Are these hibiscus seeds viable?

I posted this thread in the Hib forum but didn't think to try here first. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts. I have friends and family who'd asked for some of my hib seeds, but I don't want to give them away and see them put work into them if they're not viable. On that same note, I wanted to try and sow a few to have a couple more hib plants for next year, but same thing -- don't want to try planting them if they are, in fact, not viable.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1039672/

Thanks much for any advise/help!
Jennifer

Jennifer, there's really no way to tell if they are viable or not - just plant them and see what happens.

Upon further reading, I learned about weevils, which the eggs are laid inside the seeds, and they eat the inside of the seeds, which is probably what produced the holes in the sides. So those seeds, I've thrown away, so as not to pass that problem on to anyone else. I have a decent number of them without the holes that I'll try to plant when the time comes. In the mean time, I have them all in my freezer.

Thanks much for responding!

Jennifer

Jennifer-

I was given some hardy hibiscus seeds last winter from a fellow daves garden member. I have learned that you must scar the seed (which is tricky) and then soak them in water to speed up germination. I sat on the couch with a razor blade and a magnifying glass sawing scars into each seed. I then soaked them in water ( I filled the glass with hot water) for several days. I then placed them in little pots of potting soil and barely covered them, placed the pots in baggies and sat the bags on heating pads to germinate. Of course not all germinated, but I now have several small hardy hibiscus plants growing in my backyard! I hope this helps!

Bubba1

Hardy hibiscus are fairly easy to grow from seed in ordinary garden soil (it is more clay than soil here). I scratched a patch (3 places for 3 different types of hibiscus seeds), scattered the seeds, covered lightly and tamped in a few weeks ago. I now have dozens of seedling in each little patch. Cuttings are fairly easy to do as well.

A few days ago (Saturday, I think), I started twenty hib seeds (four different varieties), and to date, 8 have germinated using the paper towel/baggy on the cable box method. I just put them in small seedling trays to see how they do. I'm so excited! :-)

I started 5 each of Hibiscus Coccineus (3 germ'd); Luna Red (2 germ'd); and two other hardy varieties -- pink and white -- of which 3 germ'd. I don't think I nicked the others right, so I re-nicked them again and reset them on the cable box to see if they'll germ as well. But I'm happy that I got 8 to go already.

(I'm a newbie at this, can't you tell? LOL).

Here is a thread on weevils on Hibiscus. If the seeds have holes, they are not viable and won't sprout since the seed has been devoured by the weevil that emerged from it.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1055744/

I freeze hardy hibiscus seeds to kill any bugs. When you pick them put them in the freezer for a while and you will have a much better germination rate.

If freezing kills bugs, I wouldn't have any bugs to worry about in zone 4. Unfortunately, that ain't so. I still have the flies, moths, wasps, and whatever else crawls and flies during summer that follows a winter of below freezing temps.

Hibiscus don't need stratification (cold treatment) to germinate. They do however require nicking and a hot water soak over night.

I agree on freezing does not kill bugs. I think he caribou in Alaska are proof. Mosquitoes survive bitter winters and feast on the beasts as they trek back to their summer range.

Hardy hibiscus don't require nicking or a hot water soak either. It might speed things up but not neccessary. I scratch a patch in poor soil (clay), dump a handful of seeds in, cover lightly, and stomp the soil down (make sure the soil has moisture though). Within a week or two I have lots of seedlings.

All I know is this. Pick hardy hibiscus seeds, put them in a bag and weeks later you will have bugs crawling around. Pick the seeds put them in the freezer then just leave them in a bag for a few weeks or month and you will not have bugs. For that matter you could put the seeds in a vacum packer. I bet that would get them.

The seeds are easy to germinate, no need to do much of anything. Sow outside, inside in a wet paper towel how ever.

If you are storing them for later use, then freezing would be a good way to save them. I never heard of vacuum sealing seeds - I guess it wouldn't hurt to try - works great for food.

I just like the idea of starting fresh seed (right out of the pod) - they just seem to sprout faster and be more uniform than old seed.

Yes, nicking and soaking does speed up germination for any hard seeds, like those of Hibiscus. I have always done that. This year I germinated them in a moist kitchen paper towel stored in a zip lock baggie, instead of sowing in soil.

Seed do not have to be fresh either. Often older seeds germinate better. I sowed Hibiscus seeds that I purchased from Parks in 2004. Only one sprouted in soil then. I started some of the leftover seeds (now 5 years old) this past spring. Nicked, soaked, then in a moist kitchen towel inserted in a baggie and left at room temp. They sprouted in 2 days.

I did many different varieties of perennials the same way. Some were placed in the fridge for stratification. I had more luck with the paper/baggie method than when sown in soil. After 40 years sowing seeds, I learned something new. The only way to go.

Below is the photo of Hibiscus seeds after 2 days in the moist towel just prior to potting up.