Mary Sue Do you think there were any obvious patterns in this: for example did home produced seed typically germinate quicker or more fully than commercial seed of unknown age, or did it all seem much of a "muchness". Did the commercial seed germinate more in the second year than fresh home seed? Best wishes James Ittner wrote: > I have had good germination from autumn sown seed of most species > of winter growing Romulea. There are some species that have proven > difficult to impossible but looking over my data base most seed sown > in September through early December came up in 4 to 6 weeks. It is > one genus that in my experience has often come up in the second year > if it doesn't come up in the first year. I just leave my pots out so > they dry off once it stops raining here usually in May in Northern > California. They stay dry until it starts raining again sometime in > the fall. I don't treat the seed of this genus in any special way to > assist in germination. > > Many South African irids are reported to need a fluctuation in night > and day temperatures to assist in germination. They get that where I > live for fall started seed since we often have warm sunny days in the > fall, but it cools down a lot at night. > > Mary Sue > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > -- Dr James Hitchmough Professor of Horticultural Ecology Department of Landscape University of Sheffield S10 2TN UK