Observations and theory of Galanthus germination

[johnstephen29]

He doesn't want to leave it too long or they might be gone & he'll have lost his chance.

[Rick Goodenough]

My theory with Galanthus Germination is now such:
Fresh seed sown at once will germinate in late summer/autumn near 100 %
Dried seed will acquire inhibition of germination and will germinate after a cold spell with a lesser percentage, partly after another year, partly not at all. I know such cases for example with Pulsatilla species.

Maybe in the latter case GA3 might be helpful?

Thank you, Axel, for your keen observations and documentation. Very helpful to me in understanding what to expect going forward as I get further into the fray of hybridizing and seed growing.  Rick

[Maggi Young]

This article by David Garner may be of interest, even though not about galanthus directly.....

  "Scientists at the University of York have played a key role in new research into the way 'mother' plants use their memory of the seasons to teach their seeds the most advantageous time to germinate."

http://phys.org/news/2014-12-seeds-recognise-seasons.html

 Maternal temperature history activates Flowering Locus T in fruits to control progeny dormancy according to time of year, PNAS, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1412274111

[Rick Goodenough]

Maggi, thank you for this post.  A fascinating insight on bloom time temperature influencing seed germination pace. So many variables and interdependencies...hats off to focused and patient researchers as they peel back bit by bit these morsels that build our understanding.

Should galanthus behave similarly to Arabidopsis thaliana, seed germination should be more rapid in cases where winter bloom time temperatures were milder than the norm.  And the converse would also be true, i.e. slower germination following bloom periods occurring in colder than normal temperatures.

It would fun to run a confirming experiment with snowdrops, but somewhat difficult to control all variables if running from a garden as opposed to a cold glasshouse. I am up for trying if someone else will help in identifying and designing the controls. Rick

[Anne Repnow]

Do any of you know whether G. 'E.A. Bowles' is sterile? Mine had fat seed capsules last spring but no seeds in them, alas...

[Hagen Engelmann]

Zerschneid sie und Du gehst sicher, dass es auch weiterhin poculiforme Blüten sein werden.
Please twinscale the bulbs and you will get poculiform flowers

[Anne Repnow]

Stimmt! Aber mit Samen ist es lustiger 
True - but it's more fun with seeds!

[Cyril L]

Do any of you know whether G. 'E.A. Bowles' is sterile? Mine had fat seed capsules last spring but no seeds in them, alas...

E. A. Bowles set seeds spontaneously in 2011.  9 seeds were sown 8 May 2011 and germination occured 17 Jan 2013 (20 months later!).  I think there was more germination in 2014 because when I repotted in summer, there were 5 decent size bulbs and 2 tiny ones.  I think it will be another 2 years at least before I can expect any flowering.  You are right it is more fun and certainly more exciting as one does not know what to expect!  It could be a huge disappointment though.

[Rick Goodenough]

Cyril....great to know G. 'E.A. Bowles' is fertile. Good luck growing these seedlings on and we will look forward to seeing their progress at some point.

Thank you. Rick

[Anne Repnow]

Thanks for the information, Cyril! I'll try again...

[Cyril L]

Will keep you updated.

[Anne Repnow]

Thank you. Exciting...

[Richard Williams]

Do any of you know whether G. 'E.A. Bowles' is sterile? Mine had fat seed capsules last spring but no seeds in them, alas...

I sowed three pods of E.A.Bowles fresh last autumn and have so far have about 20 seedlings germinated and growing. So definitely fertile, now the long wait to flowering.

[annew]

Mine always has depauperate stamens, and does not produce pollen, but I hope for some seeds.

[Leena]

I have promised to send someone abroad G.nivalis seeds, and the seed pods are now turning yellow and the first ones are splitting. The seeds are white and soft, and I was wondering that when I bought Galanthus seeds last winter they were dark and hard (and still germinated), so should I let the seeds dry before sending them, and if they turn dark when they dry? I'm afraid that the soft white seeds will start to rot or get mold during shipping.