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| Having waited a full year, I now have 3 Schlumbergera seed pods that appear to be ripe, but how do I know for sure? It's been a full year since pollination, and the pods are not hard, but still rigid, and the same color as the flower. These are what a friend of mine would refer to as RSC (Retina-Searing Cerise), and the first time I have been successful at getting seedpods.
At least I have extra pods to experiment with. Any advise on planting seeds would be appreciated. Can they be allowed to dry out--can they be saved a few months in an envelope? What is the best medium for starting seeds? If you'd like a couple of seeds, let me know! --Rick |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Rick, This might be helpful http://www.schlumbergera.org/index.php?cid=81 |
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- Posted by keystonecrossroads Zone 5B (My Page) on Mon, Dec 5, 11 at 15:28
| If they have been on for a year, they are ripe. You can pull them off. It actually only takes six or seven months to get ripe Schlumbergera seed. I put a coffee filter into a small colander, squeeze the seeds onto the coffee filter and wash gently. I let them dry on the coffee filter, brush them into a small plastic packet, mark the pertinent information on the packet and refrigerate. Or plant them-- they germinate faster when they are fresh. I use seed starting mix with a little extra perlite and vermiculite added for drainage. |
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- Posted by aseedisapromise z4.5 SD (My Page) on Mon, Dec 5, 11 at 16:12
| I think your pods are ripe. I agree that it doesn't take a year for the seeds to be mature. Squeeze a pod and a bunch of black seeds will come out. I just squeeze them out onto a sterile soaked jiffy pellet, and they sprout just fine at 70 degrees F. Very fun, but it takes a while for them to bloom. It's neat to have your own crosses, and some of them are surprising. |
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| If my seeds havent shown any progress within two weeks what should i do |
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- Posted by rredbbeard SE CT USA/zone 6 (rredbbeard@yahoo.com) on Tue, Nov 27, 12 at 15:34
| Sterilize a small pot of seedling medium in the microwave, then surface sow the seeds and seal the container to keep moisture in and bugs like fungus gnats out. I'm not sure but I think they require indirect light to germinate. You should see some growth in a month or so, and they ARE very slow growing! I pollinated several large plants about two weeks ago expecting to get a few seedpods, and have about 30 pods set. Most likely the majority of them will self-abort, but that's a LOT of seeds--lol! If you (or anyone) need more seeds, these seedpods should be ready in early July. Keep us posted! --Rr |
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| What kind of care should i give the schlumbergera seeds while im waiting for them to sprout? |
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- Posted by rredbbeard SE CT USA/zone 6 (rredbbeard@yahoo.com) on Tue, Nov 27, 12 at 21:17
| Surface sow them on slightly damp seedling medium, in a sealed container--a pot with plastic wrap on top or other setup. Germination may take 4-6 weeks. --Rr |
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