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Stratifying Sarr seeds.

JB_OrchidGuy

Cardiac Nurse
I know this have been discussed before, but I couldn;t find anything when I did a search. How long to I need to stratify seeds before I plant them? I just put some seeds in the friwdge today that I collected today. I plan on starting them early inthe GH to give them a jump start on next year. Isn't it like 3 weeks or something?

Thanks!
 
I put the seeds in a plastic medicine cup and put it in the fridge full of water. I had around 98% germination after a week of sowing.

Oh yeah add water too lol. shake it up every so often.


You could just leave them out it a pot over winter. That's the long way.
 
Yeah I thought about natural straifying, but I want to give them a jump start on next year. At the moment they are in a papertowel that is moistened and in a ziplock in the fridge. So CLint you only left your in teh fridge for a week and had 98% germ rate?
 
what you're doing is fine. If it were me i'dd spray lightly with a fungicide.

No, I mean I planted them, and one week later I had germination. Then my dad let them dry out and they died. I left them in the fridge for a month.
 
ok cool then a month it is for these minor seeds. Then I will plant them in the GH for germination. I want them to have a head start for next spring
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Some people put them under lights 24/7 for the first year (maybe the first two years).
 
I like to sow the seeds right on the soil in the container I want them in; 3" pots are a good size to work with. Cover up the seeds with a little bit of soil and refrigerate in a ziploc bag for 4 weeks. They should germinate in 2-4 weeks under lights (or in a warm greenhouse). After a few months they can be pricked out and set in individual 2" pots. If outside works, grow them outside; if not, inside is fine. If you want them to grow really fast, find a syringe and inject the tiny pitchers with fertilizer/food. Good luck!

Peter
 
Thanks Peter. Have you got any recommendation for fertilizer and strength? I can get syringes all day long from work.
 
I wrap the seeds in wet paper towel, then in foil and leave them in the fridge for 5 weeks. No need for fungicide - if your seeds get mould you have dead seed or your fridge really needs a clean out
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Tiny plants can easily catch tiny insects that naturally live around peat with no help. After a few weeks, you should be able to see lots of shadows in the tiny pitchers if you hold them up to the light. Even those raised indoors in winter will catch little springtails.
 
  • #10
Josh, I learned the trick from Ivan Snyder, who grows S. purpurea from seed to full size in three years. I believe he uses miracle grow or maybe miracid. Ever since I switched to organic methods for the garden I've been using regular strength compost tea instead.

Alexis, its true that the seedlings catch a lot on their own, particularly when they're grown outside, but this method gives them a good boost anyway.

Hope it helps,
Peter
 
  • #11
Any way to get in touch with Ivan to find out what he used and the strength?  I don't have a compost pile to get good compost for compost tea, unless you have a method for that too. LOL  Thanks for your help Peter.

Alexis I have them wrapped in a wet papertowel and in a ziplock bag to hold in the moisture.  I will take them out after 4 to 5 weeks and see what happens.  I plan on starting them in the GH over the winter where the temps doesn't get lower than 50 unless that is too cold to keep them from going into dormancy.
 
  • #12
Josh,
This is what I have done for years and I have yet to be able to improve on it.

http://hometown.aol.com/thombrogar/index.html


I have heard that you can sow 'fresh' seeds and get immediate germination without vernalization( a combination of cold and wet) I was gathering this years' crop of seed this weekend and cracked open a pod to see if there was good seed set only to find several seeds had sprouted within the green pod. Now, what I believe 'fresh' to mean is seed taken from a still green pod and sown immediatly. I have not tried this but will to see what results I get. I know from an old time grower of Sarracenias that the seeds within pods are ripe by Sept. so there is no need to wait until the pods drys and turns brown or even later when it cracks open. I think by this time the coating on the seed has dried and hardened to create the hydrophobic situtation which needs the four plus week vernalization to remove. I did remove the two spouted seeds and planted them.
 
  • #13
Thank you Brooks!  The info was great.  One of the seed pods I collected from was an opened pod.  I was just checking things and noticed it has dehissed already.  Do I went ahead and took the other pod that was still green.  I opened it and the seeds looked good to the nakid eye.  I will have to try that next time with greenpods and see if I can have any luck without stratifying the seeds.  This batch is already in the gridge so I will let them ride the month out there then plant.
 
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