Morning Glories: #3 New Morning Glorys 2005, 0 by WillowWasp

WillowWasp wrote:
Opps where did it go Sandy??? I tried to pull it up and it said it was being moved...........

Live and learn.......don't sweat the small stuff and the rest will take care of itself.....Sandy...............LOL



Got this from some that has a litle bit of Knowledge in seed germination and why some varities are harder to germinate than others....this is only one opinion but I do think it has some merit and I though yall would like to read it and give it some thought. This was originally sent to another Member who forwarded it to me. That member can say who they are if they care to.
I have deleted some names as not to stirr up more hard feelings......LOL

saw your post and thought I'd reply...;
The types that ----- offered on ebay(like alot of unusual 'hybrids' from Japan) tend to have thin seedcoats that are very susceptible to molding,even before(!) they are planted,and are more susceptible to fungal attacks than most other types of morning glories...the seedcoats on these are similar to the 'Blue Silk' and is related to the poor germination reported by many on the 'Blue Silk'...;
I acquired seeds from ------ through a friend(because I will not sign up on e-bay for personal; reasons) and I will say that I noticed that several of the Yamatoji seeds were without a doubt,very immature with severely underdeveloped embryos...this may not have been apparent to an 'untrained' eye and my friend could not see any difference,but I did...I wanted to complain,but my friend did not want to...There were no underdeveloped seeds in any of the other types that I bought and I bought about 20 packets of various MG's (some of which I think are from my own stock traded to a Canadian person several years ago)..I do think that the seeds were harvested a 'bit early' and I say this because I have from experience learned that the seedcoats of the Japanese types need to be 'almost cured' to a certain hardness or they are too soft(and porous!) and too soft equates to a higher vulnerability to fungal infection,before or after any sprouting attempts....I think there are people who manage to grow various MG's who nonetheless,do not have the 'perception' and 'discriminating eye' that only comes from skilled(!) experience...;
I did germinate some of the rare Japanese types that she is offerring,but I use different germination techniques than most people are willing to be 'bothered' with...I use a hydrogen peroxide soak and sprout in a mixture of vermiculite,sand and (partially milled)sphagnum moss...all of which have a very low tendency to facillitate the growth of fungal pathogens...the mixture must allow air(!) to get to the seeds...I try to get the seeds to germinate as quickly as possible,to expose them to light asap,get them out of the shells asap even very(!) carefully helping to remove the seedcoat with very fine tweezers to allow the light to reach as much of the cotyledon structure asap which gives them a major(!) strengthening boost against any infections...getting the young plant out of the shell reduces the likelihood of the types of pathogens that are encouraged by the seedcoat enclosure,but still different micro-organisms are 'hungry' for very young exposed cotyledons...bright light(preferably sunlight,the UV content of which helps to kill off/prevent certain pathogens),fresh 'clean' air flow and the 'right' temperature...I say 'right' because what's 'right' can vary with the particulars of a locality...if the temperature is on the cool side,this inhibits many pathogens,but can also be too cool for rapid embryonic growth,...'too warm' could stimulate embryonic growth,but also speeds up the growth of a different strain of pathogens which could be more or less prone to any 'particular' environmental area...;
The copper sulfate solution can sometimes be very helpful against pathogens and using this before or after the hydogen peroxide soak might do the trick for you...it would be great(!) if some of the rarer MG's didn't need this,but sometimes they do...;
Hope something in my suggestions is of some help...;
Regards,

I hope you find this intresting and maybe it will help some.