Seed-starting chronicles 2011

[McDonough]

Wow, it looks like you have had excellent germination on some really choice plants!   What extraordinary flowers on Trichopetalum... reminiscent in appearance of some of the more bizarre Calochortus.

Excellent germination, but then . . .

In my Australian-Flora-Fascination days many years ago, I ordered seed of one of these tricky Trichopetalum species, had some germination, then the seedlings tricked me by dying.  Such a crazy-interesting genus.

[RickR]

A few to report:
These germinated at 70F after about one month of a 40F cold treatment
Silene nigrescens - 6 days
Silene suksdorfii - 4 days
Silene uniflora 'Rosea' - 4 days
Talinum paniculatum - 6 days

Fritillaria tuntasia - germinated at 40F. Seed planted Sept 2009, subject to outside temps.  I candle all my frit and Lilium seeds, but still plant any suspect viable seed.  This frit, I hadn't found any seeds with definite embryos, but one (so far) has come up anyway!

[Lori S.]

Oooh, well done!  That's an enviable collection of Silene!

[McDonough]

Here are some pf the seedlings

Ribes magellanicum

Trond, good to see a photo of this Ribes, it looks most appealing, I like the hanging racemes of red flowers.  I had a couple of seedlings of this, only about 1" tall as of last year... too early to know whether it survived a second winter.

[McDonough]

I always hold ungerminated seed pots for 2 years, you never know if there will be some delayed germination action.  Today I checked a tray of seed pots sown in 2009, and there was germination of two desirable Allium species, A. akaka (shown) and Allium materculae (akin to A. akaka), both from Vlastimil Pilous seed, and a pot of Penstemon arkansanus (shown).  I love when that happens.

[RickR]

I also have more 2010 sowed results:

Last season I planted seed of Hieracium lanatum, and also Hieracium villosum from two sources.  Seed was planted on 2 April 2010, and H. villosum germinated 7 and 8 days for the two lots.  H. lanatum did not germinate that season, but it has now sprouted one year later (12 April 2011), after exposure to outside temps for the year.  One of the Hieracium villosum lots also sprouted many more seedlings in the second year.

          

Also planted in October 2009, two more Fritillaria have sprouted:
F. pallidiflora
F. rhodocankis
Both had one seed each germinate last year, but now have eight and three more, respectively, in addition.

Fritillaria pallidiflora

          

[stephenb]

Here are some pf the seedlings

Ribes magellanicum

Trond, good to see a photo of this Ribes, it looks most appealing, I like the hanging racemes of red flowers.  I had a couple of seedlings of this, only about 1" tall as of last year... too early to know whether it survived a second winter.

Looks like there's been an influx of Ribes magellanicum seed - I had germinated seed in 2009, but it didn't make it to 2010 (very hard winter). I expect you'll have more success, Trond - I'll be looking for cuttings in a few years

[stephenb]

Here's a picture of part of this seedaholic's set up. I germinate most perennials outside in a cold frame - I'm not in a hurry, so they just germinate naturally when they're ready. I keep the seed trays for 2 or even 3 years in the case of woody plants. You will notice that I have sowed several species in each container - I make sure that I only mix seed that I can easily tell apart at the seedling stage...

About 10 have germinated so far...

[McDonough]

Just checked, my Ribes magellanicum overwintered and enters its 2nd year of life.  It is about 9-10 cm tall.

Stephen, your overhead view of seed pots loots like a crazy quilt

[Hoy]

Looks like there's been an influx of Ribes magellanicum seed - I had germinated seed in 2009, but it didn't make it to 2010 (very hard winter). I expect you'll have more success, Trond - I'll be looking for cuttings in a few years

I'll keep it in mind, Stephen, but my mind isn't what I would like it to be so you better do remind me later

[Lori S.]

Luetkea pectinata - surprisingly easy from seed.

http://www.wildgingerfarm.com/Luetkeapectinata-PartridgeFoot.htm

Scrophularia crithmifolia (Why, yeth, I do thspeak with a lisp.)  I'm not sure why I'm growing this - it looks stunningly underwhelming...
http://www.euskal-herria.org/node/21594  


Pyrethrum tatsiense

[Toole]

I keep on coming back to this thread to see what some of you are germinating  --then searching the web or looking up the links to plants i am unfamiliar with.Wonderful........So much promise.

Here's my contribution ---A couple of pics of some of the results of the last 2/3 months, repotted last weekend into 1 litre pots.

Some of the North American contents are--

Viola pedata.
Lesquerella artica.
Asarum caudatum and A. hartwegii.

Others---
Various Cyclamen including C. graecum --C mirable x tilebarn--C.cilicium alba.
A number of Crocus --C mathewii --C longiflorus --C. niveus--C. goulimyi.
Tigridia chiapensis
Hepaticas
and others.
Oops nearly forgot --also an onion for Mark  Allium wallichii.

Cheers Dave

[stephenb]

I'll keep it in mind, Stephen, but my mind isn't what I would like it to be so you better do remind me later

What was it I was supposed to remind you?

[Hoy]

Did I say anything? Can't remember I did

[RickR]

With a three inch snowfall ten days ago that melted in three days, and yesterday's two inches that has melted today, I have a bunch of 40F germinators that have come up.  Sow dates accompany, and it's clear that keeping pots for more than just one season pays off.

Fritillaria biflora - 2 Oct 2009
Fritillaria bucharica - 5 Oct 2010
Fritillaria carica - 2 Oct 2009, several. one seed germinated in 2010
Fritillaria collina - 5 Oct 2010
Fritillaria crassifolia ssp. kurdica - 2 Oct 2009, several. two germinated in 2010
Fritillaria pallidiflora - 5 Oct 2010
Fritillaria pyrenaica - 2 Oct 2009
Fritillaria sewerzowii - 5 Oct 2010
Fritillaria whittalii - 2 Oct 2009
Lewisia cotyledon - 2 Oct 2009
Penstemon whippleanus - 25 March 2010
Tulipa urmiensis - 1 March 2010

I have been candling my Fritillaria seed, as I do with Lilium seed. While the fritillaria embryos that I see are unmistakable, it is clear from my trials that these were not the only fertile seed: I still plant what may be chaff, and many have sprouted in batches where I had seen only one or two embryos. So candling for fertile fritillaria seed is not effective. 

But then, if I had just asked, someone probably could have told me that...