Haberlea babies

[Gene Mirro]

Here are some Haberlea seedlings, hatched one month ago.  For size, compare with the grains of vermiculite.  I am growing them in a 4" plastic pot, in a sealed poly bag, 6" under fluorescent lights, at roughly 55-60F.  They have had several overhead sprays of dilute liquid fertilizer, and a sprinkling of fine dolomite lime.  They are not that hard to grow.  I knew an Austrian nurseryman who grew flats of them in a cold frame.

[Hkind]

But I suppose they'll need at least five year before flowering - or are the developing faster than Ramonda?

[Gene Mirro]

I am also growing Ramondas at the same time, and the Haberleas are much faster than the Ramondas.  I have some Ramondas that were started in March 2006, and they are 1.5-2cm in diameter.  So I expect them to bloom in Spring of 2008, two years from sowing the seed.  I speed them up by keeping them growing most of the winter, and by feeding them well.  Also, they really like to grow inside the poly bags, at least for the first few months after germination.

[Jim_in_mi]

Gene
I am curious what medium you are using?  Just the vermiculite, or is that just a covering?
Thank you
Jim

[David Nicholson]

Welcome to the Forum Jim, good to have you aboard.  Liked your signature line, but could you add something to show your geographical position please.

[Gene Mirro]

Jim, I am using the same mix that I use for almost everything:  1 bucket of peat moss, 1 bucket of Douglas Fir bark dust, 1 bucket of perlite, 1 bucket of pumice, 1 liter of vermiculite, 1/2 cup of dolomite lime, 1/2 cup of bone meal, 1/4 cup of Micromax trace element mix.  Moisten and mix thoroughly.  The bucket is 3 gallons; the Micromax can be replaced by your favorite trace element fertilizer.  I do not sterilize the mix.  If the quantities seem a little arbitrary, it's because they are.  The plants don't seem to care if the mix changes somewhat, as long as all the required nutrients are there.  So I can't make any absolute statements about the "perfect" mix for a given plant.  I don't put anything in the bottom of the pots for drainage; I just fill them with this mix.  I use plastic pots.

I have tried germinating Ramonda and Haberlea with several surface treatments: 
1) sow with no covering;
2) sow and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite;
3) sow and cover with a thin layer of peat.
All three methods seem to work the same for germination, as long as the covering is very thin.  The vermiculite has an advantage in that it slows down the development of moss, which can crowd out the seedlings.  Fine grit might be even better. 

I water from the top with a spray bottle, so nothing special there either.  Once most of the seeds have germinated, I start fertilizing with soluble fertilizer like 20-20-20, plus a little iron chelate.  I use a spray bottle to apply the fertilizer. 

With fine seeds like this, it is crucial that the surface of the mix must remain moist during germination.  This is why I place the pots into sealed poly bags.  I place the poly bags 6" under fluorescent lights, since the seeds need light to germinate.  Some people recommend that these plants be grown in sealed bags even after they have been transplanted into individual pots.  I have never done that, but it would be worth trying. 

When the plants are ready to be individually potted up, I make the same mix as above, but add 1 bucket of garden soil to it.  I usually use 2.25" x 2.25" x 3.25" plastic pots for small seedlings. 

The first photo shows a Ramonda seedling; the seed was sown on March 4, 2006.  The second photo shows a group of seedlings of various ages, all growing in the same conditions.  The plant in the tall band is Corydalis nobilis.  It's in the band so there is room for its long root system.  Top row, from left to right:  Corydalis nobilis, Selinum wallichianum, Penstemon cardwelli, Phacelia sericea.  Second row:  Symphyandra wanneri, Anacyclus depressus, Dianthus callizonus, Silene hookeri v. ingrami.  Third row:  Calceolaria darwinii, Gypsophila cerastioides, Meconopsis nepaulensis, and a very young Physoplexis comosa.  Fourth row:  Dicentra eximia, Meconopsis regia. 

By the way, most of these plants were grown from seed that had been kept in dry cold storage at 0 degrees F for 12 to 16 years.  Even very small seeds like Haberlea and Calceolaria store well.  It's amazing.

I make no claim that my approach is the best.  The reason I am on this forum is to learn from those who grow extremely difficult plants to perfection.

[Jim_in_mi]

Thanks for the recipe Gene....I am always curious what mixes people like to use.
Jim

[Gene Mirro]

They were transplanted to individual 2.25" pots on February 11.  The moss was getting too big in the 4" pot where they grew from seed. 

[Gene Mirro]

Some grown-up Haberleas:



Started from seed 11/22/08; in bloom 4/30/11.  I'm growing them in 5 inch deep bands.  

Can anyone verify that this is H. rhodopensis?  Here is a closeup:



How do you distinguish between rhodopensis and fernandi-coburgi ?

[Lesley Cox]

H. ferdinandi-coburgi seems to have a slightly larger leaf than rhodopensis and it is shinier, or more glossy. Rhodopensis is a little duller which may be just that it is hairier. The white rhodopensis is dull compared to ferdinandi-coburgi. I don't have a purple of that. Not sure if these two pics will show the difference.