Just venting

[fiziks]

Sorry folks, I just need to vent. A while back, I had received a few packages of sarr seeds (sweet pitchers, purple pitchers, and variety pack). My students and I put together 3 different soil recipes, sowed the seeds, used either distilled or rain water and changed the water often, kept the soils moist, and used a combination of grow lights and natural lighting. We've read many of the postings and suggestions for growing them and we thought we were doing pretty good. The end of the school year came about, and nothing was still growing. I brought them home and kept up on taking care of them, and still nothing (it's been several months). Then, the other day I noticed some plant growth. I took some pictures and emailed my students that they are beginning to grow. The other day, I looked at the small growths and noticed that they were nothing more than grass growing. Aaargh! $@&*!!! I feel like a fool sending pictures of young grass growing to my students.

 

[glider14]

did you give them a cool/ damp stratification? sarr seeds need this cool and damp period to germinate. about 4 weeks. sorry to hear that you got no growth
Alex

 

[fiziks]

This is kind of confusing, but keep in mind we were doing some experiments to see how we sowed the seeds and the soil type made any differences in their germination and plant growth/health. My students noticed that there were some variations of how to germinate the seeds, so they wanted to try some of the different techniques (and a few of their own), to see how they compared.

Like I mentioned, we had 3 different soil types that seemed to be the most common types of soils used in growing cps/sarrs.

We also tried different ways of caring for the seeds, but each type would also be spread out across the 3 different soil types. These were the common ones (some of the students tried a few of their own):
Seed care #1: kept in an envelope, but not refrigerated. It was placed across the 3 different soil types and kept moist and kept in the small greenhouse.

seed care #2: kept in an envelope and refrigerated. After several weeks of refrigeration, it was placed on its own 3 different soil types. It was then placed in the small greenhouse.

seed care #3: kept in an envelope and refrigerated. After several weeks of refrigeration it was placed on its own 3 different soil types. Then the soil and seeds were refrigerated for a few weeks, then placed in the small greenhouse

seed care #4: seeds were placed between 2 moist paper towels and refrigerated. Then seeds were placed in the soil and refrigerated again. Then the soil and seeds were placed in the green house.

We were hoping to see some results out of some of them and use them for some comparisons.

The common quote of Julius Sumner Miller runs through my mind, "it's not that the experiment failed, but we failed to meet the requirements for Nature to reveal its secrets to us." It still ticks me off!

 

[RL7836]

Just curious about your seed source - was it reliable?

For example, although I know the person is probably out there, But I have not yet heard of someone having Lowrie Sarracenia seed germinate (other seed yes).

 

[Clint]

Hey and welcome! First, Sarracenia take a long time to get to decent size. May I suggest something very easy, prolific, and fast like D. capensis? No special stratification required!

As for your experiment, you said you put them in the fridge, but they were also damp/moist right?

 

[jack]

The seeds should of been placed on the growing medium uncovered, if you buried them that could be your problem. Also, they may not of been good seeds for many reasons. Jack

 

[xvart]

What a bummer that it didn't work. What a cool thing to do in school. My science/biology teacher never even mentioned CPs...

xvart.

 

[JRFxtreme]

The seeds that were given seed care #4 seem like the only ones that would maybe have a chance to sprout since cold wet stratification is a must.

In the future it might be worth it to try something a little easier and faster like what JLAP said. You can watch D. capensis go from a seedling into a flowering plant in under a year in good conditions. Infact, most tropical sundews are pretty easy and fast growing. They make good test subjects due to their weedy nature.

 

[fiziks]

To answer some of the questions. Yes, the seeds came from a reliable source.

Also, the seeds were not buried. They were gently sprinkled evenly on the soil.

JustLikeAPill, we had one group of seeds that were kept in the fridge for a while, then sprinkled on the soil and placed in the greenhouse. We also had another group that we kept in the fridge (just like the other group), then taken out and placed between 2 moist paper towels and refrigerated again for a while, and then sprinkled on the soil and the whole tray was refrigerated, and then finally placed in the greenhouse. I'm not sure if that makes sense.

I do have some droseras (binata and multifolda (sp?)), but I wanted something that would grow bigger and better able to withstand Ohio's weather (inside and out). Besides, some of the sarrs are also neat looking.

 

[Not a Number]

A minimum of four weeks cold stratification (cold =>32F and <=45F, damp - not wet) for most species of temperate CPs including Sarracenia. Some such as Sarracenia purpurea ssp purpurea 5 weeks is recommended. The media should be barely damp and checked once a week for mold/algae/fungus.

The experiment should include different lengths of stratification.

I would use a minimum of 20 seeds per group.

You can probably still cold stratify the seeds by placing the pots seeds and all in sealed plastic bags into the fridge for at least 4 weeks. After stratification add about an inch of distilled or RO purified water in the bottom of the bags, keep them sealed with plenty of air and place them in an area of bright light (avoid direct sunlight as it will quickly cook the contents of the bags). Germination should start around 2 weeks but may take several months. Check weekly for dampening off (fungus). A thin layer of finely milled Long Fibered Sphagnum moss can prevent this.

Barry Rice says he doesn't give up on a pot of seeds until two years have passed.

The ICPS seedbank has seeds available for educators such as yourself. Contact information and germination guides can be found on their website.

 

[PlantAKiss]

Seeds should be stratified for several months but you can make do with less. But if they were only stratified for 3 weeks or so, that might not be enough. It also takes some time to germinate.

I've had success laying seed on a paper towel, misting the towel until its just moist. Then I fold up the paper towel, put it into a baggie and stick it in the fridge for a couple of months. Its worked very well.

 

[fiziks]

Would there be a chance they would germinate if I stick the tray in the fridge (I'm sure my wife wouldn't like it. ) for a while?

 

[Alexis]

Sounds like your stratification methods were poor. Sarracenia seeds need decent stratification otherwise you'll be lucky to get 5% germination.

5 weeks in the fridge is good and the seeds need to be wet. A slightly damp paper towel won't cut it.

 

[Not a Number]

Well you might be able to still cold stratify them in the pots. Many people stratify them in pots either in the refrigerator or naturally outdoors, given the proper climate for it.

Inspect the seeds for any fungus or mold. If ok, make sure the medium is damp/moist zip 'em up in plastic bags. Make sure there is some air in the bags and pop them into the refrigerator for at least 4 weeks.

And yes, slightly damp paper towels work as the pots of S. alata, S. flava, and S. rubra seedlings I have under 24/7 lighting will attest.

I took a paper towel for each species and placed the seeds in the middle and folded it over 4 times. I then misted the towels on both sides until they were slightly wet then pressed down gently with the flats of my fingers to make sure the water was soak through. I then patted these between dry paper towels until they were dry enough not to leave a noticable stain on dry newsprint when left there for a few seconds. These were placed in individual plastic zip lock bags into the refrigerator for 4 weeks.

The other 4 Sarracenia species/ sub-species I stratified in live Sphagnum or New Zealand LFS. Oddly enough the only one that had no germinations was the S. purpurea ssp. venosa which I stratified for 5 weeks on wet NZ LFS. The others I squeezed out the Sphagnum or LFS to the point that it would only leave a mark on dry newsprint when pressed gently.

What works for some people may not work for you. You just have to find what works for you. As long as you stay with in certain parameters you should do okay. Finding the sweet spot that yields the best results for you may take some time.