Spiral Aloe seeds

I purchase some Spiral Aloe seeds and put 5 in a glass of water to germinate, and 5 in wet vermiculite. 1 of the seeds in the water has started to sprout and I was wanting to know how long do I keep the seedling in the water before transplanting it? That is the only seed that has sprouted of the 10. I keep the glass in about 3 in. of water in a cool place and keep the vermiculite in a plant saucer always damp also in a cool place.. Does anyone know how long I should wait to transplant from the water!
Grace

I've never heard of germinating succulent seeds in water. They are succulents - plants that like to live relatively dry lives. I have germinated them on damp paper towels.

But as you got one to germinate that way, I would think you would want to get it out of the water as soon as possible before it remembers its a succulent.

I have had good success sowing aloe seeds directly on top of soil. You should probably move the germinated seed there soon. Saturate the soil with water first and keep the top moist.

Be aware that the spiral aloe is very unusual for an aloe... It does not like the soil to go completely dry. This is especially important for very young plants.

I did plant it in a little pot. Here is a picture. Thank you all for helping me.

Looking good. Baby aloes are really cute. Here are a few that germinated here last week (lid went off yesterday).

Those are really cute. What aloe are they? This is the first year I have tried starting seeds. I also have 22 Desert Rose starting. It has been a lot of fun. They are so cute. LOL. I've got 9 more Aloe seeds to sprout, I hope they make it.

Good luck! Only one way to find out. :)

The mother of those seedlings is Aloe lutescens. Pretty big seed, so relatively fast to get up to speed.

Not all seed germinates reliably under even the best of conditions. I've found it to be a little hit or miss. The spiral aloe has the additional problem that it's rare and so plants in cultivation tend to be a little inbred. The couple times I tried crossing siblings (=closely related plants) the seed was not as efficient at germination compared to outbred parents.

When I first started growing these plants from seed, I was surprised by how wet they like it. I had to learn the hard way a few times before I gave them the water they needed (which ends up being about every 3-4 days here indoors by a sunny window).

I had read everything about starting the seeds. They like cooler weather and like it always a little more than just damp. I put 5 in the glass of water and actually sometimes I think I kept it to cold but must have been okay. The 5 I put in vermiculite I've also kept in almost cold wet conditions, although there are no sprouts, if by some chance it or they survive, I have a north facing area by a fence that is always on the wet side and stays pretty cool. It would be awesome for one to survive. They are so unusual.

Sounds like a plan. The real test will probably come this winter when the light levels go down... this particular aloe likes strong light, so find it a nice bright spot (like indoors by a south facing windowsill) to get through this difficult period.

Typically I start my seeds by a north-facing window (bright indirect light) and then move them to the other side of the house (daily sun) once the lid is off and they are going.

Good information. That is what I will do. I have a great southern sunny window for the window. Do you have any pictures of yours?

Is this what you mean? First shot shows older seedlings by a big window, second shot younger ones by a smaller (and dirtier) window which gets less light. Both windows face a little west of south, so they get the afternoon sun. There's only one aloe in there at the moment.

Just about all my seedlings go through these two locations on their way out into the big world. When they leave that black nursery flat and go outside, I typically put them in a north facing location (mostly shade/a little morning sun), so they can adjust gradually to outdoor sun. It's all a series of little baby steps, basically.

Aww..Makes me want to start a bunch of seeds. They look so good and healthy. As of today, no more sprouts, the one in the pot is still doing good. We are having a few colder evenings and it is on an enclosed glass porch, I hope the little guy will survive until it can stay in the 50's, it has gotten in the low 40's for the last couple of days. The rest of the month is showing a lot of rain & storms with normal highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's not a whole lot of sun. Have a great Memorial Weekend and God bless all those that serve.
Grace