Ipomoea pandurata, again
Dennis Kramb (Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:01:45 PST)

In the last couple of years I've tried growing Ipomoea pandurata from
seed, unsuccessfully.

Yesterday I tried a new technique... something I've successfully done
with lotus seeds (Nelumbo lutea). I rubbed the Ipomoea seeds against
sandpaper to remove a portion of the outer coating, then I placed the
seeds in warm water. Almost 24 hours later all 9 seeds are swelling
up nicely and "fractures" are forming across the whole seed
coat. Later today I'll plant them in some small pots and expect to
get germination almost immediately.

In the past those pesky beetle (Nicrophorus?) larvae would eat the
seeds from within before they could germinate. I think this new
technique will thwart them.

Dennis in Frozen Ohio