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Harvesting\storing utric seeds?

Please help! I need info on harvesting the seeds and also if
I can store them in a normal home-made white seed envelope also how many seeds would be a fair amount to give someone?
 
Hey Pond boy - What does "bump" mean? I just asked my teenage daughter, figuring she would be up on current colloquialisms. She didn't know, either.
 
Bump is a short-cut way to say you are moving the thread to the top of the list by replying to it without content. I bet your teenage daughter knows about bump-and-grind, though she may not admit it to you.
 
I am no expert with Utric seed but I will give it a go as no one else has...

It is hard to say with storring seed. Some seed needs to be sown straight away which seems the best aproach with most Utrics but some species will survive for many years. I think the fridge would be the best place to store most, in a paper envelope.

As for numbers, I would say atleast 30. Under a microscope it seems on average that about 1/2 of seeds seem to be sub standard (1/2 are big and jucy
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) so keep this in mind. The smaller the seed the more I give too as I feel they do not keep as well so may not have the germination rates of some larger seeds.

George
 
Thanks for replying! I`m surprised none of the "experts"(not saying your not an expert binata boy) haen`t posted.
 
Pondboy,

Most of us aren't very successful at producing seed, since most species do not self seed, and pollination is so very difficult. There are very few Utricularia experts here on this forum, mostly just plain old growers like you and me with a bunch of plants and a copy of Taylor IF they are lucky.
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George and Sean have the advantage of having a natural pollinator do the pollination thing for them. I've tried stripping open the flower to expose the pollen and stigma, but without a dissecting microscope it is just about impossible, at least for these old eyes. Even on the occasion I was able to get to the pollen by dissecting a flower, I did not have successful pollination
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. Other times I have used "fishing line, hope and prayer" techniques with minimal success. I welcome anyone who can suggest a reliable method of fertilizing these flowers. I sure want to find an answer. I feel like I am missing something

Seed should not be stored at all, it should be sent out asap if you are lucky enough to have it be produced I think. I can't answer how much: I only ever get a very little bit of seed from anything so I send all of it. Most of my attempts with seed I have gotten have shown poor germination relative to how much seed I sowed (when it germinated at all). George is lucky if he gets 1/2 of his seed to grow. I have bever been that fortunate in the 20 times or so that I have tried seed.

So far, the only seed I have gotten has been from U. subulata, U. lateriflora, U. claycifida, U. delicatula and U. pusilla. Possibly U. welwitschii but it was inviable even when I sowed it as soon as I harvested it.

It's too bad Utricularia don't behave as nicely as Drosera with their ready self pollination. Then Sean and George could have a chance to grow some of these plants, and share them with their mates.
 
I am very lucky as far as polinators go, I have great seed set on some U. dichotoma I am growing out side. Most species do not produce seed for me though. I might try to pollinate a few flowers of other species although I have no idea what to do, but should be interesting to try. Are most Utrics self fertile?

I rarely get 'good' germination but to have any success I feel you would want to try atleast 15 good seeds and keep your fingers crossed.I do find its a bit af 'all or nothing' with utrics though, unfortunatly more often nothing than all...

George
 
I am no expert, heck, I haven't even managed to aquire a Utric yet, but I do have an idea for Tamlin when it comes to pollination. If it were me, I would get a hackle feather from a rooster and stick the tip in each little flower and tickle it a bit, moveing from flower to flower. Feathers hold pollen fairly good and are flexable and delicate enough to probubly get some pollen in and out of very small flowers
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If anyone wants to try and is in need of feathers to try this with, just pm me you address and I'll mail you a sampleing of different textures so you can see which works best and give it a shot
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... or you can send me a plant that may flower soon so I can have one and test it at PO Box..., LOL J/K ;)
 
  • #10
Hackle feathers? I raise chickens\roosters and hackle feathers are 4+ in long! How one of those would fit in a tiny utric flower I have no clue I used a pine needle to polinate mine inserting it as far as I could down the throat swipeing upward then reinserting and the seed pod is swelling so hopefully I will get some seed....
 
  • #11
Nice work Pondboy! I'll have to get a pine needle and test your tool, maybe it will work for me too if I can manage to see the opening that is! Which species did you try this on?

Darcie, the feather thing might work too, and I'll give that a try as well. Where's my pillow?
 
  • #12
[b said:
Quote[/b] (pond boy @ Feb. 15 2004,22:25)]Hackle feathers? I raise chickens\roosters and hackle feathers are 4+ in long! How one of those would fit in a tiny utric flower I have no clue I used a pine needle to polinate mine inserting it as far as I could down the throat swipeing upward then reinserting and the seed pod is swelling so hopefully I will get some seed....
The tip of the feather, no the whole thing. What breed of chicken? The texture varries a bit by breed.
 
  • #13
U."microcalyx",about the chickens a mixture mainly buff orpingto mixes,and dominique mixes.
 
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