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morrigan

S. recognita success rates?

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Hey folks,

 

I've been trying to get some Salvia recognita seedlings going for a while with no success. I've managed to get my germination rate to about 20% with scarification, soaking and a warm box. However no matter what I do/ what time of year, I can't get the seedlings to survive more than a few weeks. They just shrivel up and die. Has anyone had any success and what conditions did you keep them under. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

Edited by morrigan

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Hi,

 

I´ve also had low germination rates with Salvia recognita, even with GA3 or cold stratification, but I never really tried to grow it from seed, since I got established plants from Senteurs du Quercy, a french website: Salvia recognita - sauge - plante aromatique, vente en ligne (senteursduquercy.com)

If it´s not ok, to post the link to the sellers website, I will certainly edit it.

Salvia recognita plants seem to like well draining soil and they seem it to like not too moist all the time and can do in full sunlight.

I potted mine in a mix of one third coco coir, one third ordinary garden soil and one third Fibotherm (=broken clay pebbles).

But I guess any other well draining mix would do as well.

Unfortunately I cannot send you any plants, since mine died because of neglection :wacko:

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I think humidity is their enemy, especially early on. Seeds I bought from the UK came with (generic) instructions to remove from greenhouse at first sign of germination. I didn't -- and within a day or two of sprouting my first seedling had simply vanished. I had a couple that succumbed to damping off a few weeks later. Eventually I got 3 plants out of 20 or more seeds. Going easy on the watering is probably key -- personally I wouldn't recommend coco coir or anything that holds water. They grow natively at the base of cliffs, which implies a lot of stony rubble. They thrive in arid environments, tolerating a bit more water in summer. It seems to me that the production of offsets (plantlets) is the plant's primary reproductive strategy (and they're one of the easiest plants to clone). Many seedpods contain under-sized seeds, and even if of a decent size, germination rates are notoriously low. 10-20% sounds about right, in my experience. Someone suggested to cold-stratify the seeds, but I've not bothered with any special treatments. Full sunlight is okay, except harsh summer sun can cause them to wilt. 

 

S. recognita is listed among "difficult to propagate" salvias by the Victorian Salvia Study Group. 

 

Some info I found in an eBook: 

 

“TYPE, HABIT, AND SIZE A hardy perennial with a woody basal leaf clump 12 inches (30 cm) tall and 18 inches (45 cm) wide and with flowering stems 24–30 inches (60–75 cm) tall.
HARDINESS Zone 6
ORIGIN Turkey
CULTIVATION Grows best in arid climates. Prefers very well drained, lean soil and occasional water in summer.
LANDSCAPE USE A perennial for the xeric landscape.”
 
Excerpt From: John Whittlesey. “The Plant Lover's Guide to Salvias.” Apple Books. 

Edited by fyzygy

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