FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

The 2017 Northern Hemisphere growing season is coming soon. It's time to get this year's temperate species' seeds stratifying. Here are the species I will be stratifying and germinating in water filled test tubes.

Drosera brevifolia
Drosera capillaris “Boiling Springs Lake, NC”
Drosera filiformis “Florida Red Special” - White Flower - ICPS Seedbank
Drosera filiformis “Red, White Flower”
Drosera linearis
Drosera linearis “Lake Huron”
Drosera linearis “South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario”
Drosera rotundifolia “Oregon”
Drosera rotundifolia "Europe"

Pinguicula chilensis

Sarracenia leucophylla “HCW - Hurricane Creek AL" – ICPS Seedbank
Sarracenia rosea x ? (OP?)
Sarracenia 'Carolina Yellow Jacket' x Self? (OP?)


These guys, in their test tubes, are going into the refrigerator tomorrow. I'll be removing them from the fridge on April 30th. Last year, I gave them two months stratification. This year, I'm going with one month.

The filiformis seeds will be divided into 2 sets each, one set going into the fridge for cold stratification, the other one going into a 90 degree environment for hot stratification.

The Pinguicula chilensis seeds will be split into two groups also. After stratification, half will stay in their test tube to germinate. The other half will be sprinkled on normal media to germinate.

I believe that some of these species don't need stratification, but I believe it helps increase germination percentage. At any rate, it doesn't hurt.

I'll post follow ups, most likely.

Good growing,
Mike

I noticed you are stratifying the chilensis seeds. I would split then into four groups, so half are strat, the other is no strat. I have germinated chilensis in 2 weeks without any strat, just to keep in mind.

Benurmanii wrote:I noticed you are stratifying the chilensis seeds. I would split then into four groups, so half are strat, the other is no strat. I have germinated chilensis in 2 weeks without any strat, just to keep in mind.

Sounds like an experiment worth trying.

Good growing,
Mike

If you don't have enough seed for further groups, I still have some in my fridge that I can send you. I sowed a few seeds from it recently and they germinated in 2 weeks with 100% germination, so the seed seems to store well.

I think I have 10 seeds.

You stratify you Sarr seeds right in the test tube?

Hungry Plants wrote:You stratify you Sarr seeds right in the test tube?

Yes, I toss in the seeds and fill the tube halfway with distilled water. I refrigerate it for a month or so. Then I move it to a warm place and wait impatiently for germination, checking it every day. When I see the first seed pop open, I dump out the test tube onto a pot of regular media.

I'm growing some S. purpurea that I germinated this way last year.

Good growing,
Mike

Ill Have to give this a try next time I have some sarr seeds. I put mine in a bit of wet LFS and popped them in the fridge. Hope it works well.

I've been contemplating which stratification method to use and I think yours is what I'm going to try. Any special preparation for the test tubes?

Excited to see how this works! Are you sterlizing the test tubes via any method such as boiling water? I imagine you want to be as sterile as possible as if it was straight up tissue culture.

gamerlan wrote:Excited to see how this works! Are you sterlizing the test tubes via any method such as boiling water? I imagine you want to be as sterile as possible as if it was straight up tissue culture.

When I use glass test tubes, I sterilize them. Otherwise I buy brand new plastic test tubes for each attempt and only use them once.

Good growing,
Mike

gamerlan wrote:Excited to see how this works! Are you sterlizing the test tubes via any method such as boiling water? I imagine you want to be as sterile as possible as if it was straight up tissue culture.

I use the method you mentioned. I boil my test tubes before attempting water germinations.

Here is an update, if anyone is interested.

Last year, 2017, I had very poor germination on my Sarracenia seeds.
They were freshly harvested from a grower I know.

I only had one or two germinate after a one month stratification period.
They were stratified in water-filled test tubes in the refrigerator for one month.

The previous year, 2016, I stratified Sarracenia seeds for over two months.
The result was very poor germination, maybe 1 seed out out 25 germinated.

Today, I saw numerous new Sarracenia seedlings in my S. rosea pot and my S. Carolina Yellow Jacket pot, both from 2017 seed.
This suggests one of two things, to me.
Maybe one month stratification is totally inadequate for Sarrs.
Maybe water germination is not advisible for Sarracenia.

I will not be trying water germination for Sarracenia again.
I will stick with using it for Drosera.
It works well for Sundews.

Good growing,
Mike

Hmm... Interesting.

I’ve never had problems with sarrs if I stratify them in peat or LFS — I’m actually trying live sphagnum for the first time now. I’ve heard it works well.

I’m glad to hear that water works for sundews (because I used it for my rotundifolia).

These are interesting results regarding your Sarr water strat. That is how I attempted my first seeds back in Nov. 2017 and they have nearly all germinated outdoors since... Wonder if it's the genetics of the cross...