ok newbie question here...i have grown passionflowers before but I always bought live plants, I am currently growing 2 in my house as houseplants (yes it lookslike a jungle in here) but I've never grown one from seed before. well I received 10 seeds each of 5 different passies in a trade and don't know how to start them from seed can anyone help me?
I grow these 2 in the house:
passiflora x belotii
Blue Eyed Susan (don't know the latin name)
I received the following in a trade:
alata
foetida
edulis
ligularis
mollissima
Passie seeds how to start them
Please help!
Hi Trina,
Here's what I do. I like to use a long soak in wet paper towels. I use a plastic shoebox to do this. Just fold up the paper towel, and wet it, place the seeds down, and cover them with another fold of the paper towel. I usually soak for 2 or 3 weeks. I put the lid on the shoebox, and check it daily. Add water as needed. If any mold develops, change out the paper towels. After soaking, I plant them in 72 cell trays using screened Miracle Gro--first screened through a half inch screen to take out the big chunks (fill the cells with this, and smoosh it down--it should go half way). Then I run some more once-screened Miracle Gro through an old window screen--this yields a fine soil that wets better than peat seed starting mix. Then plant the seeds, water, and put under a plant light. I also use a heat mat set to 80 degrees. You will need a humidity dome if you use a heat mat. If you don't have a heat mat, try to put the tray in a warm spot (just not cold).
Then you have to wait--sometimes a long time (months).
Good luck!
Mark
I forgot to add that I usually use distilled water--don't know if chlorine harms the seeds or not.
Mark
thank you....I really hope this works....I just love these things and am always wanting to add to my collection, but with 5 teenagers I gotta try to keep things on the cheap
hi, tina, guess what i found?? cold-hardy passifloras. i couldn't believe it. my house is a jungle after the temps drop. LOL. anyway, they go by the name 'maypops' and are vines. i am planting my first ones this year, and if it works out, i can post some seeds for trade next fall. thought you might like to know. i live in a zone 5, around columbus, oh. i think you can order seeds from seceral catalogs for these. i am planting now, so that if they need some cold to help germinate, they will get it. good luck with these. my kids call them alien flowers.
mary
so do mine....they keep calling me trina Goddess of the jungle!
Trina,
Maypops are the P. incarnata I was telling you about.
aaahhhh ok...I heard someone else say maypops too but I didn't make the connection, blonde moment I guess...LOL
I have lots of P. incarnata seed from last year if anyone wants it for SASBE. I haven't gotten any new seed this year yet. I also have P. foetida seed from last year for SASBE. D-mail for details.
I sure would like to try a few. I'm to these and just love them. D-mail me with info. alda
ok is it like super important to keep my passie seeds seperated while I have them in plastic baggies? I grow mine as houseplants and not for the fruit so do I have to keep all these different types seperated?
Which plants did you get to seed, Trina? Both your belotii and the Blue Eyed Susan are cultivars and won't produce true seeds anyway so you don't have to keep these separated.
With multiple "species" of similar plants, you have to keep the plants separated so that insects can't get from one species to the other, or they will be of unknown parentage and untradeable.
If one specie plant was in the house, and you propagated by hand, it's seeds will be ok. You have to keep breathable baggies over the flowers after you propagate around multiple species outside until you're sure the flowers are fertilized. Otherwise it's just a coin toss as to what is in the pod, or whether it will even grow. I believe this is why so many of the Passie seeds fail to germinate and are reported as failures.
Look at the end of the article on Passion Flower in Wikipedia for a good list of specie Passifloras that will breed true or can be used as parents for named cultivars.
I hope this helped rather than make it worse.
Thomas
I have
Alata
mollissima
maliformis
foetida
caerulea
ligularis
edulis
edulis sp flavicarpa
actinia
Ok I have them all in seperate ziplock bags in wet paper towels and labeled which seeds are which, but when do I plant Them? some seeds have swelled to twice thier original size, do I plant this or wait until it starts growing roots? Because its cold here now I have them on a heating pad with a towel between them and the heating pad and set to LOW to help keep them warm enough
Thomas,
Mark at the Passiflora Society has been very helpful, thank you so much for telling me about them, I would have never known otherwise!
Katrina
Good luck getting to germinate!!! Love the thread..
I have right now sowing GIANT granadilla and calala from Central America. I got all fresh (like fresh, with pulp) seeds, the calala is starting to germinate, now I want the giant one, omg the fruit is so delicious (like a foot long), even if you put some sugar or artificial sweetneer...
This is the giant granadilla, yummie!!!!
I am growing 15 different varieties now, and yes in NY they produce fruit for me!
I'm hoping....I guess this is a true test in patience huh? LOL
Katrina, patience for sure, lol, I have sown dried seeds and nothing..so I am hopeless at suggestions,,,Paul is great with that for sure....I think i only have luck with fresh seeds from the fruit, period the end, lol!
never had fresh fruit to try from, not exactly like there are a lot of these around Illinois....LOL
now that I think about it...I don't think I've ever tasted one
If you are going to grow the P. granadilla, the following web site will shed a lot of light:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/giant_granadilla.html
thomas
helpful as always Thomas
I soak mine with water and hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours and planted. 4 days later this is what i found.(picture below) but i am using my soil warmer and grow light. :o)
these are alta red passion flower babies. :0) forgot to put that .
Wow growth within 4 days, you certainly have green thumbs, congrats!
thank you, my others haven't germinated (did 5 varieties) so this must of been fresh seed. Does anyone know when to transplant? How big should they be? Mine are 1 inch big. If all seeds germinate (I had 10 seeds 6 so far germinated) I will offer trade plants when(and if) they get established and the season/weather warm. If anyone is interested...
This message was edited Jan 14, 2010 6:37 AM
I have no clue anymore
i t hought to do the four leaf thing.(wait til they have four leaves and transplant) They are doing lovely so far!
uHMM TISHH..need to take a pic of my seedlings, Calala from Nicaragua, I brought the fresh seeds in Nov.. and they sprouted...yes maybe we can trade the fruit is yellow and it is used in juices, i eat it fresh and trow some equal on top and it is yummie...
sounds good! Hopefully will make it to maturity and we can trade. They are doing real well right now about 1 1/2 inches big right now.
Here are mine and yes they will make it, don't worry. I planted edulis purple last year and they all survived, I sure hope they flower this next season though.
Yours look good! I have a banana passion flower sprouting now. Hopefully some others will sprout too.
Well I transplanted them into individual pots over the week end...
Just looked up the banana one, the fruit is very long.
I liked the flower on it. lol.
What flower, lol, you got me on that one!