>It is so easy to have 'accidents' with seedlings I offer my condolences! I am not sure how removing the aril exposes the embryo.... I think you’re right; pure sand is not the way to go, with seedlings. I studied the pictures on the SRGC forum before proceeding, but I decided against cutting the seeds, because there weren't enough bandages in the house. If you take a dental pick and gently pull off the aril, the embryo is usually exposed. Sometimes it takes a little more effort, but that's usually sufficient. Maybe the older the seed is, the less responsive it is to my demand of immediate gratification. (I exaggerate. Since I really have nothing else to do, I find that telling people I'm quite busy with onco seed germination is a good way to get out of social events.) I grow all the oncos outdoors in raised beds of sand and gravel. I even water them in the summer, if I feel like it. Iris iberica and its ilk are summer dormant (no leaves), but Iris paradoxa is practically evergreen. A friend said that when he examined the soil in which paradoxa was growing, in eastern Turkey, it was similar to highly compressed peat. Through the miracle of modern technology, I posted a photo of paradoxa, taken just a few minutes ago. (The white stuff is snow. The cage is to protect the leaves from being eaten by rabbits.) http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/paridevita/… Bob Nold Denver, Colorado _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/
