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Agapanthus seed germination help please?

bjazz28bjazz28 Posts: 65
in Plants

Hi Everyone,

I lost my Agapanthus plants in the summer this year and so had a dig through my draw and found some old seeds, about 2 years or so old.

I planted them in a heated propagator in late September (didn't note the date, silly I know!)

as yet they have not germinated. I have read that the seeds have to be fertile but also that they can take a very long time to germinate even when fertile, Can anyone tell me if I an wasting my time with this planting or is there a chance that some of these seeds might still emerge?

I would appreciate any feedback of your experiences with growing this plant from seed please.

thanks,

cliff image

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 26,996

    I think you may be wasting your time. It's generally recommended that agapanthus seeds are sown fresh.

    Worth leaving them a bit longer but I wouldn't waste propagator space on them. When fresh they germinate in the garden, no propagator needed



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Birdy13Birdy13 Posts: 595

    Interesting that - as I too took off some agapanthus seed heads this summer with a view to sowing them for next year.

    Does it count as 'fresh' if they were removed from the plant at the end of this season but have been kept since then in a paper envelope for a few weeks?

    If so, may I presume sowing them soon in largish outdoor pots or open ground should still be successful?

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 26,996

    Hi Birdy, that's nearly fresh. I don't know how fresh they need to be, the only ones I ever did were straight off the plant and into the pot. I have to admit it's a while ago and I can't remember when they germinated.

    The search on here doesn't really work,  but in a thread some years ago I posted a link to a youtube video which I can't find now. Someone from one of the big posh gardens sowed them really fresh and left them over winter, under cover but not heated if I remember correctlyimage



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Birdy13Birdy13 Posts: 595

    Thanks for the info Nut.

    'Spose it's just a question of try it and see. I'll be optimistic. Plants often break the 'rules' - probably to keep encouraging us when we get it wrong.

    We can never tell when our 'mistakes' may produce flourishing results.

  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568

    I sowed some Agapanthus seed 4 years ago here in Brazil. Of about 50 I got about 10 to germinate. Yes, the seed was fresh! A further 5 didn't survive transplanting to the garden and the remaining ones still look a long way off flowering....image I think you need new bulbs, but be warned: even they can take a while to establish. Good luck.

    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • bjazz28bjazz28 Posts: 65

    Hi everyone,

    Thanks very much for your input I appreciate it, I guess that expecting results from seeds nearly two years or more old is a bit much!

    I was hopeful though and I'll leave them until the end of the year but at least I know it will be a miracle if any of them do germinate at this stage.

    Thanks again,

    cliff image

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