I'm trying to start a number of different kinds of lily seeds for the first time. Some I've pre-soaked, some not. Most are in damp soil in a baggie - some refrigerated, some on heat mat. My question, should I put air holes in the baggies or do anything to keep them from developing mold? No signs of it yet, but I especially worry about the ones on the heat mat and supposed to stay there for 12 weeks. the heat mat causes condensation inside the baggie.
question about starting lily seeds in baggie
I poke small holes in my baggies. I use a corn holder to poke my baggy holes, they are just the right size as to not allow the potting mix to leak out and it provides aeration and drainage.
I haven't ever needed to use heat mats to germinate lily seeds. I do know from experience that too much condensation can rot the seed at times.
Thanks Magnolia. Will do. Should I put holes in the refrigerated ones as well as the non-refrigerated ones?
I place holes in all of them, as they all do room temperature at one time or another.
Thanks. (Wish me luck - This seems such a long process that I'll be amazed if nothing goes wrong and it actually works!)
It's great fun, really. I don't consider myself to be patient, but this has been patience rewarded for me.
Good luck!
Thanks!!!
I can't say I have an abundance of experience starting lilies in baggies, but I have sprouted several Western North American species, L. auratum and L. speciosum with success. I didn't put holes in any of mine, mainly because I didn't know anyone ever did.
A couple side notes:
--------- How warm are you keeping your heat mat? 12 weeks sounds like it is for delayed hypogeal germinating seed. Yes? I would be interested if you have found some information that points to warmer than room temp as best. I actually had some oriental seed that would not germinate at 68-70F, but immediately germinated when I placed them at 60-65F.
------- I am assuming you are using ziplock type baggies that do not breath, as opposed to baggies with ties that do. Condensation usually does mean more than ample moisture for lily seeds, but it could depend on the difference between ambient temperature and heating pad Soil) temp. You may be drying out your soil and still have condensation. Can you supply this data?
------ FYI, for lily seed most growers do not use soil mixes. Instead, soilless mixes, vermiculite, peat or perlite are used. The purpose is to minimize fungal problems, and allow greater lattitude for moisture regimes. (In other words, a greater fudge factor for the amount of water.)
Perhaps I should have used the term soilless mix. It is sold by my greenhouse as a "potting mix", a soilless potting mix. And it works well.
I have much better luck with orientals at the lower temps you mentioned Lefty. I used a heat mat the first year I grew lily seeds and I had nothing but overly dry mix and no germination.
I have successfully started Easter Lily seeds and trumpet lily seeds using this method. I put the seeds on a damp coffee filter, folded the filter, then placed inside a plastic baggie. I simply put the baggie on the bookshelf in the living room. No heat pads whatsoever.
Once these germinated, I then potted them up and they are in the basement, underlights but no heat pad.
Now the oriental lilies I couldn't get started with the baggie method until I included damp vermiculum in the baggie. Well, shortly thereafter, there was the first growth of these seeds. They are now cooling in the fridge for 3 months.
does anyone know how to germinate Tiger Lily seeds?
Tiger lilies? You mean lancifolium? I plant all my bulbils of all sorts of lilies either in the fall around the base of the mother plant or in pots inside, treating them like any other seed. Then in the spring bury the pot in the shade for the first year. Second year I usually line them out.
inanda
thanks inanda - alas, I don't have bulbils; someone sent me seeds. But I like the idea of collecting bulbils!
Good to hear from you Leftwood, esp. as you were kind enough to send me some of these seeds. I looked at different instructions all over the internet, and could very well be confused as to what to do with what. I used the heat mat as I keep my thermostat down, and it probably gets into the 50's at night. Thought I read to keep them at around 70 for the 1st 12 weeks.
The ones I have in seed starting mix in a baggie (used a bit of hydrogen peroxide in the water to dampen) are:
l. michiganese
l. martagon
l. davidii x l. lechtlini (from you)
In a baggie in the fridge in damp napkin I have:
l.leichtlini x l. maculatum var wilmottiae (from you)
Oops. Looks like I must be confused and doing the wrong thing with something here. It is the zip-lock bags I'm using, and not baggies.
Sounds like I'd better take them off the heat mat and put them somewhere else. Do I have the right ones cold and the right ones warm - or --- any advice much appreciated! Thanks all.
Stay with the ziplocks. That way you can monitor moisture better. With baggies, even though they breath, you can't really tell how much, at it will vary depending on temperature and especially depending on soil temp vs. ambient air temp. Also, I don't know exactly how non-ziplocks breath. The difference in water vapor pressure between inside and outside the bag is great, and I am sure is a driving force for water vapor molecules to pass through the baggie. But what about oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc.? No idea about them. So, what do they breath besides water vapor? I am not sure.
About 70F is the correct temp for L.michiganense and L. martagon. 12 weeks is right too. This is the time when the seed germinates and produces a tiny bulb below the surface. Normally, no leaves will be produced. Then they get their cold treatment, after which leaves will emerge. This type of lily germination is called Delayed Hypogeal.
Both L.davidii and L.leichtlinii are characterized by Immediate Epigeal germination. So I expect a cross of them to be the same. Seed will germinate and immediately send up leaves. So keep a watch on those you have already planted with the above lilies. Room temp (about 70F) is right.
The L.davidii x L.leichtlinii seed that is in the frig, I wouldn't expect any type of germination at all. They don't need any pregermination treatment to grow, although you may find that once you bring this batch out to room temp, germination might be faster and more uniform. If you don't want to bother with lights for them in the winter, I would just keep them in the frig, and bring them out later when you can grow them outside. Ungerminated seed, even if it has imbibed water, is still quite resistant to fungal attack, even if your napkin has molded. This, assuming your seed has not been physically damaged.
. . . .hahahaha . . . . well, it will be May before our house is 70 degrees! We keep the house at 60 degrees during the winter (and that's the daytime temperature!) We have this wonderful Victorian home in a historic district and it's just too expensive to heat!
How long will the following seeds remain viable if I keep them at 40 degrees or lower?
l. michiganese
l. martagon
l. davidii
Thanks!
Thanks so much Leftwood. You are truly patient and a fount of information!!! I guess those crosses will come out of the fridge and go with the others, which have only been in the warm for about a week. My question now is - after they go back in the fridge for another - is it 12 weeks? - it will then be almost August already. What then? Outside in the ground in August - or can they stay in the fridge till the following spring - or what? It seems my timing wasn't right.
I can commiserate with you about victorian era houses, Seandor! And are you also trying to grow those lilium seeds? Let us know how it's going.
Seandor, I suspect with your oriental seeds that did not germinate in the coffee filter, but did with vermiculite or such, barring any temperature change, the most probable change in the seeds' environment is water - too much with the coffee filter, just right with the vermiculite.
Your Tiger lily seeds would be most likely from tiger lily hybrids, asiatic, and should germinate easily with your coffee filter method or vermiculite, and without any pretreatment.
For a 70F temp, perhaps you will find it on top of your water heater? Put a closed container of water there, and after a day, take the temp of the water and see. 68-70F is best for germination, but I suspect 60F will work too, just slower. Besides, after a week or two at 70F for the initial processes, the tiny bulblets will continue to grow just fine with L.martagon and L. michiganense at lower temps. L.davidii will do fine too, actually probably better.
At 33-40F, lily seed should be fine for at least 4 years, assuming they are dry. Then you will notice a period of incremental deterioration in the next 3 years after.
Perenniallyme, while you don't want to skimp on the time that the martagon and michiganense seeds are making their tiny bulblet, I have shortened their winter simulation in the frig from 12 to 8 weeks without any detriment. If that will mean they come out in mid to end of July, so be it. It will work. Just remember they will need to be in mostly shade during the hot times, since they are so small. Keep them in pots for at least two seasons for martagons, and at least one season for michiganense.
Alternatively, in theory you could keep them in the frig for 8 months, but keeping the correct moisture level might be difficult. Those tiny bulbs are tiny, and thus not so forgiving.
Thanks Leftwood. Will keep you posted.
Thanks, Leftwood!