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rinomanfroni

Good method to germinate Trollius seeds in Texas?

rinomanfroni
15 years ago

I know it takes stratification and that after a cold period they must be left in a place at 50-60F until germination. How do you get to have that temperature during Texas summer without having to run the A/C to freezing myself?

Comments (3)

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    15 years ago

    I can't achieve that kind of temperature indoors either - my basement will come close but even it has one heat pump vent and the temperature downstairs is only in the 50ish range a few brief weeks if that.

    With no climate controlled glasshouse, I've learned to time the sowing of those types seeds so that I can give them the cooler temps outdoors and rarely have failures.

    Druse (Making More Plants): Trollius - fresh seed, outdoors in late summer, or with dry seed, moist cold 30 days, followed by 50F - germination in 30-365 days. Clearly, fresh seed is best. To obtain that you almost need to have your own plant, or a friend with trollius plants, you can't receive seed fresh enough buying commercially.

  • rinomanfroni
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Here is what I did last week:
    I soaked the seeds in a 300ppm (parts per million) diluted Gibberellic acid (GA3) solution. This is a plant hormone you can buy everywhere on the internet that stimulates germination in "impossible" seeds (It costed me only 4 dollars shipment included!).

    1) I purchased the GA3 powder because when dissolved it is active for only a few days.

    2) Then I had to calculate how much powder and how much water I needed to dissolve the GA3. The seller already gave the clue of 0.08grams of powder in one of their scoops. I just had to see the table they had online for a 300ppm solution, and it resulted I needed 0.069 gallons of water. In order to find how many cups, I had to perform the conversion from gallons to cups:

    0.069gal x (16cups/1gal) = 1.104 cups

    So it took 1.104 cups of water for 0.08 grams of GA3.

    2) I first had to dissolve the GA3 in a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol because it does not readily dissolve in water. I had to let it stand for 12 hours.

    3) Then I poured the solution in a little more than 1 cup of water.

    4) At last, I soaked the seeds in the solution for 24 hours.

    Now they are in the tray and they are supposed to germinate in 1 month instead of 2 years! I hope this is true!

  • bruceNH
    14 years ago

    Trollius in Texas....do Trollius grow in Texas? Though many might question why a Trollious germination question in a Helleborus forum, Helleborus and Trollius are both in the Raunculacaceae family.

    What species Trollius or are they hybrids? no matter...Most Trollius like it very cool and moist. They hate the heat and warm humidity. Trollius chinensis usually known as 'Golden Queen' probably is the best bet for warmer climates. Most Trollius are a zone USDA zone 4 or 5. It would be interesting to hear from gardeners in warmer zones on their success with Trollius.

    In any case....germination. I collect seed and dry the seed for a day or two in a paper bag in a cool dry place. The seed is then cleaned and placed in plastic that is placed in the refrigerator until mid September. In mid September I prepare a seed bed and the Trollius are sown, covered lightly, firmed lightly and covered with a thin layer of sand. The seed bed is watered and remay fabric layered over and secured. The seed bed is not allowed to dry out. The Trollius emerge in the spring a few weeks after the hellebores have germinated. If I manage to keep the seedling Trollius moist and cool they will be ready to transplant the following spring. They usually flower in two years from seed.

    Interesting points;
    -Seeds can be stored refrigerated in plastic, for years.
    -I would not recommend drying seeds too long, harvest, dry a bit and store.
    -Trollius like a warm moist period, followed by a cool moist period, followed by a cold moist period, followed by a cool moist period, followed by a warm moist period.
    -This germination criteria is very difficult to duplicate unless the seed is sown outside in a cooler climate.
    -Jelitto seed.

    well....probaly tooo much information,
    Bruce

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