Growing HBWR for dummies?

[PhantomTurkey]

Hello there,

I am new to the concept of growing plants from seed. To start with,I have some HBWR seeds and am looking to plant them and would like to make it a successful grow. I live in Hervey Bay, Queensland so the climate for growth should suit HBWR according to what I have read. Can someone point me to a really good growing guide for HBWR specifically, but also any general resources in growing from seed would be useful.

Thanks in advance...

[alkatrope]

I just had my first HBWR sprout about 4 days ago

One out of 6 though doesn't seem that great, but maybe the others will coem up later.

I took a knife and scraped off the side of the seed 'til it looked like there was a little hole thing, then soaked in water for about 11 hours. Planted in some soil kept that wet and yeah.

[PD.]

If the seeds dont swell with the initial scrape and soaking, just give them time. Put them in a container with sum damp peat moss and sit them somewhere warm(on top of your monitor/fridge/heatpad). They will come up with time.

some of mine took a week or two to pop and one even found its way into a box full of cactus cuttings that i was rooting. I recycled the soil and it didnt germinate till about 3 weeks after that. So it took a total of about 5 weeks to germ. I gave them time and got up to 90% germination.

Rivea seems to be the same as one just popped in a tray that was sown on the 9/10, its siblings in the same tray are up to 20cms high already.

Patience.

[Ace]

First off, Welcome Phantom Turkey

If they are anything like Morning Glory (which they are closely related according to what I've read), they are very easy to grow climbers. Scarify the seed as alkatrope suggested (basically getting a knife and making a small nick in the seed - but be careful not to damage the 'eye') or soak them in warm water overnight, then plant into a decent compost mix directly into the area that you want them to grow in. You can start them in pots (which is what i am doing) then later transplant, though they dont like it too much apparently.

Within a week or two, you'll have some sprouts and keep the water up, but in no way overdo it - a couple times a week, depending on how dry the air/soil is. You *must* have something for them to climb on - trellice is ideal, though even a chain-link fence is said to work really well. Apparently keeping the nutrients fairly low and water to a minimum, you'll aquire more flowers, and more seeds (though this is for morning glory, but may apply to HBWR).

Anyway, you might have a bit of luck using the search engines or even searching google. Best of Luck

[Fenris]

I have had variable results at germinating HWBR in the past so here is my experience of more recent successes. Put seeds in a glass of water and see which ones float, I stay away from the floaters.

I have tried luck and scarring with a knife and cracking seedcoat with pliers all with variable results until I used the very fine file on my leatherman. A nailfile or 300 grade sandpaper should be just as effective. Get the seed and along the edge (not the top or bottom) sand a small ammount away and leave in a glass of water overnight, if they have swolen then plant them, if they haven't then give them another sand in the same location but not too much that you go through the seedcoat and damage the embryo, put back in glass of water overnight and sow the ones that swell repeat where necessary. This worked really well for me recently and I was really pleased with all the germinations I got. Also pot in a deep pot, I have noticed the longer the pot the more the seedling will grow its roots before it grows its vine but when it grows the vine it is more vigourous and seems much healthier and happier.

[mu!]

HBWR are piss easy to grow, you shouldnt come across too many problems, and your climate location seems fine too. Follow the advice in this thread, experiment a bit, and you'll have no worries

[whit3rabbit]

PhantomTurkey is this you? http://www.last.fm/user/PhantomTurkey/

Just curious.

I've got two 30cm HBWR, and they pretty much look after themselves, except recently I've had some problems with spiedermites . I managed to get them off my Brug and all of a sudden they were over there!

[PhantomTurkey]

Thanks to all for the useful tips...I'll let you know how the grow goes.

[PhantomTurkey]

PhantomTurkey is this you? http://www.last.fm/user/PhantomTurkey/

Just curious.

Yes that is me...small world.

[ballzac]

I had one that got to a few months old and then got eaten by something in about two hours

I snipped the seed coat away from the germ eye, and soaked until it swelled up. I then planted it in ordinary seed-raising mix. The first one I did died from root rot, but these survive quite comfortably with very little water. Just water when the soil is dry. A couple of times I have left it for over a week and it was fine.

You need to move it to a large pot (or into the ground in your climate) if you want it to grow at a decent rate.

[PhantomTurkey]

OK, I have finally got around to having a shot at growing. I bought some seed raising mix and small pots (I will repot after they start to grow). I nicked the seeds and am leaving them in water for 2 hours. I'll plant them just below the surface of the soil and sprinkle some water on top. I will possible leave them for two days before the next water.

I'm soaking 7 seeds. The one that is floating I will disgard.

This will be my set up table at the side of the house.

Any pointers from more experienced folk will be muchly appreciated.

[alkatrope]

Mine is a month or more old now.. I water every time the top looks dry and it's taken off very well.

The other day I put in a bigger pot and gave it a stick to climb on and it's starting vining very fast.

These plants are piss easy to grow.. You can't go wrong

[hairyplant]

They may be piss easy to grow, but i think you will need to give them lots of root space to get them to flower and fruit.

Anyone have any experience in harvesting seed from plants grown in potts?

Either way, make sure you consume all seed!!!! they are a nasty weed where I come from

[PhantomTurkey]

I'll certainly be repotting if all goes OK. As soon as they start shooting up I will upsize my pots.

Edited January 25, 2007 by PhantomTurkey

[PhantomTurkey]

The seed raising mix contains "composted, organic matter". Is there anything else one needs to do besides the occasional water?

What about fertiliser? The seed raising mix obviously has some already.

[PhantomTurkey]

The update is they seem to be doing OK. Of the 6 that I started, 3 have sprouted well and a 2nd shoot is forming in each. I am trying watering scarcely, occasionally with a half strength soluble fertiliser dose. I added sticks to my pot to give the seedlings something to cling to as they get a bit bigger.

[whit3rabbit]

Those sticks won't be needed, the plants will be alot bigger than that before they start climbing. At least in my limited experience thats what happens. I'll go get some pics of mine now and show you how extreme it gets.

[whit3rabbit]

This photo is how big mine was before it started climbing...

And this is the sticks I used , I made a kind of tripod for it. It climbed past the top in about a week so I've trained it around and it loops around the top a few times. Hmmm, that doesnt make much sense. Basically it goes up and down and around at the top a few times because I thought those sticks were big enough, and apparently they weren't.

As a note, the two seedlings in my avatar are the two plants in that second photo :D:D:D

Edited February 12, 2007 by psykopath_juggalo

[PhantomTurkey]

Yours seem to be going well. I might ditch the sticks and organise some sort of trellis large enough to let them spread out once they get to that stage.

How long have yours been growing? Did you end up replanting them into the ground?

[whit3rabbit]

Yours seem to be going well. I might ditch the sticks and organise some sort of trellis large enough to let them spread out once they get to that stage.

How long have yours been growing? Did you end up replanting them into the ground?

I didn't think had been that long but I looked at the date on the photos of when they were seedlings, and that was the 6th of Novemeber. Soooo...... 3 and a bit months.

I decided not to put them in the ground as no one advised me either way, so I hope I made the right decision.

A few things I've noticed about the one I moved into its own pot (they were both in the same pot, see my avatar).

1. It got stunted for a while and the base didnt thicken, so as it got bigger it started to lean weird.

2. For some reason it isnt getting new shoots in the fork between other shoots. Eh, I'm bad at explaining. The one I didnt transplant will put out a leaf off the branch, then at the fork between that leaf and branch another leaf will pop out, and so on. This isn't happening with the semi-stunted transplanted one.

So moving pots seems to have put it about a week behind the other plant, apart from what I've just mentioned.

Good luck with yours

[indigo264nm]

Put it in the ground after a couple of months after germing.

Mine just sent out it's first tendril thingies and it's only been in the ground 4 months or so.

Argyreia spp. on the ethno wiki.

[whit3rabbit]

Put it in the ground after a couple of months after germing.

Mine just sent out it's first tendril thingies and it's only been in the ground 4 months or so.

Argyreia spp. on the ethno wiki.

I've held off putting it in the ground because I thought it might need to be kept inside over winter for the first year. Its starting to slow donw on its growth now so if I do ground it I don't think it will grow much more before winter.

Currently no text on the ethnowiki page....

Edited February 14, 2007 by psykopath_juggalo

[alkatrope]

Mine is vining so fast I don't know what to do!

[PhantomTurkey]

Here are my plants after approx one month of growth.

[alkatrope]

Mine ended up being an Ipomoea