the way i do my canna seeds

i hold the seed in a pair of needle nose pliers this is great for the small type of canna seeds i then run the seed back and forth across a file i can do ten small seeds in less then 5 mins . the biger canna seeds you can hold by hand . i soak my seeds for 72 hours i change the water 2 times a day use like warm water. i fill small foam coffee cups with vermiculite and plant a seed in each one. i have a better germnation rate useing the verm. i start my brugmansias in verm also . i got this about the Verm. from Alice Harris . my germnation rate is about 95 pecent sents i started doing it this way. when you do the canna seeds stop when you see some white on the seed from useing the file hope this may help . regards paul

Vermiculite, I'll try that!

I grab my seeds with multi-gauge wire cutters to make a dent then take my dremel tool and drill a hole in it until I see white. I then soak in hand hot water for 24 hours and plant in ProMix BX, a peat based potting mix, in a window box to the depth of the seeds. Once they are about an inch tall I'll plant into a larger pot where they stay until I see roots coming out the bottom then plant outside or in a much larger pot.

X

Paul, thanks for the tips on seeds! I will give them a try ~ ~ ~
Belinda

thanks for the tips. i will try some of the seeds that i have.

detrick

If your dealing with thousands of seeds place them in a tray with no holes and fill it half way with dirt then wet the dirt till moist and set a few hundred seeds on the soil. Place the humidity dome on top and place it in a extremely hot place full sun. Check them daily and remove and pot up as they sprout. Works the same in 2 liter bottles but not as easy to pull them out.

So Brian, when germinating large quantities, you do not manually scarify? Do you use anything, like an acid bath? Does the "extreme heat" with the high humidity just "overpower" the seed coat?

Arlan

No acid baths or any of that. If I want them to pop up faster I put them in the microwave for about 3 seconds. This heats up the inside of the seed and causes them to react faster but in most cases I can bairly keep up with what germinates on their own in the humidity domes. Once they reach about 90 to 100 in the dome they really start popping. I think watching them each day is a must. If they germinate and sit in the heat for a few days they may cook.. I believe the seed weakens as they stay moist and as the they feel the heat the plant forces its way out. If I am dealing with smaller amounts of seeds I use the nick method but when doing thousands this is the only way to do it. At the end of the year I usually have some left over but usually a few thousand sprout more than what I can handle planting usually. My method of breeding uses a lot of numbers to produce new odd hybrids. I have to produce around 2000 to 10,000 cannas a year to get what I am after it seems.

Brian, I've enjoyed reading about your aroid projects and your dark leaved cannas here or maybe it was on the Tropicals forum. I identify with your interest in developing plants that others may consider odd or out of the ordinary. I have just started gathering a few cannas to play with this year. Certainly not on the scale of your projects, but I want to be as efficient as possible with starting the seedlings. Interesting concept that higher heat is more effective than longer periods of moisture at lower temperatures....

I have primarily been involved with Japanese Morning Glories, with interests in the unusual mutations that affect plant growth habits, leaf shape, flower form, and leaf color and variegation.

Arlan

thanks for the advice .... I just filed mine and started soaking it yesterday afternoon... can't wait to see if it works
Allison

Hi - I have two seeds that I harvested last year. I understand that you need to both file (or drill) and soak. Which do you do first?
thx
jo

File the seed then soak for 24 hours

Mine are coming up now. Never did soak them. Just planted. So far it is working on most of them. some haven't come up yet.

Planted my two seeds today (filed them yesterday and have had them soaking).
Hope they germinate!
thanks for everyone's advice

Wow - 8 days exactly and both of my seeds have sprouted (about 1/2 inch).
Now, I guess I should remove the plastic bag "domes". Should I leave them under the lights or take them outside? They're in individual 3" pots.
thanks - this is really cool. My first cannas from seed!
jo