12 replies to this topic

[space cadet swami]

So here's something that pushes the boundaries a bit.

I planted 2 Boab seeds back in January. 1 pops up straight away & the other one turns up a couple of days back...6mths apart. I know these plants are supposed to live up to 500yrs...so I suppose 6mths to germinate, isn't such a long time in the life of a Boab. I didn't do boiling water treatment on either seed, but in retrospect I'm thinking the 3 remaining seeds will get the treatment. Then I suppose I'll sit back & wait & hope they turn up before my old age pension does....& I'm not that old, for u guys thinking like that...lol.

Now with any other type of seed I would give up after 4weeks (max)...but for some reason, I just felt the desire to just keep on wetting it & then drying it out.

So how long do we persevere with seeds, before calling it quits..?

Any other tales about the Boab, or germination stories..?

[OPP]

I had some tomatoes that took over 3 weeks to come up.

[Psylo]

In my experience, datura seeds in soil have come up a year or more after planting. This was without soaking or nicking the coating.

[waterboy]

I have had wolfs bane come up a year after sowing, I had given em 6 months through natural stratification then given up and then suprise, surprise.

[Zaka]

Irie,
I've had caapi seeds 200+days......Psychotria seeds 6mths +
Baobab are really freaky plants to grow.....
They die back to a bare stalk sometimes for months, ya think they've died, then they sprout back to life!!
Respect,
Z

Edited by Zaka, 11 July 2012 - 03:38 AM.

[Snowfella]

Sowed a load of self harvested Melocactii seeds well over a year ago, lots germinated withing a fortnight but I'm still getting new green little blobs showing up now and then. Harvested another 30 or so seedpods from the same plant this fall that I have no clue what to do with,

[space cadet swami]

Irie, (is this in the correct forum?)

Boabs are classed as succulents ... so I figured this to be the most logical place...

[kadakuda]

only give up if you are out of space and its needed for new things. some seeds take years to germinate. have had tabernaemontana and pandaus happen over 3 years after planting )i had given up and the soil was being used for other plants but they came up in it). many species can lay dormant for longer.

if there is a known and somewhat reliable way of treating seeds for better luck, i would do it.

[planthelper]

ginko biloba seeds, can take a few years to germinate, and even need cold stratification.
here a pic of my adansonia digitata, which i purchased from bunnings, a while ago. sorry, for it's just a stick now, it lost it's last leaves at my place, halve way thru winter.
 Adansonia_digitata.JPG   1.11MB   7 downloads

[Evil Genius]

Most Baobab germinations i had occured within a very short time frame after i sown em. Like 2-3 months. Had some that i kept for longer but there wasnt really anything coming up. Some of the seeds that didnt come up looked moldy and some dont so i think it depends on how the seeds look. If the seeds look dead and rotten, they most likely are. If they look like the might still have some life in em i´d definately keep em for as long as it takes.

[Alice]

In my experience, datura seeds in soil have come up a year or more after planting. This was without soaking or nicking the coating.

Same here, as well as Leonurus (bastards!) and Argemone mexicana. Well over 12 months since removing the mothers and the little fuckers were still sprouting Won't make that mistake again lol.

[Nothink]

In my experience, datura seeds in soil have come up a year or more after planting. This was without soaking or nicking the coating.

Thats awesome to hear I had this sprout in my Corn patch and am hoping its datura stramonium var. tatula. I had planted seeds a few months ago but accidently emptied the pot somewhere but was unsure where
 DSCF2425.JPG   1.8MB   5 downloads

[whitewind]

Seeds are funny things, I usually give it a year but I have heard of some really cool plants taking two years or more to germinate, Psychotria often take months and normally need a bit of washing through (I tried it in containers with underwatering and they refused to germinate). Things like Datura can stick around for years, that's one of the reasons they are so weedy, many annuals are a bit like this; I guess about 50% usually germinate straight away, 40% 1 or 2 years later and then the odd one comes up a few years down the track. I reckon some of the harder nutty seeds will live for years before germinating, and a lot of natives will wait for years until the conditions are right - a bit of rain, or fire.

Kadakuda, interesting about the Tabernaemontana; I thought they were really short-lived. I've had terrible luck with them. Any hints on how to get these seeds up and running?