Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

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otorongo
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Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by otorongo »

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.
leunerj

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by leunerj »

My p. caerulea seeds took over 2 months to germinate so hang in there!!
otorongo
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Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:12 pm
Location: sub-subtropical London

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by otorongo »

Thanks, I guess there is nothing I can do then... They're in the heated propagator now in grapefruit pulp and soil.
flounder

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by flounder »

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
otorongo
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Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:12 pm
Location: sub-subtropical London

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by otorongo »

Thanks, flounder. I know some never flower. If I sow a bunch now, any chance at least one will flower this year?
flounder

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by flounder »

maybe, but probably not for three years
otorongo
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Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:12 pm
Location: sub-subtropical London

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by otorongo »

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?
otorongo
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Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:12 pm
Location: sub-subtropical London

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by otorongo »

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:
Image
otorongo
Posts: 1434
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:12 pm
Location: sub-subtropical London

Re: Passiflora from seed (caerulea and mollissima)

Post by otorongo »

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.
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