Tropaeolum success
Rodger Whitlock (Sun, 15 May 2005 20:24:31 PDT)
On 15 May 05 at 8:35, Mary Sue Ittner wrote:
...Has anyone in our group figured out a successful way
to grow Tropaeolums from seed?
I have successfully grown T. polyphyllum from seed. For the
life of me, though, I can't tell what if anything the magic
touch was. IIRC they were subjected to my usual regimen for
hardy things: sown and the pot parked in a coldframe over
the winter.
It may be significant that the seed was fresh, off an
established plant in my garden; they were probably sown
not too long after they were ripe, but sowing may have been
delayed until winter.
These seedlings have been grown on in very large pots and I
will get flowers this year for the first time, so maybe
there will be yet more seed.
Does the time you start them matter? Clifton suggested
day length may have some effect on T. azureum. Does the
seed need to be soaked first? Obviously a bigger pot
would be helpful.
I have had reasonable success with *germination* of seed
from the exchanges in the past, but I didn't know how to
grow them on. I always soak my seed for up to two weeks
before sowing.
So: it can be done.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island