Nepenthes Seed Sowing

[Vbkid]

Sow (pun intended), i've sewn and germinated nepenthes a nubmer of the times i nthe past, to mixed success. I've done two main methods, one being sown in ziploc bags or humidity domes on pure LFS, the other being a peat/sand mix. My main problem in the past has been algae and/or fungus takeover every so often. I'm just wondering how I can avoid this. The vast majority of my successes have been on LFS. I use only distilled water.

Just got some seeds to try today, and want input on what I might be doing wrong before I sow them tonight!

Thanks for the help, and happy growing,

Kyle

 

[Cthulhu138]

I have better luck on a sand/peat mix and that's what I now use exclusively. I microwave the media for 20 minutes before using. This cuts down (but does not eliminate) on moss spores and algae. Seeds are placed on top of media in seed starter cells and placed in trays under a high dome. I've germinated thousands of Nepenthes seeds this way.

 

[JMHoff]

What temperature and sun conditions do you use Cthulhu138?

 

[Cthulhu138]

Room temperature, under 12 hours of light.

 

[Vbkid]

Any advice on how moist to keep them/nto lettign them dry out or get flooded?

 

[Cthulhu138]

Yeah, don't let them dry out or get flooded.........

 

[Adelea]

Depending on what neps the conditions vary, I am limited to lowlanders and intermediates, but I have great success with an array of soils, the biggest thing seems to be keep the media moist, bright to intense light and air flow.

I now just put the seeds in trays on a bench in my greenhouse, but before that I used a two foot tank with a small gap at the top as well as a 12V cpu fan on a battery (12V car battery with a 4+V solar panel or replacing 6V batteries works fine), it was cheap and easy to setup and took very little care until they where about 3-4cm and I started hardening them off.

I used shallow water trays to maintain the soil moisture when I used a tank (1-2cm trays for 5-12cm tall pots work great), as for temps I have found that anywhere from 24-35C is fine for lowlanders and 24-30C is fine for intermediates, with night drops rarely below 20C.

In saying this I have germinated and grown on veitchii, mirabilis, kongkadana X mirabiis "viking", ampullaria and ventricosa in winter in the greenhouse (temps as low as 8-10C at night and days of 25-28C, with little loss, so they seem pretty tolerable, they just grew slower.

I also add NPK fertiliser to my substrates and have found this really helps, but in small amounts, if your using sphagnum moss it tend to rot faster, but if you use an orchid potting mix or a African violet/spag it has little effect.
In saying this I have misters running twice a day so they fertiliser is very dilute.

Hope this helps.

 

[NemJones]

For my germination, I use 100% Chopped Sphagnum moss. Seems to work pretty well however
you have to monitor them because sometimes small colonies of mold will start growing. (I usually dont sterilize media)

Then after the pot is seeded, I throw a plastic bag over the top and make sure theyre moist and
clean up to germination.

 

[BigBella]

Sterilizing the media is a good overall preventative; but no one seems to be addressing the nature of the seed itself.

Lowland Nepenthes and even some odd highlander seed are notoriously "dirty" in terms of fungal contamination; and one of the easier methods for cleaning them, prior to sowing; or, for use in TC, involves cleaning the seed with peracetic acid or vinoxide (CH3OOOH), which can easily be prepared with household 3% hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar -- acetic acid, typically at 5% acidity. It is prepared in a 4:1 ratio of H2O2 to vinegar. The vinegar is heated to boiling in a microwave and added to room temperature H2O2. It is a powerful oxidizer and antimicrobial, but does not harm the seed.

They can be soaked for as little as thirty minutes and sown without rinsing.

My typical compost for seed is a 2:1 mix of milled sphagnum to horticultural sand . . .

 

[Vbkid]

That advice sounds great, Bella, as does the advcie everyone else has offered! Going to sterilize both my media and seeds, think I'll stick with a LFS based media from experience, and sow them tonight! Hopefully lots of plants to share in a year or 2!

 

[pmatil]

Great advice here. I just bought some ultra lowland nepenthes seeds and need the 101 about seed sowing. So here are the questions:

- do the seeds need stratification?
- going to try to sterilize them according to to BigBella
- sow immediately?
- soil: is is better to use peat based or lfs?
- seeds stay on top of the soil or buried (if, how deep?)?
- bag the pot and then wait? My conditions are lowland (heated terrarium)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bio]

Great advice here. I just bought some ultra lowland nepenthes seeds and need the 101 about seed sowing. So here are the questions:

- do the seeds need stratification?
- going to try to sterilize them according to to BigBella
- sow immediately?
- soil: is is better to use peat based or lfs?
- seeds stay on top of the soil or buried (if, how deep?)?
- bag the pot and then wait? My conditions are lowland (heated terrarium)

Thanks in advance.

The answers to your questions can vary depending on the method used to germinate the seeds. One of the best things about Nepenthes seeds is that there is no one way to do it, at least for the easier species. What works for one person may not work for someone else. With that being said, here is my advice, based on my method:

1) They do not need any kind of stratification.
2) It's not necessary, but it won't hurt them.
3) Sow them as soon as you get them. ULL Nepenthes seeds have some of the shortest lifespans of all CPs.
4) I prefer to use a peat based medium to give the seeds as much contact area as possible. Sphagnum/ tends to grow and choke out seedlings; even if it is dried out first, spores will grow and overwhelm the seedlings if the LFS is left unsterilized.
5) Do not bury the seeds! Just sprinkle them on top of the medium. (Be careful. They are very light. Even breathing while handling them isn't a good idea)
6) After sowing them, bag them up, or place them somewhere very humid. The wait is usually not less than 4-6 weeks, and can be over 6 months, depending on the viability of the seeds.

Unfortunately, due to the very short lifespan of Nepenthes seeds, you may get a very low germination rate, if any germinate at all.

 

[pmatil]

Thanks Bio! Fingers crossed I get at least one to germinate, since it's only "4x fresh viable seeds".

 

[BigBella]

One thing that should be mentioned about lowland Nepenthes seed is that their viability is generally far shorter than their highland counterparts; and they should be sowed immediately. There seems to be greater selective pressure under those swampier conditions for those species to gain purchase and establish themselves earlier on. Some lowland species have seed viabilities which can be measured only in weeks; while I have had stored highland seed germinate at over a year or more . . .

 

[pmatil]

I just sowed (sew?) the seeds. Fingers crossed...

 

[Vbkid]

Trying to keep my frustration controlled right now...

Rinsed my peat. Rinsed my sand. Microwaved media for 20 min. Soaked seeds in paracetic acid. Put in new contianers/plastic bags.

2 weeks in, mold in some bags already. I keep messing this up.

The important question right now though, what do I spray on the affected seeds to kill back the mold?