FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I've been playing with water germination this year but I never did an apples to apples comparison. Here is the $64.00 question: Do seeds germinate better and quicker in a water filled test tube or in a pot of the appropriate media?

I started with some Drosera capensis "Bain's Kloof" seeds. I divided the packet more or less evenly into two piles. I poured one pile into a test tube, 12mm x 100mm, filled with distilled water. I checked the TDS reading of the distilled water and it was Zero PPM. I sprinkled the other pile onto the surface of a 3" Jiffy Peat Pot filled with a 2:1, Sand:Peat mixture. The pot will be covered with a clear plastic drinking glass to maintain high humidity.

Both are going into my grow tent where they will receive the same light and temperature. Who will germinate first? Who will germinate the most seeds? The race is on!

Good growing,
Mike

Awesome experiment! I did the same with some giant capensis on sphagnum vs in the tube. The sphagnum took 12 days and I'm still waiting on germination from the tube... can't wait to see your data.

erikHIplants wrote:Awesome experiment! I did the same with some giant capensis on sphagnum vs in the tube. The sphagnum took 12 days and I'm still waiting on germination from the tube... can't wait to see your data.

And I had the exact opposite results with the same seeds. Lol.

Smooter80 wrote:

erikHIplants wrote:Awesome experiment! I did the same with some giant capensis on sphagnum vs in the tube. The sphagnum took 12 days and I'm still waiting on germination from the tube... can't wait to see your data.

And I had the exact opposite results with the same seeds. Lol.

The age old "conditions".

I wonder how much light may have been a factor? I don't remember exactly how I had them originally set up or the photoperiod. I'm always moving seed stuff around. It could be that I had the ones in water under different lights.

Smooter80 wrote:I wonder how much light may have been a factor? I don't remember exactly how I had them originally set up or the photoperiod. I'm always moving seed stuff around. It could be that I had the ones in water under different lights.

Just regular t8s here at a 16 hour photoperiod. Maybe it's the magic water

Are these a giant plant or a small compact stem-forming plant? I've seen both labeled as "Baines Kloof" before. If it's the latter, put me on the list for some (plants or seeds) in the future.