Lupine Germination

How do I go about starting lupine seeds?
Do I have to chill them?
Do I soak them in water, H2O2, bleach water?
Do I nick the seed coat?
I have read many ways to do it, but which way gets the best results?
I have never had any luck with them, but I would really like to try them again. Any help would be great!!!

Thanks!!!!

Drsaul,
I started Lupine seeds back on 3/06 with just nicking the seeds and putting them in peat seed starters (I'll never use peat pots again - suck the water right out of the soil) and they are doing well. Germination period was about 6 or 7 days. Once they sprouted I moved them to larger pots.
Next time I will nick the seeds, soak in mixture of 50/50 Peroxide/warm water for 2 hours under a lamp, then put in damp coffee filter inside a ziploc baggie. Then put the ziploc baggie in a dark warm place for 24 - 36 hours and they will germinate much faster. I used this method recently with moonflower seeds and had great success.
-Greg

I always just soak them in warm water for 24 hours. Works great. In my zone 7a, they really aren't perennial, so I just treat them like biennials. I start them in late summer in peat wafers and transplant them directly to their permanent residence. I hadn't even considered treating them like annuals and starting them in early spring. Does anyone know if you can do this? Would they bloom the same year?

I winter sowed mine, and they germinated fine. Tamara

Ok...I nicked the seeds and then soaked them in a solution of H2O2 and water overnight.
They all sprouted. I will pot them up today and see what happens.

Thanks for all the input!

Darin

drsaul,
I wake this thread up for some follow up result. How did your Lupines turn out? Did they bloom within a year, or are they bi-ennual?

Several years ago, I had lucks with sowing Lupines, but it was pure lucks, since I sowed them in a pot of cannas. It must have been in the spring when I did so, and it bloomed for the season. I'd like to have some Lupines this year again, or perhaps next. I love all pea-like flowers lest it be Wisteria or lupines or what's not. Thanks.

I planted fresh seed I had put in a plastic container with sharp gravel and shook for 15 minutes in late mid-August, about covered 1/4" and they germinated in the yard under shade in about 3-4 days, like hair on a dog! I moved them to a spot sunny in the AM when they had a couple leaves. About Thanksgiving, I covered with plastic and 6 inches of mulch. I am in zone 4/5. I expect them to bloom mid-to-late June this year. I have tried other methods (not winter sowing) and often got poor germination.

Olivia, thanks for responding. Your methods reveals that perhaps it's a biennial. Please wish me lucks, I purchased some seeds packages from local box stores. I'll try to scarify them a bit, and put them out this spring for an experiment and will see how they do. I've missed seeing those lovely blooms in my garden.

I don't think they are a true biennial-- limited to a 2 year life span. Other gardeners with whom I have discussed lupine do think it is a short lived perenial though.

Ok, so I'm thinking about taking half the seeds (or so) that I have and trying the "shaking with gravel" trick, then soaking them in warm water for 24 hours, and then sowing them with a sprinkling of soil (1/4 inch) where they are going to be.

Any thoughts on that? If I only do half, then I still have some if I mess it up! lol

I have grown a lupine(zone5-6) am right on the line on zone. They didn`t bloom for a couple of years and didn`t even see the plant. I thought I lost it entirely. then 2 years ago it came up and had alot of flowers. Well, last year it was so large and full of blooms just gorgeous. I took the seeds and cleaned them off and let them dry. I got hundreds of seeds. I now have them in a 72 cell planter and so far only 4 have come up. One finally has the look of a lupine with the spicky leaves!! so now I hope the rest make it too. they are a deep purple and beautiful . and today I see the mother plant is coming up again strongly -lots of shoots and leaves.

Two years ago I got great germination by soaking 24 hours in H2O2:water 1:10, then the Deno method (damp paper towel in a baggy) in the fridge. They sprouted in 3-4 weeks.

From my understanding they are short lived perennials, they bloom themselves out. Gertrude Jekyll said, 'To prolong the life of plants, each branch should be cut back 2/3 after flowering, as soon as seed pods begin to form.' I just came across this again, I hope I remember to do it this year!

I had two varieties this season. Instructions: freeze seed for 48 hrs, then soak for 24 hrs. A goodly number from both packages germinated. After soaking, I sowed in individual 3" pots as Lupines don't like root disturbance.
As Lupines bloom, one can get a second flush of blooms by removing the initial blooms as soon as the first florets appear to go to seed... at the bottom of the inflorescence. It is also a good idea to remove the bloom stem before the seeds scatter. Lupines are a common roadside wildflower on the island of Newfoundland.

I started lupines in southern Ohio one year. The seedlings grew fine until I transplanted them. Then they went down hill. I gave them the best soil, the best care, and shade and they died in no time. I was so discouraged! I heard that transplanting is usually their downfall.

Karin

When I sowed lupine, several years ago, I did not nick them, but I did wintersow them. I had many, if not all germinate. I suppose if I were to sow any now, I would follow Pam and put them in the fridge after either sowing or Deno, since it is too warm now to even consider starting them in the ground.

Karin ~ Was the weather warm or cool when you transplanted them? I think it makes a difference as I found that they can be handled while being careful in cool weather. If it is warm they would have to be put in pots and grown to a good size before setting them out. They do not tolerate drought.

Evelyn,
I think it was in May and warm. I remember transplanting them under a Norway spruce in a raised flower bed which was normally fairly dry there. I love the arrangement of their leaves and their physical size. Do you set the flower pots in the soil or the seedlings? I didn't try them again!

Karin

I transplanted them right into the soil. They like lots of water and a rich soil.

Lupine along with Asparagus, Cotoneaster, & Morning Glory (to name a few of the hard shelled seeds) need some method of softening the seed. That can be done by freezing, scarification, acid bath, H2O2 or a hot water soak. I prefer the hot water.
In this technique, which I use on a lot of seeds, you place the seeds in a cup and pour hot (170 to 200 degrees F) water over them, to a depth of about 5 times their diameter. Do NOT use boiling water, as that will kill the seed embryo. Allow the water to cool and let set over night. The seeds should be plump and on the bottom of the container. I use this method even on seeds that don’t absolutely need it these days, because it both speeds germination and raises the germination rate. Seeds that are still floating after 24 hours can be pulled out and retreated.

I just direct sowed lupine seeds four weeks ago. They're growing nicely.

I also planted a few indoors by soaking them in warm water for 24 hours, then planting them in plastic pots. I put the pots in a plastic bag in a south facing window. They germinated in 4 to 7 days.

This year I've improved on my method. I soaked in Hand Hot Water/peroxide, 10:1 for 24 hours, then Deno as before. But instead of putting the baggy in the fridge, I kept it in the freezer for 24 hours. Then the baggy went on the warm windowsill with all the others. I got great germination starting in as little as 2 or 3 days.

One more thing...

I got some seeds in a trade that seemed more resistant, maybe the seed coats were thicker, not sure. Anyway, a few days after the soak and freeze treatment, I had only one sprout, but many seeds looked like they were about to germinate. I could see a slight crack, and in many cases there was a tiny bit of white radical showing at the opening. But then there was no progress for several days.

So I became pro-active. On the 13th day, I started soaking them again, in HHW (Hand Hot Water). I did this for 2 days, changing the water morning and evening, then put them back in a Deno baggy. Now it's 4 days later, and I have 7 new Lupines. Five are already up, the other 3 sprouted, got planted in cells, and should show up in a day or so.

Total time so far for this batch: 19 days.

Using the Deno method, I have several lupines that have sprouted. Two are beginning to show their leaves.

Can I plant them directly into flower pots on a west facing porch? and how long should I wait before I plant them?

Temps have cooled down to the low 70's during the day and low to mid 50's at night. The current weather projection is the same for the next 10 days.

I was surprised to hear Lupines are short lived as I am now in the beginning of the 5th summer (zone 4a-b N.of Toronto) with quite a large plant that's been living in the same spot and has only ever had a dose of yearly compost added to amended, sandy soil....the last 3 summers its self seeds a new baby but it's definitely still the same mother. The lupines I did move we're not long lived and I found that babies can only be moved on cool overcast or rainy days and only when they're 4 inches or less...it gets about six hours of sun and have had success w plants growing In a half sun half shade plot as well....The flowers seem to last a bit longer in that plot....this year am trying to germinate seeds myself. They've been moist stratified and now will soak in super hot tap water overnight...wish me luck! Never had it before w these seeds lol. I'll repost with the results...

There are different types of Lupines. Generally the thing that kills them is the heat. Here I direct sow mine in the fall/winter. They bloom in the spring. If we have a cool, wet spring they last longer. Lupines is a general term.

Alta did you notice the date on the post you quoted?

No, I didn't. Only a year late... ;-)
Maybe it helps someone else, though (although I doubt anyone looks back through these threads). It is the thing you'd do with any seeds that have sprouted in something other than the medium they're intended to grow in, in any case.
As an easy, fast, safe, effective alternative to soaking (unnecessary if you are also scarifying)/freezing (not recommended - can kill the embryo!)/acid (scary)/waiting long periods for germination, scarifying works very well for all Fabaceae - germination usually occurs in a few days after the scarified seeds have been planted in a moist medium.

This message was edited May 29, 2015 10:49 PM

I just thought it was funny when you posted that they should be planted immediately lol.