| Hi, I can't praise Silverhill Seeds enough. I do not always get germination from everything, but consider that is not the fault of Silverhill. Seeds from wild plants are often cranky, there are some very complex dormancies built into drought adapted species, even if the drought is only seasonal. Likewise, some South African plants respond to fire and this further complicates dormancy. Of course, we're all familiar with the temperature requirements of some of the plants, some will only germinate in cool weather. Finally, you have to factor in the "great unknown," requirements and conditions that may not even be known. I did tetrazolium tests on some seeds of South African plants a few years ago. They seeds had not germianted, but the tetrazolium test indicated that most of the seeds were viable. I think of native hollies when I have trouble with South African plants. I recall a colleague who told me that that some holly seeds he had personally collected when fresh took 3 years to germinate, and then only some did. Cordially, |
Here is a link that might be useful: Article on Fire and Smoke and Seed Dormancy
