Newbie so be friendly

[epsilon]

(I hope I am in the right forum section??)

This must have been answered before so forgive me...

Taking care of ephedrine seeds?

Tips and growing advise is what I am after, so before I start spewing out Q/A’s, are there links to such advise or are there any peoples who know what the best way of growing such seeds are ???

Epsilon

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[shruman]

G'day & welcome.

U can use the search engine.

[philistine]

hey there,

I myself had the same question, especially since I planted some ephedra seeds and it took almost 6 weeks for them to germinate! However they did eventually. I think the main things to consider are using a well drained mix (even straight course sand) as the seeds/seedlings are prone to rot and heat/warmth. ie. if you are in a cold climate use indoor propagation teks such as heat mats etc. or just wait till summer.

Anyone feel free to correct me if Im wrong, I'm merely making observations on my own experiences and the small amount of literature that Ive read.

Anyway, here's a couple links on here for info, there are many more... just use the "search forum" function.

Good luck!

[topic=http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1640&hl=germinating+ephedra]http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1640&hl=germinating+ephedra[/topic]

[topic=http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1172&hl=ephedra+seeds]http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1172&hl=ephedra+seeds[/topic]

[Evil Genius]

Hi Epsilon,

you can find a few interesting topics about ephedra on the forum. Cool Stuff!

From my personal experience, Ephedras are very easy! I´ve always had a 90-100% Germination Rate. Just use fresh seeds and keep them a little bit moist. Heat Mats are not necessary! Most of them only need 5-7 Days and germinate without Problems. Grow them inside in their first year and plant them outside in the second when they are established. And don´t overwater them. They just need a little bit water from time to time.

[epsilon]

Hi Epsilon,

you can find a few interesting topics about ephedra on the forum. Cool Stuff!

From my personal experience, Ephedras are very easy! I´ve always had a 90-100% Germination Rate. Just use fresh seeds and keep them a little bit moist. Heat Mats are not necessary! Most of them only need 5-7 Days and germinate without Problems. Grow them inside in their first year and plant them outside in the second when they are established. And don´t overwater them. They just need a little bit water from time to time.

one seed per pot (normal size pot that is) or how many?

And its soil and sand??

And in doors i would never have thought that would be the case??

thanks i will try...

epsilon

[Evil Genius]

Hi Epsilon,

you can try to find way that suits you the best. If i remember right, there is also a growing guide on the shaman australis website. Im sure it´s better than mine. If your in doubt, use this one. I use some small quadrangular plastic forms. I take 10 seeds per form and put them in normal soil with a very low amount of nutrients and fertilizers. In Germany it´s called Aussaaterde and is the perfect soil for sowing out seedlings. You could also try coarse sharp sand to avoid fungal infections but as you don´t need a lot of humidity, this is actually unnecessary. Ephedra likes dry soil after germination. That´s good because you won´t have many Problems with fungal infections. I spray the soil with a little bit water and cover the form with plastic foil that´s normally designed to keep food fresh. The Gases can exhaust but the humidity ist kept inside. After 2-3 day i remove the plastic foil again. I just use it to give them a good headstart. If the foil is kept too long on top of the form, you´ll have more problems with fungal infections. Just keep the soil humid and after 7-10 Days you´ll have your sprouts. I´m sure some of them would survive if you´d already take them outside in their first year but at this young age i wouldn´t recommend it. Frost might kill them very fast.

I´ve just repotted some of mine. One of the Problems with growing in forms is that you have to seperate them afterwards. It´s almost impossible to do this without hurting the long roots. You´ll have to do some tests with ephedra. There are many ways to grow ephedra. Good luck with finding your personal way. bye Eg

Edit:

A Pic is better than a thousand words! This is Ephedra Fragilis but at that young age, they almost look identical.

Beware of the Maybug! He likes ephedra too

Edited April 29, 2007 by Evil Genius

[epsilon]

Hi Epsilon,

you can try to find way that suits you the best. If i remember right, there is also a growing guide on the shaman australis website. Im sure it´s better than mine. If your in doubt, use this one. I use some small quadrangular plastic forms. I take 10 seeds per form and put them in normal soil with a very low amount of nutrients and fertilizers. In Germany it´s called Aussaaterde and is the perfect soil for sowing out seedlings. You could also try coarse sharp sand to avoid fungal infections but as you don´t need a lot of humidity, this is actually unnecessary. Ephedra likes dry soil after germination. That´s good because you won´t have many Problems with fungal infections. I spray the soil with a little bit water and cover the form with plastic foil that´s normally designed to keep food fresh. The Gases can exhaust but the humidity ist kept inside. After 2-3 day i remove the plastic foil again. I just use it to give them a good headstart. If the foil is kept too long on top of the form, you´ll have more problems with fungal infections. Just keep the soil humid and after 7-10 Days you´ll have your sprouts. I´m sure some of them would survive if you´d already take them outside in their first year but at this young age i wouldn´t recommend it. Frost might kill them very fast.

I´ve just repotted some of mine. One of the Problems with growing in forms is that you have to seperate them afterwards. It´s almost impossible to do this without hurting the long roots. You´ll have to do some tests with ephedra. There are many ways to grow ephedra. Good luck with finding your personal way. bye Eg

Edit:

A Pic is better than a thousand words! This is Ephedra Fragilis but at that young age, they almost look identical.

Beware of the Maybug! He likes ephedra too

Thanks i will keep all the ideas you have given me in mind

if i find a may bug than he can have this