hey guys,
Just got back home after 2 weeks in Asia and catching up on email and such. One of the things that came in while I was out is the Gesneriad Hybridizers Associations 3/year newsletter. It's now in color and arrives by email and there are a whopping 38 new seed listings in this issue :)
And most importantly, it's reminding me that I do really need to sow some more seeds. I have a stash in the fridge, and not all are extras....
Have you sown yours yet? If you sow them now, they should be 100% care-free for the first 3-4 weeks, which means that when you're done with all the holiday events, you'll have time to catch your breath before they want to be repotted. And remember Dale Martens' advice - you need only grow out 10-15 of each cross to get a feel for what the kids will look like, and most gessies will bloom in 2.5 inch pots, so they don't take up a whole lot of space.
Ok, off the soap box. Hope you're all having fun.
have you sown your seeds yet?
Okay Keyring I have questions for you. I received seeds, sowed them on my peat pellets just like I do my violet seeds and nothing grew! I have never had a problem with AV seeds, and I have tried three times with other gessie seed to no avail.
What type of medium are you growing them on?
I have seed pods coming on eight different Av's so I should really have a batch of young ones in the spring. I am definitely going to do Dale's method of only growing out a small amount at a time.
Nancy B
Hi Ki,
Welcome back! My seeds are planted and starting to come up.
Hi Ki,
Welcome back! I planted the mixed gessie seeds and there starting to pop up.
Hi Nancy - I'm going out on a limb to guess that your AV seeds are very fresh, whereas the other gessie seeds are not. Age will make them slower to germinate, and my guess is that the peat pellets are okay for fresh fast-sprouting seed, but not for older seeds that take a bit more time. Or, there could be some other reason.... There is certainly some seed that seems to sprout faster after a brief dry chill, but as most of my seed does a short stint in the fridge before I get around to sowing them, I can't really say for sure.
I use a mix of equal parts Promix, perlite and vermiculite. (If starting with milled peat, adjust it to account for the Promix which already has some perlite and vermiculite in it and is pH adjusted.) For a while I tried a very very fine layer of milled peat on top because it's finer and would ensure that all the seeds stayed moist. Now I don't bother. I've also sown seed on chopped long fiber sphagnum and had good results. '
The mix is sterilized by wetting it and then baking (275-300F for a couple of hrs) or microwaving it. I make sure the pots are clean as well. My mix is only just moist, but I've seen Jon Dixon (past president of AGGS and major propagator) say that his is very wet.
I sow about 10-15 seeds per 3oz cup or 2" pot. This is a good number for most gessie seedlings - not too crowded for the first few weeks for most non-annuals.
After sowing the seeds, each pot goes in its own quart-size freezer bag with a double seal. (These definitely hold air better than the sandwich grade, which deflates quickly, requiring that you puff it up and open the bag up to airborne spores etc.) I do this for gesneriad seeds of unknown age, because some can literally take months and months to sprout - keeping each isolated helps prevent spreading of algae or green gunk or that white mold that sometimes appears. I've seen people say not to throw out the seed pots for a couple of years to be safe..... On the other hand, if all the seeds are fresh and I have plenty extra, I will put multiple pots in a single gallon bag or a plastic box.
The sealed pots go under lights and stay there until they are ready to be potted up. I generally don't even look at them for at least a month.
Hey Ki. Welcome back. I don't do well with seeds. BUT check out the sinningia. It likes my kitchen window.