Hibiscus seeds

cherishlife Pocola, OK(Zone 7a) Aug 16, 2004

Hmmm! I just read on the virtualseeds.com that Hibiscus seeds take 30-60 days to germinate. I have 10 of them in a baggie to check germination rate. Within 24 hours of putting them in there, I got one to germinate and the rest are still not germinated after 5 days. Guess I have a while to wait and see how the rest do.

Post #1005043

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NCplantsman Raleigh, NC(Zone 8b) Aug 19, 2004

Hi cherish,

Glad you ask that question. I grow hardy Hibiscus and currently collecting seeds from my many crosses this season. The germination time depends on whether you are sowing hardy or tropical Hibiscus. In nature native species produce seeds in the summer and the seedpods mature in late summer/early fall. Once the pods split open the seeds fall to the ground where they remain until next spring. Most species need a period of cold to break the dormancy and sprout.

You can duplicate this treatment( called stratification) by placing the seeds in an envelope or plastic bag and storing the seeds in a refrigerator or freezer. This will break the inhibitors that prevent the seeds from sprouting and give you more uniform germination vs sporadic results over many days or weeks.
I planted some seeds yesterday that I had chilled in the freezer for 32 days. I will let you know about the germination when they come up.

Ray