Update on purchased B. arborea seed

I purchased this seed from The Banana Tree. The seeds I received did not look like arborea seeds which are supposed to be larger. I was also fortunate enough to receive a few from a generous DGer. Those seeds can be traced back, through many generations, to one of Tonny's arboreas. Those seeds were quite large by comparison.

I started the seeds in early December and ran into problems almost immediately. I normally use Park sponges to start my seeds, but decided to try community pots instead. I sterilized the seeds and soaked them in water for 24 hours, but the compressed "medium" disks were supposed to be sterile so I just hydrated them. Then I sealed the pots in baggies. Within days I saw fungus growing on and near the seeds — damp-off. In a panic, I brewed a concentrated chamomile solution, removed and threw the baggies away and liberally sprayed the seeds and soil opting to use the chamomile spray to keep the soil moist. The chamomile tea really works!

So far, only one seed of the arborea seed from the DGer. I took this photo a few days after the first true leaves started to appear. This little guy is very hairy.

Here he is with his first set of true leaves and the beginnings of his second set. Still very hairy.

Here's a photo of the Banana Tree "arborea". The seedlings I have are not hairy. I don't believe this is B. arborea. I will plant these out in the garden this spring and will see what the blooms look like.

I grew out quite a few arborea last year and that last picture looks like mine looked ...I grew them out in summer perhaps they look different in winter.I hope yours are the ones you wanted.

I'm going to plant them in the ground this spring and push them a bit faster and hope to have an answer by the end of the year. I expected them to be a lot hairier. The one in the first two photo is hairier and it is an arborea.

Please keep an update of the progress.. How was the germination rate.. I have heard it tends to be lower than other Brugs.. Just got some seed from ABADS to start...
Kylie
BTW congrats!! your seedlings look very healthy!!

2X.. oh.. I'd say my experience is exactly polar opposite than what it seems you heard.. not only have I seen a better germination rate... but also in a much quicker time as well ..

I started 12 or 13 seeds each of B. arborea from Banana Tree, "true" B. arborea from generous DGer, Audrey Hepburn X ?, Maya X ? and Creamsickle X Candida Pink in mid December. Germinating conditions were not ideal. I didn't have room inside the house to set up florescent lights so the pots went into the greenhouse with minimum temperatures of 50ºF at night. I had damp-off problems, but I used chamomile tea which seemed to help get rid of it. Most of the Banana Tree arborea and the Audrey Hepburn and Maya crosses had germinated by the end of the 4th week — a decent time given the cold temperatures. I had 1 of DG's arborea seeds and 2 of the Creamsicke X Candida Pink germinate within that time period. So far I haven't had any more of DG's arborea seeds germinate, but I received a few fresh arborea seeds from my friend today. I hope to have a few more arborea seedlings. I'm waiting for the rockwool cubes I ordered to arrive before I plants these newly arborea seeds. All the Maya seeds that germinated were albino as expected. None of the albino seedlings lasted longer than this stage. I'll post more photos of the Banana Tree arborea seelings as they grow.

Yes..Veronica.. she [ my kind and generous friend ] sent me mine today also.. these pictured were from the last she sent and I had 90 % germination so far on the fresh ones planted.. and 0% so far on what she called old seeds.. todays were marked fresh in Jan 09.. so they should be up as March comes in like a lion [ hopefully.. so it will go out like a lamb ] I'll be sending her a bit of the Epin.. the hormone from Russia I used in a seaweed/water soak .. and first watering..
No room for plant lighting...MMMMM what else would you like to be filling your house with exactly.. nursery pictured

Hmmmm... How to explain... I have a number of hobbies besides Brugs. Book shelves hold my books and DVDs. Bins hold my fabric and yarn. I was a clothes horse and needed more room for them. I was promised a new home comparable to the one I left back in California within the year. So all our possessions are crowded into a house half its size. There is NO room for a plant growing center. None. 7-1/2 years later, I'm still waiting. Got really close in July. Had a quote from our builder, but DH's employer decided money could be saved by firing local EEs and contracting the jobs to H1B visa holders and/or workers in India. Thousands of EEs have lost their jobs in the last 2 - 3 years. Don't want to build, see DH get a job beyond commuting distance and have to move leaving my dream home behind ...in a holding pattern right now.

OUCH...you need a cool room.. with the heat jacked up a bit for sprouting.. but having a green house already.. you'll not get complete sympathy from some of us.. perhaps an addition and light remodel..
the job market is as varrible as the weather lately..what you might count on for decades is now something else.. sure am glad I'm not planting outside hen I hear of the zone 9 freezes.. what's the attic like..

Happy to hear I have been miss informed... I started about 25 today..I've got my fingers crossed for at the very least decent germinatin..We'll see...LOL