I grow many Aloes from seed, from US, South African Sources and collected from my own plants. I usually sow the seeds in mid April, with high temperatures in the 80s and low temperatures in the 50s. The sowing mix I use is 3 parts plaster sand, 3 parts pumice, one part potting mix. I soak the mix, put the seeds on top, and cover lightly with gravel, ensuring some light gets through. I bag the pot and give it good light, but not direct sun. I open the bag shortly after germination starts, and remove the pot from the bag before any leaves start to touch the plastic. Germination is usually 10 days to a bit over two weeks. Tom ----- Original Message ---- From: J.E. Shields <jshields104@comcast.net> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2008 9:53:27 AM Subject: [pbs] OT: Aloe Seeds I have had very poor luck germinating seeds of Aloes. Can anyone give me directions on how to handle seeds from Aloe species of South Africa? I have obtained seeds from two different sources in South Africa and one in Brazil (but South African species). Over too many years to remember, I have had one success: two seedlings of Aloe ecklonis (seed from Brazil). I need advice! Jim Shields in warm, humid central Indiana (USA) ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/