Indoor seed growing (cold temperates)

Alec

Alec

Sprout
I've been trying to get some native seeds to germinate (S. purpurea ssp. purpurea, P. vulgaris, D. rotundifolia) and had no luck so far. I made sure to cold-stratify (4 weeks) and kept them in a water tray under lights with a heat mat underneath - still nothing yet after almost two months.

I've since tried putting a humidity dome over the tray, as well as letting the heat mat turn off at night. Before I start another tray, I was wondering what people here typically do for these or similar species. I also realize they might just need more time, since I did originally buy the seeds this past summer.
 
I'm no expert by any means but I'll give my 2 cents anyway. Don't rush the stratification, the seeds need time for the hard coating to break down to allow them to germinate. The seeds need light to germinate so they need to be on the surface of the potting mix which leaves them at risk of drying out, once they dry they are done. A humidity dome and daily misting will help, especially with bottom heat which tends to accelerate drying. There are lots of variables unfortunately so figuring out why seeds don't germinate for someon else can be difficult.
 
WillyCKH said:
4 weeks may not be enough. Based on my experiences, 6-8 weeks is the best duration.
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That sounds like it might have been the issue then. The seeds that I did manage to germinate so far were more southern varieties, which I'm guessing would be less picky with stratification (if they need it at all).
 
I usually cold stratify for the whole winter. I put them on wet germination paper in petri dishes in the garage.
 
That's probably the best way to do it, since in nature the seeds will experience the whole winter before germinating.
 
I was just thinking about the seed pack I found in the fridge. I don't remember when I received them but I was debating if I should plant them now or wait a while longer.
 
I had luck by keeping them in the fridge for a minimum of 2 months (about 8 weeks) and i find sundews need a bit longer than the sarrs, and pinguicula even longer. Theni sit in a tray of water with a dome. Ive just recently started using a heat mat. And have had great success
 
FlyTrapKing said:
I had luck by keeping them in the fridge for a minimum of 2 months (about 8 weeks) and i find sundews need a bit longer than the sarrs, and pinguicula even longer. Theni sit in a tray of water with a dome. Ive just recently started using a heat mat. And have had great success
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Do you keep the heat mat on constantly, or does it shut off at night?

Would you say 10 weeks would be better for sundews, and maybe 12 for pings? I was wondering how long would be too long, but I guess they'd be stratifying way longer than that in a Canadian winter.
 
Alec said:
Do you keep the heat mat on constantly, or does it shut off at night?
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Good question. I've always just left mine on all the time and just move pots out as germination starts but if you're trying to mimic nature it would make sense to shut it off at night.

I've only started reading about these mats recently and it seems that there is a thermostat inside the heating mat that only cares about how hot the mat gets, not how hot your seeds get. Depending on the ambient temperature and heat from your lighting you could potentially cook your seeds. I'm using a Hydrofarm mat that I bought at Home Hardware a few years ago and I decided to check the temperature difference and it's about 5° higher in my seed tray so it doesn't look like I'm going to cook my seeds.

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I germinated a lot of Sarracenia and Drosera seed and it is not difficult. Pinguicula seed does not store well so it is best to sow immediatly.
Try to work clean, sterilising the seed can help avoiding fungal attack (but too much of it will kill the seed too), sterilising the substrate can help to keep moss and algae from growing too soon.
Don't bury the seed. A 6 week wet stratification 0 - 5°C is best. Shorter stratification may result in lower germination. Longer stratification does not help much, but increases the risk of fungal attack. It does not hurt if the seed is clean, has been sterilised or the conditions do not favour fungal growth.
After that place in a warm (20°C) spot and Sarracenia seed will germinate in about 2 weeks (+/- 5 days). Drosera can take 4 weeks. It may take longer if it is cooler. During this time some seed may show signs of fungal growth and are best removed.
Now, sometimes the seed looks ok, but does not germinate for months. In this case just repeat the stratification procedure. I had surprisingly good germination this way in some cases both for Sarracenia and Drosera. But sometimes a batch of seed just doesn't want to grow, even when fresh, but this is rare. In this case you can either give up or wait until either fungi, algae or moss take over. I have seen single seedlings pop up the following year, but this is not normal. Extra treatments like day/night variation of light/temperature are not necessary. Rubbing the waxy seed coat off Sarracenia seed might help, but I'm too lazy to do this. Seed that has not been stored well or for too long will not germinate - never.
 
Alec said:
Do you keep the heat mat on constantly, or does it shut off at night?

Would you say 10 weeks would be better for sundews, and maybe 12 for pings? I was wondering how long would be too long, but I guess they'd be stratifying way longer than that in a Canadian winter.
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I dont think they can be in for to long. Ive accidently left some things for over 5 months. As long as mold doesnt get in. And i would say about 2 months for dews and 3 for pings. The heat mat i leave on all the time, but i think your success will be just as good without
 
I am far from an expert, but I did a cold-stratify for 5 weeks and my S.Purpurea seeds germinated in 1 month.
And yesterday, exactly 1 month after leaving the fridge, S.Flava just did the same.

I followed that :
"The tried and true way of germinating Sarracenia seed is to cold stratify the seed for 4 weeks. "
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/propagation/SarraceniaSeed

And I just put the pots in a window, with some reflector, covered and in 2 cm of water.
it is 14°C at night and between 18° and 25° the day depending on the sun (which is very often there).
I'm a little ashamed to show you the pictures so it's cheap...
01.jpg


If the seeds did not germinate, maybe there was a small problem at the storage level before?
Or the startification method?
 
Dogrem said:
I am far from an expert, but I did a cold-stratify for 5 weeks and my S.Purpurea seeds germinated in 1 month.
And yesterday, exactly 1 month after leaving the fridge, S.Flava just did the same.

I followed that :
"The tried and true way of germinating Sarracenia seed is to cold stratify the seed for 4 weeks. "
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/propagation/SarraceniaSeed

And I just put the pots in a window, with some reflector, covered and in 2 cm of water.
it is 14°C at night and between 18° and 25° the day depending on the sun (which is very often there).
I'm a little ashamed to show you the pictures so it's cheap...
View attachment 1337

If the seeds did not germinate, maybe there was a small problem at the storage level before?
Or the startification method?
Click to expand...
Could have been either, I did originally buy the seeds in the summer and kept them in the fridge until I started stratifying a couple months ago. The actual time of stratification was likely too short given that the seeds weren't as fresh.
 
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