Hoodia Gordonii Germination.

[ratwick]

Hi all, I have had a go at germinating Hoodia Gordonii with no luck so far. I have searched around and cannot seem to find much info on germinating them.

The method i have tried so far was to place them just under the surface of a Cactus Soil/Course Sharp Sand Mix in a small pot sitting in a tray of water, which

i placed in front of the window. It has now been over a week and still no signs of germination . . I am a bit worried as the water it is sitting in does not seem

to soak its way to the top and thus keeps drying out. I seem to be spraying it constantly to keep it moist. Has anyone had any luck in getting this succulent to

grow. Would i have better luck placing the pot in a Zip-lock bag next time to prevent drying out. Any tips would be appreciated. Cheers.

[watertrade]

Hi all, I have had a go at germinating Hoodia Gordonii with no luck so far. I have searched around and cannot seem to find much info on germinating them.

The method i have tried so far was to place them just under the surface of a Cactus Soil/Course Sharp Sand Mix in a small pot sitting in a tray of water, which

i placed in front of the window. It has now been over a week and still no signs of germination . . I am a bit worried as the water it is sitting in does not seem

to soak its way to the top and thus keeps drying out. I seem to be spraying it constantly to keep it moist. Has anyone had any luck in getting this succulent to

grow. Would i have better luck placing the pot in a Zip-lock bag next time to prevent drying out. Any tips would be appreciated. Cheers.

Hi Ratwick,

I just got a supply of Hoodia Gordonii for my seed site so have had a chance to play with them recently - I think I have about 60% germ rate.

I would cover the container and water from the top to create a moist environment. they should still germinate. watch out for mold and bacteria though. I have had troubles with these in the past.

good luck

Edited September 23, 2009 by watertrade

[WoodDragon]

Ratwick.

I germinated my H. gordonii by soaking the seeds in water first. There are at least two reasons for doing this: many arid species have a mechanism where they don't germinate at the first hint of water (a good way of wasting seed if there is no decent rain), and they may also have germination inhibitors within the seeds, that need to be soaked away (again, to ensure that there is adequate water in the emvironment). As an aside, I often wonder if the two effects are actually different faces of one mechanism, but I haven't really tried to chase down any scholarly work that might demonstrate this.

Heat the water to about body temperature, put the seeds in, and let them float - briefly dunk them under to wet the upper side, if you can, but be gentle. If you like you can change the water for fresh tepid water after a few hours.

After 24 hours or so I planted them in moist (not wet!) coarse river sand in a Chinese food container, with the lid over the top but not sealing it - just leaving a bit of a gap. Every day I took the lid off for a few minutes to drop the humidity. Mould/fungus IS your enemy!

Germination took just over a week, and I got 80%.

I kept them at room temperature (20-22C), but I noticed that growth really kicked in at about 24-26C.

In hindsight the only thing that I would do differently is to sow into individual tubes - they did slow down for a bit when I transplanted them.

Edited September 23, 2009 by WoodDragon

[ratwick]

Ratwick.

I germinated my H. gordonii by soaking the seeds in water first. There are at least two reasons for doing this: many arid species have a mechanism where they don't germinate at the first hint of water (a good way of wasting seed if there is no decent rain), and they may also have germination inhibitors within the seeds, that need to be soaked away (again, to ensure that there is adequate water in the emvironment). As an aside, I often wonder if the two effects are actually different faces of one mechanism, but I haven't really tried to chase down any scholarly work that might demonstrate this.

Heat the water to about body temperature, put the seeds in, and let them float - briefly dunk them under to wet the upper side, if you can, but be gentle. If you like you can change the water for fresh tepid water after a few hours.

After 24 hours or so I planted them in moist (not wet!) coarse river sand in a Chinese food container, with the lid over the top but not sealing it - just leaving a bit of a gap. Every day I took the lid off for a few minutes to drop the humidity. Mould/fungus IS your enemy!

Germination took just over a week, and I got 80%.

I kept them at room temperature (20-22C), but I noticed that growth really kicked in at about 24-26C.

In hindsight the only thing that I would do differently is to sow into individual tubes - they did slow down for a bit when I transplanted them.

Thanks Guys . .

I just recieved some more seeds and the information given is great! . . I think ill give them another go but using the zip-lock bag method, i have had some great results with this method with cactus. I can also put them in individual pots

this way to avoid transplanting down the track. I think i may cut some holes in the sides to let them "breathe" a bit also. I have been reading around about this dreaded "damping off" issue that people keep experiencing and i have

also read that Camomile tea is a great natural preventative. Would you think watering them with Camomile tea may stop the Mold/Fungus problem?

Thanks again for the replys.

Ratwick.

[FNF72]

Hi!

I had a go at trying to grow then - got a very good germination rate of about 90% - but the trouble is keeping them going once they have raised to the surface....... After about three weeks they had all died off except one - and that died shorlty after.......

I read somehwere that people are either talented at germinating them or raising the seedlings..... I'd be interested to see how you progress - you might inspire me to give them another go if you get a good result!

Good luck!

FNF72

Thanks Guys . .

I just recieved some more seeds and the information given is great! . . I think ill give them another go but using the zip-lock bag method, i have had some great results with this method with cactus. I can also put them in individual pots

this way to avoid transplanting down the track. I think i may cut some holes in the sides to let them "breathe" a bit also. I have been reading around about this dreaded "damping off" issue that people keep experiencing and i have

also read that Camomile tea is a great natural preventative. Would you think watering them with Camomile tea may stop the Mold/Fungus problem?

Thanks again for the replys.

Ratwick.