I've been wondering about a particular seed. It comes from a batch of Anthocleista grandfilora seeds (10x) that I received over a year ago.
When I first got my hands on the seeds, I tried to germinate all of them. One by one, they gradually deteriorated, until I was left with a group of approximately 5 seeds. The affected ones displayed the expected features, such as visible microfloral presence (mouldy growth) and squishiness (quite easily disintegrating by touch/slight applied pressure). Then, some of the remaining five started displaying the symptoms described above and I moved on, but I decided not to throw them away yet.
The remaining batch spent approximately a year on a shelf, in a plastic container, with a very superficial layer of soil, exposed even. The sun rays could easily reach the spot in the summer days. During this time, I think I might have watered them once or twice, just because.
Four weeks ago, I decided to "revive" the project - I placed the remaining lot on a moist paper towel. Soon enough, it was clear that most of them were already in very poor condition - the seeds started displaying the symptoms mentioned above. Only one seed didn't succumb to rot - it appears structurally sound. No sight of microfloral deterioration and still hard to the touch. No seed exudates/paper discoloration around the seed, whose presence would signify increased permeability of the cell membranes. Good so far! On top of that, when a white light source is applied from below the seed, a light creamy/yellowish endosperm can be seen under the dark brown seed coat (which usually masks it). These should be really good signs! Below, I provided the collage of the seed for context (due to technical limitations, the colouration of the endosperm in the pic is not as vivid as it appears in reality):
To provide another layer of facts - in this book and in this database (both hosted on the KEW website) I found some infor
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In the same way that it waits out the cold before trying to germinate during dormant seeding, is there anything similar that happens in very hot weather? Just have to put down KBG this week but the weather isn't cooperating at all.
Curious if the minute it goes out I have to go crazy with water (not easy for me) or if that part starts more after the germination begins to occur.
I have anemone canadensis seeds and the double-dormancy instructions say 60-90 days cold/moist, 60-90 days warm/moist, then another 60-90 days cold(moist, followed by warm/actually planting.
My question is, when I take them out after the first cold/moist period, how on earth do I keep them warm/moist for 60-90 days without the seeds becoming a disgusting moldy mess? (They are currently in the fridge in a ziploc bag with a moist coffee filter).
Hi
If a tree species has a high dormancy level and has a high requirement for a chilling period for germination , what does this reveal about its ecology?
Like is it from a cold climate ? and anything else
Reading a few papers on grape vines and sunflowers, it seems that for some plants, winter dormancy is released mostly due to the gradual accumulation of reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide, which break dormancy.
To avoid the annoyance of using fridge methods and chillers for tropical or indoor savage gardeners, it may be possible to bypass this with simple watering/bathing of the plant or seed with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for 3-6 hours.
This could help the plants deal with their natural dormancy requirements in just 1 day and allow them to get over it and grow year round.
Anyone open to experiment with this? If people would like to try with some small sarracenia or VFT plantlets or seeds, we can find out.
Hello,
Recently I've acquired 15 A. belladonna seeds and would like to know if any of you have any knowledge concerning breaking their seed's dormancy. So far I've been thinking of soaking them in hot water, but I'm looking forward to sugestions.
