Brazilan Mg

This is about ten feet tall any one here ever gorow it? Paul

Stems sure have a lot of hairs!

Joseph

I'm growing a couple for Ron and they sure do grow fast.

This message was edited May 26, 2007 9:04 PM

I did Paul. Grows amazingly fast and the flowers are numerous but open very early and close real early too. Fortunately the leaves are real nice so it makes a great cover for a fence.

How did you germinate yours? Here's what I did - could you take a look at it and let me know what I didn't do right or did do wrong?

I treated my 3 seeds like other MGs -
5/20 - soaked a few hours in 3:1 water:hydrogen peroxide (3% strength), then transferred to damp coffee filters folded around them within baggies.
5/22 - most of the other MG seeds sprouted, so when I planted them in pots, I did the same with Ipomoea setosa.

I think one dumb thing I did was, after hearing those seeds sizzling like utility wires do over sections of trail we hike along, I let them keep soaking.

What with the rice crispie snapcrackle&pop thing going on, I did not nick them.

They still haven't come up - will appreciate any advice.

i just nick and soaked for 48 hours 10 percent peroxie thanks ronnie do you still have your BMG?

Paul, did yours sprout right in the H202 solution where they soaked for 48 hours? I'm curious how long it took for yours and Ronnie's seeds to sprout, too

And, do you know why these seeds would sizzle? None of the others did. I. setosa must have quite an interesting constitution - wonder if one could obtain an electric current somehow from this quality of I. setosa? Imagine being able to power a light bulb from home-grown I. setosa seeds!

mine sprouted in vermiculite dont know why yours would sissle

Well, what with my solution of water:H202 being 3:1 and yours being 9:1, mine was more acidic than yours. When I looked at the seeds after a day in their coffee filter/baggy contraption, there was a little bit of a whitish foam. Maybe Ron will have a clue.

If I'm learning anything from this by now, it seems that germinating unusual species of MGs involves a gentler, more careful approach than subjecting them all to this quick-start technique that works so well for I. nil, I. purpurea, I. youjiro and I. alba. It would be nice to find a method for discovering how to germinate MGs of unknown preferences that doesn't clobber them from the beginning.

try heat under the cup that you are soaking in the keep a heat pad under the growing cups

Thank you Paul - will take the recalcitrants out of their potting medium and see what they're up to - no need for a heat mat this time of year upstairs

you may want one on at night time

bluespiral,
if you see that the seed on the Species is a bigger and looks like a tougher seedcoat,,,, make sure you make a couple of nicks on them, you may have to soak them a couple of hours before you nick even, then some of them still have a tough time breaking through the coat, so you have to mist with warm water and use a small piece of papertowel on top, leave it there and mist it again while it is in the dome and heatmat..,, Each one is so different and there are times that it takes too long to get the seedcoat off, that is when they rott inside the seedcoat.

Goodluck, I hope that info helps some.
A.

Thanks, you two - well said for tough-coated MG species that don't respond well to the basic technique for more commonly grown garden varieties.

The non-sprouters of round 1 got nicked during round 2 of the nicking, soaking & putting back in the moistened coffee-filter/baggy contraption business. Why I thought tough-shelled I. setosa needed more tender treatment by potting up at that point instead of getting nicked in round 2 with the others, I don't know, but hopefully I can still get it to grow.

Will let you know how it comes along.

I'm still curious about I. setosa's sizzling habits - a google search brought up a native habitat for it along the Columbia River in Belize where there's lots of limestone and sedimentary rock, with a "quartz" ridge. Evidently, Belize still has remnant(s) of the western rain forest in South America, with Mayan ruins. This is a wonderfully peculiar plant - wonder how the Mayans might have used it? Anyhoo, found a quote from Ron that might relate to the sizzling ( http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=3224698 ):

"The pedicels and fruit are covered in yeast (similar to grapes or plums) which may serve as a protective device against certain other pathogenic organisms..."

Well! guess what? I just went downstairs and put 1/4 tsp yeast for making bread in plain water - no sizzle. But! when I put 1/4 tsp yeast in a 3:1 solution of water:H202 - yup! it sizzled :)

I'd be interested in an explanation of the chemistry involved, if possible.

Karen, I just soaked mine and they sprouted in the H202 3:1 solution and most of them sprouted in 2 days. Some of them just rotted. I have a few growing now. If you need more seeds LMK I still have a few left.

Paul, I am growing some new ones this year to cover my fence.

Ronnie,

thankyouthankyouthankyou - I only had 3 seeds and their coats were in pieces when I got them. DH was really looking forward to this one. So, I would love a few more seeds.

Would you like some youjiros I harvested last year from what was supposed to be a pale, blue silky one from Emma? The best harvest came from the velvety, dark purple ones with a white perimeter - one also had white star points floating in the purple.

I can also send Hatsu Arashu. I only have enough for everyone on this thread right now.

Y'all let me know.