Bush Potato

I have successfully germinated with just two days soaking in warm water and then planting the seeds in 4" pots in an unheated greenhouse....Read More I did pull some of the seed coat off the growing leaves by hand but it was soft and came off easily. Maybe my seeds were fresher. Thinking I'll put at least one of these in a hanging pot as per Kevin, above, and then I'll try some in the ground as it will have a better chance at surviving winter. If these do well I'll repost with a picture and the results.

When germinating the seeds of this specie, it all seems to go well, until it is time to shed the seed coat. This part can be difficult, ...Read Moreif you are in a hurry. I suggest using a disinfectant while soaking, and soak it for 4 to 5 days if possible, to soften the seed coat. It is also been beneficial for me to use a dremel tool with a diamond blade to make deep scores clear around the seed coat. Since this is one of the large seed types with a very thick seed coat, shedding the seed coat needs some forethought. After germination takes place, and it looks like a tooth pick with an olive pit on top, the seedling will only last 4 to 6 days before the imprisoned, folded cotyledons, disintegrate and
begin to decompose. This is very disappointing to watch, as the decay, then travels down the stem to the root. After numerous trials with this specie and others with very thick seed hulls, I have come to the conclusion that the following steps are helpful.

1. disinfect the seed topically, quickly with an alcohol rinse, not a soak.
2. soak it in a warm solution of iodine, that appears light amber,
about 1/2 % or so until the radicle shows. if the radicle shows before the 3rd or 4th day ,ditch the iodine, so it won't damage the radicle tip. Rinse
3. by the 3rd or so day, the coat should have softened up quite a bit, so now it needs to get scored deeply, from the hylum (navel),
to the top, and back down again. This should be sufficient to make the seed coat break in half. even now the halves of the seed coat can still cling with a death grip. you might want to score it one more time, and score the seed coat into quarters. in quarters, the seed coat is most likely going to need no help falling off.
4. now that you have rinsed, and scored the seeds, soak them again , this time they should swell up a lot, and the radicle should pop out in maybe a day or two. plant in sterile media/keep warm.

My specimens did not twine at all. They needed to be threaded and tied to the support. Perhaps this one would be good in a hanging pot.

Scrambling or twining annual or perennial climber. Flowers white. Native to shallow skeletal or rocky soils over sandstone or limestone. ...Read MoreRidges, screes, creeks.