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Growing Nep Seeds

  • #21
Everyone's conditions are different, but it totally depends on the seed health. If the seed is harvested at the right time, the germination rate will be fantastic and the seedlings will be robust. But if the seed are harvest at an unripe stage, you might get weak seed or in-viable seed.

Anyways..to your question... the seed pod generally come half split showing seed that looks like coco husk. Also..be careful as the envelopes contain some seed as well. I generally open the envelopes very carefully to avoid dropping seed. Then once you have gathered the loose seed, you can use a forceps to gently and carefully open the pod. I do this on the white envelope to ensure all the seed is gathered well. Then...sprinkle them on your media of choice, water it down to ensure good contact and then just wait and hope that the seed germinate and that the seed is indeed actually what the sellers claim it is. :p Face it...its really hard to tell seedlings apart. (few exceptions of course and generally you can tell some species apart)
 
  • #22
The shipping was combined and I just paid for them. Not sure when they will ship out. Hopefully I'll get a tracking number. Should be here between two to three weeks! :boogie:

Everyone's conditions are different, but it totally depends on the seed health. If the seed is harvested at the right time, the germination rate will be fantastic and the seedlings will be robust. But if the seed are harvest at an unripe stage, you might get weak seed or in-viable seed.

Anyways..to your question... the seed pod generally come half split showing seed that looks like coco husk. Also..be careful as the envelopes contain some seed as well. I generally open the envelopes very carefully to avoid dropping seed. Then once you have gathered the loose seed, you can use a forceps to gently and carefully open the pod. I do this on the white envelope to ensure all the seed is gathered well. Then...sprinkle them on your media of choice, water it down to ensure good contact and then just wait and hope that the seed germinate and that the seed is indeed actually what the sellers claim it is. :p Face it...its really hard to tell seedlings apart. (few exceptions of course and generally you can tell some species apart)

Thank you for the response! Now I know what I need to do. :)
 
  • #23
How fine should the sphagnum be chopped? Is there a desired particle size? Would 1/2" strands maximum work? Most are less than 1/2".
 
  • #24
there is no set length IMO. I generally use the stuff at the bottom of a bag of LFS>..its powdery. If not, I just use a scissors and I chop up some sphagnum moss. So you end up with a heterogenous particle size ranging from small thick strands to powder.
 
  • #25
there is no set length IMO. I generally use the stuff at the bottom of a bag of LFS>..its powdery. If not, I just use a scissors and I chop up some sphagnum moss. So you end up with a heterogenous particle size ranging from small thick strands to powder.

Some is powder I guess... I just don't want to like germinate a billion seeds just to kill them when I remove them from the sphagnum lol.
 
  • #26
To mill sphagnum, I rub it across a tennis racket while it is dry, that tends to break it up into tiny little pieces.
 
  • #27
To mill sphagnum, I rub it across a tennis racket while it is dry, that tends to break it up into tiny little pieces.

I already moistened it because I read on another board that getting it ready ahead of time gets bacteria going in the soil and such... Not sure if it was true, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. Will rubbing it across the racket while wet work? ???
 
  • #28
probably not as well....but.. regarding seperating seedlings....I personally leave seedlings in their original possition for many many many months before separating them. Afterwards....it isn't really an issue.
 
  • #29
probably not as well....but.. regarding seperating seedlings....I personally leave seedlings in their original possition for many many many months before separating them. Afterwards....it isn't really an issue.

I'm not planning to separate them unit they are growing over each other. It's a 7.5g glass tank so it saves a lot of space. :blush:
 
  • #30
2" deep bed of chopped, low-quality sphagnum. Large particles range from about 1/8" to 1/2". The small particles (too small to accurately measure) make up about 50% of the mix, but you can't see any in the picture provided. Is this sufficient as far as substrate and container?

31440b9.jpg


bi5hf5.jpg


Right now, I'm working on the temperature/humidity aspect right now. I'm going to cover all walls of the tank with foil, except for the front wall for viewing. That will reflect light back into the tank to heat it up more. What humidity/temperature is ideal for germinating nepenthes seeds? I'm going to keep it as hot as possible, but it will probably end up around 80 day and 65 night. Is 90% humidity sufficient, or shall I go even higher? I don't want mold to grow. My nep terrarium stays around 85% to 95% 24/7 with no mold. As long as there is no mold growing, can I keep the humidity as high as possible? How wet should the substrate be? ???

I'm really stressing out because the seeds should arrive within the next week if the seller is true to what they wrote as a definite in the shipping description. I basically have nothing done, other than having 2" of mildly chopped sphagnum in a glass fish tank without heating or humidity worked out yet. Gaaahhhh!!! Also, some of the seeds said they were collected from as far back as the beginning of January. Will the seeds still be viable?
 
  • #31
I think I've developed to perfect habitat for germinating seeds...

35cog0w.jpg


Not sure what the wattage is on the aquarium light, but it warms up a lot. It keeps it around 75F at the hottest. After I added the desk lamp, the temperature shot up to 85F, which is exactly where I wanted it. Lowland conditions, but just for germination. After they get big (5-6cm) I will move them to their "natural" conditions.

Daytime Temperature: 85F

Nighttime Temperature: 60-65

Humidity: 80%

I'll keep you guys updated on how this goes. I think the seeds should get here soon! Super excited. :boogie:
 
  • #33
How do you get your humidity to 80%.

I have been working on a setup and i cant get the humidity up. When I turn on my lights the temperature goes up and humidity goes down ???

could something like this be used to up the humidity http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230686779600?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Get a mist bottle and fill it with distilled water. Spray all over the tank with it until the humidity is where you want it. If the terrarium is open-top, you won't be able to maintain high humidity. Both of my terrariums are sealed off. :)
 
  • #34
Both of my terrariums are sealed off. :)

But....you are providing air movement inside the enclosure, right?? You want to grow Nepenthes seedlings, not a parade of fungi.

---------- Post added at 08:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:21 AM ----------

I'm really stressing out because the seeds should arrive within the next week if the seller is true to what they wrote as a definite in the shipping description. I basically have nothing done, other than having 2" of mildly chopped sphagnum in a glass fish tank without heating or humidity worked out yet. Gaaahhhh!!! Also, some of the seeds said they were collected from as far back as the beginning of January. Will the seeds still be viable?

Stress and horticulture make really poor bedfellows ;-)
Seeds shipped by postal mail from Indonesia (and similar) take three to five weeks, believe it or not. Relax, you will get at least 10% germination if you do it right. I got nearly 90% germination with a batch of N. bongso seeds from albermarlesounds, and those took nearly six weeks to arrive.
 
  • #35
Whim,
I tried searching your posts and failed to find it if you've posted this already....but what method do oyu use for germinating your seeds?
I've been getting mixed results with my current method of chopped LFS in deli containers with holes in em.
 
  • #36
But....you are providing air movement inside the enclosure, right?? You want to grow Nepenthes seedlings, not a parade of fungi.

---------- Post added at 08:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:21 AM ----------



Stress and horticulture make really poor bedfellows ;-)
Seeds shipped by postal mail from Indonesia (and similar) take three to five weeks, believe it or not. Relax, you will get at least 10% germination if you do it right. I got nearly 90% germination with a batch of N. bongso seeds from albermarlesounds, and those took nearly six weeks to arrive.

How do you suggest I keep airflow up as well as heat? Would putting an aerator inside the tank to move the air around work? What about just opening the hood for 30 minutes after the lights go off to let it cool off and get some good air flow. I could mist it during that period to prevent humidity loss. Would that work?

You mentioned I would get at least 10% germination if done correctly, which is what I was actually shooting for. What would you change about my current setup to meet the "done correctly" requirements? I want as many of these guys as possible to germinate.
 
  • #37
Pineapple,
Just my $.02, but airflow is very important because in high humidity, warm conditions, mold has a prime opportunity to grow if the conditions are stagnant. I keep mine warm/with good airflow by using a seedling heating mat to keep it warm while a fan in my grow rack keeps air moving about at a decent enough rate.
 
  • #38
With my lights on I'm getting around 90F in my tank i wanted to sprout Nep seeds. will this be too hot?
 
  • #39
With my lights on I'm getting around 90F in my tank i wanted to sprout Nep seeds. will this be too hot?

It depends what kind of seeds. I'm sure that ultra highlanders won't appreciate it, but some like to germinate most of their highlanders in lowland conditions, so 85-90 degrees would hit the nail on the heat. It needs to drop to around 60 at night though. Some seeds require a huge shift in day/night temperatures to "activate" them so they can germinate. I think 85 or so would be a preferable daytime temperature, while 60 would be a good nightime temperature. Just my opinion based on what I've read, I've never done this before lol. I've only been keeping neps for two months. :p
 
  • #40
Hey all, I just got some ebay nep seeds in today (Ordered 1/27). I don't really have a way to keep them nice and warm, so I'm just sorta hoping that they'll decide to sprout anyway. The pot is sitting in a ziplock bag on my desk under my lamp (my room tends to get dry). Anything else I could do besides wait now?

Good luck to all your seeds :3
 
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