Restio germination taking place.

It looks like I have one restio germinating, but the rootlet is pretty tiny. I had to look at it with a loupe to really identify it. I am off for five days, guess it will have to wait till I get back. It is doesn't appear to be fast growing like some of the others on the filter paper so it should be all right. Some of the daturas get very big very quickly, become worthless.

Restios have been right there with the proteacae as far as slow germination. No fungi, but no germination. I have been using constant heat for them, but hot and cold for the proteacae, I wonder if the restios would benefit from a similar treatment.

Only one restio seed has germinated out of the 30 or so species I have on filter paper. Either they are really slow or I am doing something wrong. I had some fungus, but not very much and it is mostly gone now. Seeds look good, so I will keep checking every couple of days. Finally got the first proteacae to germinate, so can the restios be far behind?

It seems like it is more a matter of waiting than anything else. The restios have not had the fungi problems that many of the other ZA/Aussies have had, they are just slow in germinating. I started moving them in and out of the fridge and that seems to have helped. But it is very sproratic. Just a few germinating here and there. Seed looks good, not mushy, no fungi patterns around it, but it just sits there. It has been over two months. Oh, well just hafta wait I guess.

More are germinating now. Just slow, I guess. They are very distinctive in the way they germinate. There is a little bend at the end of the sprout and the seed coat is there. It looks like I am going to get quite a few to grow up. Certainly more than are generally available in the nursery trade. They are definitely on my list to repeat in the fall.

Hey Chuck! I sort of lost track of the post in grasses and I just found this one. Did fluctuating the temps end up helping?

I think so. I moved all of them over to the fluctuating temp. The ones that I had started several months ago are germinating now along with the ones that I had started just a few weeks ago. This is a good sign that the fluctuating temperatures are necessary. But some seed may be more ready to germinate or better or riper. I do not think I have found the key to germinating them. It is still taking quite a while. I am going to be gone for three weeks in August. I will check them just before I leave and then when I get back. Hopefully they will germinate during this period. I am not at all sure when I should give up on this bunch and start over with the seed I have left or new seed.

There are other variables that could have come into play. I think it is going to be a repeated series of trial and error experiments that may be inconclusive. Native Sons, which is just down the road from me has been working on them to add to their offerings. But so far I have only seen a few in the trade. I am not sure how much the difficulty of germination is playing a role. Could be a lot of other factors. I am not an experienced germinator, having really just taken this up in February, so it could easily be something I am not doing correctly.

I find the restios fascinating and am looking forward to trying to grow them up from seedlings. It seems to me that they should fit very well in a Mediterranean climate, though some seem to require a lot more moisture and better soil than others. I suspect that some will do very well and others just will not survive here. That has been the case with the banksias. It is a long term project, so it will be a while before I really know what to do to get it right.