I know passifloras can be slow to germinate, but I'm wondering if there are ways of speeding it up, beside rubbing the seeds with sandpaper and soaking them in citrus juice?
Would pouring boiling water over them help?
I've had no luck with caerulea seeds (in the ~4 weeks that I had allowed them) and I'm soaking 8 mollissimas now.
Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
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This section is for discussion on all methods of plant propagation
This section is for discussion on all methods of plant propagation
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
My p. caerulea seeds took over 2 months to germinate so hang in there!!
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
Thanks, I guess there is nothing I can do then... They're in the heated propagator now in grapefruit pulp and soil.
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
I tried the orange juice method a few years ago. They germinated at the same rate as a normal sowing 21-28 days.
They can be slightly erratic. I don't use bottom heat, they seem fine at 20-25c
A little trick I learned once they have come up, pot up three per pot. They seem to vary a lot from seed......some are lush, no flowers, others floriferous but leggy and just occasionally downright disappointing. By having 3 (or more) you narrow the odds on a bushy, full flowered display
They can be slightly erratic. I don't use bottom heat, they seem fine at 20-25c
A little trick I learned once they have come up, pot up three per pot. They seem to vary a lot from seed......some are lush, no flowers, others floriferous but leggy and just occasionally downright disappointing. By having 3 (or more) you narrow the odds on a bushy, full flowered display
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
Thanks, flounder. I know some never flower. If I sow a bunch now, any chance at least one will flower this year?
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
maybe, but probably not for three years
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
I planted 4 mollissima (off ebay) and 8 edulis (from fresh fruit) seeds in a perlite/vermiculite mix some time back.
Today I decided to clean up the propagator and get rid of all that ridiculous passiflora-from-seed business. I removed the 8 mouldy edulis seeds and proceeded to the mollissima... Boy was I surprised to find that 2 of the 4 seeds had germinated!
Now, the trick is to keep them alive (assuming they are still alive to begin with). I've only just watered them (after 2 weeks or so of water neglect), but as they're in perlite/vermiculite, they don't have any nutes. Could somebody advise please whether to pot them up in soil or feed them with a liquid feed for a while?
Today I decided to clean up the propagator and get rid of all that ridiculous passiflora-from-seed business. I removed the 8 mouldy edulis seeds and proceeded to the mollissima... Boy was I surprised to find that 2 of the 4 seeds had germinated!
Now, the trick is to keep them alive (assuming they are still alive to begin with). I've only just watered them (after 2 weeks or so of water neglect), but as they're in perlite/vermiculite, they don't have any nutes. Could somebody advise please whether to pot them up in soil or feed them with a liquid feed for a while?
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
I've fed them with a liquid feed and they seem to be responding well.
My first Passiflora from seed After 2 or 3 unsuccessful attempts germinating in seed compost, the perlite/vermiculite did the trick for me, with a germination rate of 50%.
Here is what P. mollissima looks like when mature:
My first Passiflora from seed After 2 or 3 unsuccessful attempts germinating in seed compost, the perlite/vermiculite did the trick for me, with a germination rate of 50%.
Here is what P. mollissima looks like when mature:
Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)
One of the edulis seeds has finally germinated It was after I had removed the seeds and put something else in the same seed trays... I must have overlooked one of the seeds. Initially I didn't even know what it was, but when I removed it to put it in another pot I noticed the passiflora seed husk at the base of the rootball.
So I have 2 mollissima and 1 edulis seedlings now And I'm germinating 4 ligularis.
So I have 2 mollissima and 1 edulis seedlings now And I'm germinating 4 ligularis.