Starting sarrs in peat pellets

[osito]

Anyone done this? Was thinking of giving it a try this instead of communal pot cause I hate separating seedings

 

[DJ57]

I have been meaning to try these for sarr seed as well, but I think the Jiffy peat pellets contain fertilizer so not sure how sarr seedlings would do in them. I have used them for non-cp plants and know that roots can have a hard time penetrating the netting if you don't remove that part when transplanting.

I feel an experiment coming on with some nondescript sarr seed I have laying around...

 

[osito]

I thought the same thing about the fert but the guy at the hydroponics store said the ones in the bin he had were inert

 

[DJ57]

I would try those then. Hey, I have a packet of mixed sarr seed from 2014 I can bring to the next Portland meet for you as well to test in them, that way you are not taking a chance on species or known hybrid seed you may have. Send me a reminder though the week of the next meet.

 

[osito]

Oh I'll remind you! Haha

Is it cold enough up here to just set them outside for a few weeks to stratify?

 

[DJ57]

Yes it is and that is how I do it, natural stratification. I sow seed outside anytime from December to the end of January and put the trays under a mini-greenhouse/cold frame structure (ends are open) to protect them from rain, works great. You can also wait until the first part of February to set them out.

 

[osito]

I was really hoping to get them under lights before December. Wanted to do a quick 3-4 week strat. Not cold enough yet?

 

[hcarlton]

If you want to grow them under lights, then just put the seeds in a wet paper towel in the fridge for 4 weeks before sowing them onto the peat pellets indoors. No need to worry about uncertain outdoor temperatures.

 

[DJ57]

No, it is not cold enough yet outside here, usually does not get cold enough until late November/early December. You can read about sarr seed stratification here:
ICPS Seed Bank and also specifics about seed stratification requirements for different sarr species here, fourth paragraph down: The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: How do I stimulate seeds to germinate?

If you want to stratify artificially using the fridge method, and many people who live in warmer climates do and are successful, you don't want the paper towel wet or your seed will most likely mold, same for if you sow them on soil in a pot and put in the fridge. You want the paper towel, pot, or LFS just moist. The fridge method is a crap shoot dependent on the conditions the seeds are put in, many have lost seed to mold if not done properly.

The next Portland meet would be a good place to ask about artificial sarr seed stratification as there may be some there who do it regularly. Better yet you might also check out The Sarracenia Forum and ask there as that is a forum specific to sarracenia if you want to start stratifying seeds now. There is a guy on there who also lives in Portland whose forum name is Calen and I believe he stratifies sarr seed artificially and is very successful with it, you might want to contact him through The Sarracenia Forum and I am sure he can help you out with specifics. Unfortunately I have very little experience with artificial strat because it is so easy in our climate to do it naturally outside, the drawback is that the seedlings will be much slower growing than if germinated inside and grown under lights for their first year or two, and it sounds like that might be what you are looking for (early start and faster-growing seedlings).