?

I know it's a bit late and you probably know already but try Maplins
http://www.maplin.co.uk/2-led-magnifying-visor-219971

Built in light as well 

[Maggi Young]

Handy, Nick  and cheaper than the ebay options ....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=847.msg74102#msg74102


http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=Optivisor&_sacat=See-All-Categories

[Hans A.]

Today I checked some seedpots of Oncos - normally they germinate in autumn here, but there is also some germination now - surprisingly even on seeds I planted last month!

[christian pfalz]

hello hans,
looks great, i hope my will germinatet too....
cheers
chris

[BULBISSIME]

Superb Hans,
congratulations for such nice seedlings !

[Hans A.]

Thanks Christian and Fred!
I was really suprised to find those seedlings only one month after planting - I expected first germination next autumn, earliest.

[arillady]

Great results Hans. I have been soaking arils ready for the fridge and one of the sari seeds shows sign of moving already. I will pot that one up.
I always sow my seed in autumn as our summers are too fierce usually for young seedlings. Seed then germinate during autumn and spring.

[Darren]

I know I'm renewing an old thread but it is a very useful one.

I just received seed of several onco species and would like to attempt the 'cutting' method for persuading them to germinate. I tried this once before using Geoff Wilson's method on some Archibald seed, but with very little success.

I suspect I may have cut off too much material and damaged the embryos - Rafa's method looks perhaps safer than a straight cut across the seed. It also does not involve removing the whole of the seed coat.

My question was - is it OK to start this process now? Reason for asking is that if all goes well the seeds would be due to germinate around mid-winter when temps and light are poor. But I could (and would) house them in a propagator at a minimum of , say, 10C.