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what interesting or difficult seeds do you have on-the-go right now?

UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
ive challenged myself with some rather tricky ones this year.  well, tricky for me, with the tools/experience i have.

Trachycarpus Fortunii - gathered from a holiday last year, after 36hr soaking, they're currently in a bag of seed compost, vermiculite and a small amount of water, sat in the airing cupboard at about 22 degrees in the dark.   still waiting.  same goes for some dwalf fan palm seeds.

i've also gathered and have under-heat for cycas seeds, soaked, now sat atop the soil mix, with under-heat, they might be too warm.

i've also gathered and sown some Fatsia Jap.  they've just sprouted after being on heat, but they seem very slow to go.  now off the heat.

again, gathered last year, some Sorbus, three different trees.  two lots sown together and on heat, the other now sown outdoor. these were stratified, scarified (sand paper ) and then finally in water for a day before finally being sown.  i don't fancy my chances with these but they're for free, worth a try.

lastly of the difficult ones, some laburnham seeds.  they swell up loverly in hot water...and now sit in a pot of their own pending mother nature to assist.

if i can get half a dozen nice small trees out of that, i'll be happy.

Yes i also have some less challenging seeds...some annuals...Ammi, Cosmos, Nicotiana, Angellica, some Cobea Scandens, a couple of grasses, some transplanted seedlings from the garden and some cuttings to tend to!

curious if anyone else bothers with seeds that are more tricky to force?

Posts

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,228
    Trying soya for the second year. Would like edamame beans but after two months out of 6 seeds one plant an inch tall. Got this far last year then it died.
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,436
    Interesting plants you are attempting to grow there from seed... I wish you well with that... it must be such fun to get something to germinate that's difficult... I struggle with the easy ones... seeds are not my thing, and I'm still waiting for Rhodanthe manglesii to appear... I sowed them a few weeks ago... but like houseplants take one look at me and quickly die a death.. so I'm not expecting much... pity, I rather wanted these annuals... 
    East Anglia, England
  • UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
    Marlorena said:
     I'm still waiting for Rhodanthe manglesii to appear... I sowed them a few weeks ago...
    https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_1092_rhodanthe_manglesii_mixed

    I find their website instruction useful.  Unless you have heating up high it light not be warm enough without heated propagator?
  • UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
    Trying soya for the second year. Would like edamame beans but after two months out of 6 seeds one plant an inch tall. Got this far last year then it died.

    Yep, quite unusual!  I prefer seeds you can cover with soil.  Its when they say they need light, or lightly cover I have harder time keeping them moist.

    Are the soybean available from reputable sellers or do you/can you use supermarket ?   I've just bought taro and coco yam tubers from a market to plant for foliage....but expectation is low.
  • edited April 2019
    I have ordered about 200 Daylily seeds from the American Hemerocallis Society, which are surplus from members' hybridising experiments.

    Some crosses are from very tall parents, others are from dark-flowered parents, and others are from parents with toothed or ruffled petals. I have no idea how good the resulting plants will be, or where I will accommodate them, but it will be fun to see how they turn out in a few years time!
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,137
    On behalf of my neighbours grandchildren I have 35 Toona sinensis (Chinese Mahogany) seeds in my propagator. The first one is just beginning to show.
    Quite what they plan to do with them is another matter, but nice to think that maybe one day in years to come there will be some big trees that I helped bring into the world.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,228
    Bought seed from GC, supposed to be a variety that can be grown here @UpNorth.
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,436
    @UpNorth
    Thank you for the link.. I got my seeds from them... they really shouldn't be that difficult I'd have thought.. I've saved some for sowing outside too... 
    East Anglia, England
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,359
    I don't know which are hard or which are easy. If they grow I call them easy, if they don't they are hard :)  Just germinated Mandragora officinarum from own seed. 


    In the sticks near Peterborough
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