Bird of Paradise Seeds

I purchased Bird of paradise seeds and was instructed to place in warm water for 3-4 days. I have followed the instructions but the seeds don't look any different and are still very hard, I can't tell any difference. Has anyone had any luck with planting these seeds? Thanks :0)

I hate when this happens...

This message was edited Sep 24, 2006 2:50 PM

yes, I was- I didn't follow directions on the soaking though! I wouldn't worry if the shell still seems hard... my Birds germinated within 3 or 4 months w/out the soaking. I don't think soaking Birds is the same as soaking some other seeds- I know some seeds germinate/ start sprouting while in the water, but I'm certain that that's not the case with these seeds.
I'd say they're ready to sow! My plant is about 6 inches tall, and it's from a seed I started germinating around March. I actually had 3 of 6 seeds germinate, but some creature ate the young seedlings of the other 2, so I would be careful about that.
Good luck!

~Gina

Thanks Gina. I am glad you told me about the 3-4 months germ. I wonder what the soaking was supposed to do? I was thinking about knicking the shell, but if yours sprouted without that, I will start them today. Thanks again.

You're very welcome!
Hope it works out even better for you. :)

Any future questions, and I'll try to answer them, too.
Since you're in FL, I thought I'd also note that although it wasn't wise of me, I went ahead
and planted my Bird in a pot of mainly gray sandy native soil... it doesn't drain the best in my pot, so I should probably add some perlite or other additive to help drainage... but it still thrived through the weeks of rain we got here!

~Gina

I have never owned a bird before and it is one of my "wish list" plants. I was going to pot it, after it was large enough in potting soil. Should I use sand mixed in with it? Thanks for your help ;0)
Sheila

I think sand couldn't hurt, and would help save money on potting soil... I'm keeping mine potted as long as possible, because I hear that they will bloom quicker when pot-bound. Then eventually I'll plant mine in our mainly sandy soil, which most people have done and it seems to work out well :)

Thanks Gina, any advice you give me is GREATLY appreciated! :0)
Sheila

I tried from seeds last year and all the seeds germinated with out any problem but these seeds two to three month time for germination so forget after sowing but watering daily is necessary.
Kaleem

Thanks Kaleem. I planted 2 seeds on 9/24, so all I can do now is keep my fingers crossed. BTW I check my crinum lily everyday to see if the seeds are ready. The blooms only lasted about 2 days and them died back. I'm not sure if anything was pollinated. My only hope is with the last cluster of blooms. Those pods are still green, but are quite large. I haven't forgotten and will let you know as soon as something happens.
Sheila

see this thread:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/653829/

Thanks dmj. Are you saying that I should have used almost boiling water? The warm water I used didn't seem to make any difference, they were still hard as rocks when I finished after 4 days of soaking. Maybe I should have tried the very hot water, but I was afraid of "cooking" them.

Yes--but they don't need to soak but just 30 min--they will germinate within 2 weeks if they are viable

Thank you so much, I appreciate all of the help I can get!!! I didn't plant all of my seeds,I think I have 6 seeds left, so I will try soaking some additional seeds in hotter water. Thanks again!

Try your all seeds and if no one will germinate................. I will send you because I have .
Kaleem

Thank you all so much for you help and generosity! Keep you fingers crossed for me :0)
Sheila

Wait a minute- are we talking Bird of Paradise 1 or 2?
1) http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/619/index.html Strelitzia reginae
2) http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2247/index.html Caesalpinia pulcherrima

For #2, I generally refer to by their color: "pink/red/yellow bird of paradise"

The thread in the link above is talking about germination methods used for #2, whereas I thought the question here was about the seeds from a Strelitzia (#1)...

My pink & red BOP seeds acted way different than my Strelitzia BOP seeds, with the Strelitzia seeds actually taking a few months to germinate (I read that they take a few months even with soaking). My pink & red BOP seeds took about a week, without having soaked them.

I was already sick and now I'm confused, lol
To keep things easier and since Strelitzias don't have 1/6th as many nicknames as the other one, I try only to refer to Strelitzias as Birds of Paradise, and the other things as either Dwarf Poinciana or Pride of Barbados. Someone tried to tell me that a Heliconia I bought was also referred to as Bird of Paradise, but I won't even go there!

ps. I actually think that the Dwarf Poinciana/Pride of Barbados/#2 should really have been called something like "Fireworks Tree/Shrub"... the blooms look just like fireworks that are exploding!

This message was edited Oct 9, 2006 7:38 PM

Hi Gina, I am talking about #1 strelitzia. Thank you, I was getting very confused, which isn't hard to do...lol. Ok, so they DO take a few months to germinate. I am glad that you had luck with yours growing. I have been biting my nails over these seeds. This is one of my favorite plants and I am sooooo hoping that they grow. I can only hope I did them correctly. The soaking that I gave them did not seem to make any difference with the seeds. They were still hard as rocks with no signs of any change. Thanks for helping to clear things up for me.

You're welcome :)
It's hard for me to be patient with my seeds, too!

Some seeds that I've soaked were still hard afterwards, which I think is normal in the case of some seeds like these... if they were soft, I think that would mean that they were bad.

Yes, patience is not one of my virtues! I get so excited when I see that first little green sprout popping out of the soil. What a great addiction we have. :0)
Thanks again for all of your help. Hope to meet you sometime at one of the Round Ups!
Sheila (BTW we are having a RU in Pinellas Co. in 2 weeks)

Gina, Could I have some of your pink and red Flamboyan seed? Trade or postage? I have
candle trees and Triple yellow Datura. I am getting seeds on my sweet autumn vine. Fran

Sheila,
Thanks for the tip on the RoundUp- I've been meaning to look into those, and hopefully go to one sometime! Where is the RU thread? Is it in the FL gardening forum?

Fran,
I was given the Red BOP seeds in a trade, so I only have 12 left- but they're very good seeds, and recent (within the past month). Both seeds I planted have turned into healthy seedlings and are already several inches tall each. So I can definitely send you those last 12 seeds for SASE if you'd like, or if you want more I'll look up & give you the name of the person I got mine from (she had alot of seeds to share).

I have two Pink BOP plants growing, but they're too young to bloom yet- I'm expecting them to definitely bloom by this spring, if not sooner- since I really don't have to worry about winter ;)
I had bought my Pink BOP seeds online at TopTropicals, but I'll be happy to share when it starts blooming if you don't mind waiting?

Just let me know :)
~Gina

Gina, RU's are listed under "Garden Talk" Under Dave's Garden Community" Ours is the West Central Pinellas on 10/21. Hope to see you there. Fran, are you going?

I was talking about link #2

I got a better way to germinate seeds which is almost 100% if anyone wants to know Dmail me:)
IT is a easy free way I use it all the time on hard seeds!
Tricia

Gardengirl,
Why not just post it for all to see :o)

Connie