Let's talk about Pride Of Barbados Seeds.

Hellow All,
Last year I tried to sow some of these POB seeds without success, I'm attempting to try them again this year, but realize I'll need all the help I can get.

Have you success sowing these seeds, if so how? Will these need a heat-mat? (sowing indoor at this time of year).

Many thanks in advance,
Kim

I've gotten them to germinate by soaking overnight and then using a heat mat.

try soaking them overnite in peroxide. it usually works for me

ecrane, in 2007 I sew several Japanese pagoda seeds after I soaked them in boiling hot water (as instructed in the package), 2 out of 3 seeds germinated, and I successfully nurse the seedling into a one gallon pot, then subsequently planted the tree which is now over 6 feet tall in the garden.

Did you use room temp. or luke warm water to soak your POB seeds?
Kim

Hello Kathy, pure peroxide? No water mixture? Happy New Year to you!
Kim

Where oh where can I find some of these seeds???? I absolutely love them!!!! Not sure how well I could grow em...but willing to try!!! Have yall ever seen the parrot flower? It is most gorgeous, and of course not available to us as it is almost extinct..this flower has the appearance of a parrot and I just must get one...but no hope there...lol...oh the plants we covet!!!

Yes Kim, pure peroxide.
Happy New Year to you sweet lady!

Stoval_garden, it's nice to find you here! Happy New Year. DGer friends Latzo traded these seeds (POB). Last year another DGer friend from La. shared those with me. There are so many wonderful gardeners at DG that willing to share, it's wonderful to be a DGer gardener indeed.

Thanks Kathy. How big did yours turn out, did they bloom yet for you? I think Cindy's bloomed for her the first year!
Kim

Kim, my turkeys ate them : (

ROFLOL Turkeys ate them?

yep, they pulled them up and ate them. what plants they didn't pull up they trampled

I just can't quite laughing . That is so funny. I know it isn't funny to you but if you were setting back reading this you would laugh yourself silly.
I can just picture in my mind turkeys eating and trampling then . I am SORRY!

Sorry about that Kathy. One of the problem with our pets. lol. My daughter has a Golden Retriever, when Liam was a little puppy he loved to chew on her POB, luckily, the tree survived his teething. She lives on zone 7b like me, though she's out West and I'm in the East. :-) These POB love it out west they grow to be beautiful medium tree/shrub out there!

I used water that was hot from the tap initially, but obviously it cools down pretty quickly and I didn't bother continuing to change it out with more hot water, I just let it go.

On the peroxide...there are different strengths available, I'm assuming what you'll find is the 3% peroxide that you can buy at the drugstore since that's the most common one that you can buy easily, but if you happen to get a stronger version from somewhere else you would need to dilute it.

Stovall_Garden: I have gotten mine in the past from Garden Store 'n More http://www.garden-hut.com/ I'm not sure if she has any seeds right now but I'm sure she'll get them back. Also on the parrot flower--I assume you're talking about Impatiens psittacina? If so you might consider trying Impatiens arguta http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/104212/ In my opinion it has a similar look and it's definitely easier to find. In addition to the vendor that's listed in the link in the PF entry, Annie's Annuals carries it sometimes and I'm pretty sure Plant Delights does as well.

it' ok. last week my guinneas were in the middle of the road at 7 in the morning holding up traffic. i was out there in my pajamas calling guinnea, guinnea

Thanks ecrane3 for the additional info.... Kathy, it must be so nice living in the country....have you posted those pix on other forum? If so I'd like to see some of your birds pictures.
I'm off to soak some of my POB seeds!

Kathy I think you need a fence LOL. I almost bet those people in the cars thought you were nuts. LOL I would most likely do the same thing though. It is so funny what people will do at times . At the time it isn't funny but when you set down and catch your breath you have to laugh, and think What in the world did those people think ?

i have a fence! i know them people in the cars know i'm crazy

Aren't we all at times. I know I have done silly stuff like that too but to hear that I am not the only one makes me laugh and not just at you but myself too!!!! Thats a great start to the New year is a good laugh !!!!!

yes, it is good to laugh! i laugh at myself all the time. my husband tells me "you just ain't right"

Well if we didn't laugh at ourselves then when other people laughed at us we would think they were making fun of us. I was always told to laugh at yourself first before you laugh at anyone. Well my DH knows I not right LOL

Stovall Gardens. Send me a dmail with yoru addy. I have differnt color sof these seeds.

Kim. I soak mine too in hot water and hydrogen peroxide. Haven't trie dthe totally perxoid emethod but may give some seeds a try and see if it works better and yes they like the heat and they cna be slow to germinate and eradic

Hi Star. Thanks. After I soaked about a dozen seeds, then I learned that the seeds can benefit from scarifying. Whoa! Is it too late for me to try to scarify the seeds after over night soak?

Nope. I soak alot fo the big hard tropicals and things liek canna and lotus and then let em dry a bit and then scarify them with no prblems, just watch ya dont go to deep cuz sometiems soakign remove s part of the outside cover though ya may not see it.

Can I use some sandpaper to scarify them, a nail-file? A sharp pointed knife? Ooooh I'm so new to scarifying.

I would use sandpaper on them cuz they small seeds and their coats really are not that very thick. Just sand a little til ya a color change then stop.

For big hard seeds. I use a dog nail clipper works great. Ya just roll seed across blade a couple of times and ya done. saves on fingers nails too. ; )

Wooohooo, off I go to scarify my seeds for the first time ever! Thanks Star.

I learned a trick for scarifying from someone here on DG that works really well on seeds big enough to get a good grip on---a Dremel tool with a sanding barrel. You can easily control the depth of the cut because the tool is so light. I just touch the seed, then look at it. If it's still brown, I touch it again. When I first see a color change (usually a creme color, or light green), I stop. It's now scarified. Into a cup of peroxide/water, onto a heat mat for 24 hrs., then into a 2'' pot or a Park's Start (doesn't seem to matter in terms of germination rate). I recently got 19 out of 20 Vigna caracalla seeds to germinate in 4 days using this method, but I can't really say if it was the scarifying method or the freshness of the seed that made the difference. I was using fresh seed that I had harvested a week earlier this time---in the past, I've always used "store bought" seeds, and who knows how old they were?

Thanks Stoneriver, a Dremel tool? I can purchase that a Lowes and HD ect.? I used the sandpaper for the POB seeds today, hopefully these will turn out well.

Thanks all for your help.

Yes, you can purchase a real "Dremel" tool at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc., but Dremel is a name brand that you'll pay dearly for. The tool I used was a Dremel "knockoff", made in China, typical low quality (but good enough, if all you'll use it for is scarifying...). Think I payed $12 for a "complete kit with 8 jillion attachments", a couple of which actually worked well for scarifying, at Harbour Freight...

Thanks Stonoriver, I may just give Harbour Freight a visit. :-) Look here, after the seeds were scarified, soak in warm water. Some apparently has soaked a sufficient amount of water and has expanded its size, other didn't. I guess those were not affected by hand nicking ? Star? What's your take on this? Should I renick the unaffected seeds and soak them all over again?

Kim. Personally I wouldn't. You may just drown the embryo. Thing with seed sis that alot of folks don't realiz e is that not evry seed is goign to germinate. Those seeds at one end of the pod wil be biger and better cuz they gettign the nutrients coming through first and by the time the seeds at the end of the pods delevop there not much nutrients left over and they are naturally gonna be smaller. Soem wil germinate, some won't. They usually take longer to germinate too.

I for got to ask ya what color are you germinating?

I don't know the specific color of these, the seeds were sent to me among others. I'll find out. Have you other color to share? I'd love to have some pink variety, 'cause I already have an orange/yellow tree that has put out flowers last summer, but oddly no seedpods. The one that I had originated from Albuquerque NM, I brought one seedling back in 2005 while visiting the Mountainous region. I loved time spent out there.

yep, I have some of the pink left, wil see if I have any other colors. Know I have a bunch of the yellow, think gave organe all out in Piggy swap and may have a few red left. Send me your addy gain and when I send th epIggy swap out her ein the next week or so will send ya some.

Star, thank you for your offer. I'll send you a dmail shortly. Do tell, have you tried some brugmansia seeds sowing? I've a developing double pink brug that was crossed with another Noid single pink, so the future offspring is gonna be a true NOID if you're interested in them when they become ripen.

I just gettign ready to try the seed sowing of the brugs. Scared to death to try it. LOL Have managed to root the sticks I got, but haven't tried seed yet. Ya if ya get a few and think of me woudl be glad to have them, got the brug bug now. LOL

kim, i got my dremmel at wal-mart.

I'll make a note, Ella to reserve some of the double blooming brug's seeds for you (Chrissy thinks a double brug parent, may, just may have a better chance of producing a double offspring -- we'll experiment together, you and I). Experienced brug growers advise not to use heat mat on them indoor sowing during the winter so long the room temp. is above mid 60's F. ideally warmer. I sowed a flat last winter without much problem at all. Just soak your seeds over night, sow them barely covered, keep moist, and light. Viola within 2-3 weeks they'll joyfully sprout. With brugs seeds some prefer to peel the spongy corks seed cover, I didn't.
Last year was my first time hybridyzing brug's seeds. I passed with a flying color, I hope for repeat success this year. :-) BTW, I did try with some brug seeds that were not soaked. I kept them under light just as those that were soaked. Guess what? Both, yes both germinated nearly 90+% success. (fresh seeds -- that is they were ripen last Feb. and were promptly sewn).

Hey Kathy, was the Dremel expensive there? Gotta run there for some bird's seeds and other errands, maybe I'll look into it. Thanks.
Kim

kim, i think it was between 30-40 dollars. its cordless.

This was my POB that bloomed last spring. I wished the clarity was better.