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susan51_gw

Seeds

susan51
17 years ago

Hello All,

Could you tell me if I should have my seeds for passion vine outside to star seeding or in the house??? It was cold lastnight and is suppose to be tonight.. then we go back I believe into the High 50 to 60... Thank you for any help

Susan,Va.

Comments (2)

  • greengal74
    17 years ago

    I'm not an expert, but I do grow several varieties. Most Passiflora are tropical. There are a few varieties that I know of that might survive outdoors in zone 7, like incarnata and, I believe lutea, but I personally would not plan to leave any others I could think of outdoors over winter and still expect to see them next year. Passiflora are notoriously stubborn to germinate once the seeds have been allowed to dry/go dormant. If I were you, I would soak the seeds in warm water for a few hours, then place them in a moist/damp papertowel, place that inside a ziplock bag, press the air out, and exhale some humid CO2 into the bag (you can use a straw if you'd like), and keep warm (70-85F). Check and rinse every few days. If you start to see any signs of mold, I suggest a quick (5 second) dip in 3% hydrogen peroxide, rinse (strainer in safest so as not to lose them), and place into new moistened papertowel in new or rinse ziplock. Repeat until they germinate, then promptly plant. Be patient, Passiflora can take anywhere from weeks to a year or more to germinate, depending on how fresh the seeds are. They're always best to get straight from the fruit when possible and not allow to dry. More than likely you should plan to over-winter any Passie plants inside (don't over-water in winter.) Hope this helps. ~Denise

  • Krstofer
    17 years ago

    I get one of those 48 or 96 cell 'seedling trays'. Sometimes they call 'em seedling green-houses, whatever.. The flourist shop folks will know what you're talkin' about. I also pick up a heat mat- the size that'll fit in the bottom of the tray.

    I also get some ice-cube trays & a small bottle of OJ. Each variety gets it's own slot in the cube tray & they get soaked in the oj for 3 or 4 days. Suck out the oj- it'll be kinda nasty, but that's the point- it's s'posed to degrade the shell of the seed & leach out whatever germination inhibitors may be in there. (I use a little syringe, but those aren't so easy to get ahold of anymore. Look in the "farm type" animal supply stores.)

    I plant 3 or 4 seeds per cell as the germination rate may not be that great.. plug in the heat mat & wait.
    That clear cover that came with the 'greenhouse' package? I don't bother with it.. I've found most of the seeds germinate juuuuuust before the mix dries out all the way.

    So it's kind of a tight-rope, too wet & they don't germinate but too dry & they kick off.

    Where do I put the whole package? In the house somewhere- summer or winter. That way I see it every day if nothing else. It's also warmer in here at least this time of year & I suspect they need that "oh look it's spring" type heat to germinate. I even have the heat mat on a timer so it's off at night & they get the warm / cool cycle they'd see in the wild.

    Planted a bunch a week ago- I've 5 seedlings already.

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