Trillium Seed

[Philip R]

Hello,
I am a new member of the SRGC.
I've grown trilliums from seed before but only from fresh seed as I was told trillium seeds viability isn't very good if stored too dry.
Is it worth ordering seed from the seed exchange, has anyone had good results from slightly older seed???
Kind regards
Phil
(From sunny devon)

[Leena]

I have grown many of my Trilliums from seed ex seeds, and though not all have germinated, I have gotten enough plants to maturity,
and so now can get more and fresh seeds from my own plants.
So I would say, soak the dry seeds overnight before sowing them, and maybe half of them will germinate.

With Hepatica, Galanthus and Leucojum dry seeds I haven't had success at all, but Trilliums were ok.

[arisaema]

soak the dry seeds overnight before sowing them, and maybe half of them will germinate.

Do you put the pots straight outside, or slightly more protected from frost after sowing? I've had luck with dry seeds of the W US species in the past, Trillium kurabayashii and T. chloropetalum var. giganteum seem to tolerate being stored dry better than those from the East.

[Philip R]

I have grown many of my Trilliums from seed ex seeds, and though not all have germinated, I have gotten enough plants to maturity,
and so now can get more and fresh seeds from my own plants.
So I would say, soak the dry seeds overnight before sowing them, and maybe half of them will germinate.

With Hepatica, Galanthus and Leucojum dry seeds I haven't had success at all, but Trilliums were ok.

Great thank you for that. I had assumed they were the same a hepatica and never requested them from other exchanges.

[Leena]

Do you put the pots straight outside, or slightly more protected from frost after sowing? I've had luck with dry seeds of the W US species in the past, Trillium kurabayashii and T. chloropetalum var. giganteum seem to tolerate being stored dry better than those from the East.

You are right, kurabayashii and chloropetalum germinate best. I have different kinds of kurabayashii, chloropetalum, albidum, luteum, erectum, maculatum, ovatum (though these died one winter, but they germinated from dry seeds) and rivale from dry seed ex seeds in winter, sown between 2013-2018.

After I receive the seeds in February I soak the seeds, and put in ziplog bags in moist vermiculite (because they take less room than pots) and keep at room temperature until next autumn. In my climate I couldn't take them outside in the middle of winter. In warmer climate it can be different. By next autumn most have made a small root and then I pot them and keep in my root cellar the next winter, and most will germinate the following spring. Some don't, and I keep pots at least three years (outside during summers and buried in the ground or in root cellar for winters), and some germinate later.
I had taken this picture a year ago October (2022) of Trillium seeds with little roots forming, and they were put in moist vermiculite in February 2022 and kept in room temperature (in my house
 +17-20C). I potted them after taking the picture.

[MarcR]

I have grown many of my Trilliums from seed ex seeds, and though not all have germinated, I have gotten enough plants to maturity,
and so now can get more and fresh seeds from my own plants.
So I would say, soak the dry seeds overnight before sowing them, and maybe half of them will germinate.

With Hepatica, Galanthus and Leucojum dry seeds I haven't had success at all, but Trilliums were ok.

Leena you are on the right track. 
After soaking in water,soak overnight in GA at 500 ppm.
Hepatica, Galanthus, Leucojum, and Trillium are best stored moist packed &/or refrigerated
If they dry out GA can help break dormancy.
Refrigeration works because most Amarylids and Melanthids require a few weeks at about 70 F  [21 C} before chilling to germinate.
For those unaccustomed to scientific nomenclature:  Words ending in aceae are families.  Members of Amarylidaceae i.e. Hepatica, Galanthus, and Leucojum are Amarylids ; members of Melanthiaceae, i.e. Trillium are Melanthids.

[Leena]

Thank you Marc! This is just something which I have learned by experience during the past ten years, when all I had was dry seeds.
Of course there were also lots which never germinated, but most of them did, and I am so grateful having had an opportunity to start growing Trilliums.
I can't easily (or not at all) get GA here so that is not an option for me, but in many cases longer times compensate it. Though not in every case, there are plants which could benefit from it a lot.

[MarcR]

Leena,

I can get a basic GA3 kit for you for US $10, with pre-measured Ga3.
It will have all you need to get started.  Additional packets of GA3 cost $4.00.
I would be glad to mail it to you.

[MarcR]

Great thank you for that. I had assumed they were the same a hepatica and never requested them from other exchanges.

Philip,

Welcome to the forum

Seeds of Hepatica, Galanthus and Leucojum; offered on the exchanges are usually wet packed &/or refrigerated, and will usually give good germination.
Look for a wet pack or cold pack notation on the listing.
 

[partisangardener]

GA3 in watery solution is not stable. But will keep quite well in the freeze. I do this in portions in a pipette out of plastic.

[MarcR]

Rudy,

Thank you for that!  The pre-measured packets I buy make 250ml batches; and make no mention of instability I will start freezing what I have; and hope it hasn't broken down.  It was very recently mixed.

[partisangardener]

"we found that more than 90% of the initial GA, concentration in distilled water was still present after 4 days at room temperature."
Crystallized GA3 does not need alkcohol to be dissolved. To grind it to a pouwder will make it solvable in distilled water readily. 

https://www.academia.edu/22971630/Stability_and_bioactivity_of_gibberellic_acid_in_different_solvents

[MarcR]

Axel,

Please accept my apology for addressing you by the wrong name

I had several tabs open and forgot who I was responding to.