Hepatica 2021

[Herman Mylemans]

Herman, I sow my seeds on top of a mineral mix of Seramis, pumice and Zeolithe and cover the seeds with a layer of shredded and composted needle litter, about 1 cm. I can keep this moist and airy without being too wet. But sometimes it is overgrown by moss.

Carsten, is this composted needle litter not too acid? I use needle litter to germinate Trillium undulatum.

[Gunilla]

Gunilla, only the tiny ones are my seedlings. I bought the other two last spring in Japan.

I'm sure you soon have seedlings from those two as well  and the tiny ones are also nice.

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, the moss takes over the needle litter after a while. These seedlings were sown in 2018 and not yet picked out. I need to replant them soon.

Thank you Carsten. I've seen the same on various Hepatica pots showed from the Japan shows and I thought that people are adding the moss.

I read about how you use the pine needle compost just on top of the sowing mix. It is interesting. It would be impossible here to have that kind of sowing mix with seramis, zeolithe....they are not available.
I found that adding a healthy amount of perlite to any good soil mix produces good results with the exception that it can dry out too fast in the summer (we can have very hot summers).

[kris]

Hepatica acutiloba and americana are hardy in our zone 3A garden.
Our winters are brutal . Almost every year at least one week Saskatoon gets -35C . Still they survive.
Gabriela:  Hepatica seedlings I got from your seeds are under 2 feet snow. Hope they will survive this winter.

[Herman Mylemans]

Thank you Carsten. I've seen the same on various Hepatica pots showed from the Japan shows and I thought that people are adding the moss.

I read about how you use the pine needle compost just on top of the sowing mix. It is interesting. It would be impossible here to have that kind of sowing mix with seramis, zeolithe....they are not available.
I found that adding a healthy amount of perlite to any good soil mix produces good results with the exception that it can dry out too fast in the summer (we can have very hot summers).

Gabriela, have you ever tried vermiculite? Vermiculite keeps better water than perlite.

Perlite
The snow-white granular particles of perlite are a form of volcanic glass. Each particle contains about 6 percent of water. Heated quickly to 1,600 to 1,700 degrees F, each grain will burst, much like popcorn. Perlite contains no seeds, disease or insects. It has a neutral pH. The large surface area of the particles is covered with tiny cavities that hold plant nutrients and moisture. Air passages between the particles provide drainage and aeration.
Vermiculite
Vermiculite, a silicate mineral resembling mica, was ordinarily marketed in the form of brown cubes. It is able to retain moisture and plant nutrients. It has a neutral pH, but its reaction is alkaline. Vermiculite is mined in the United State, Brazil, Zimbabwe, China and South Africa. The color, composition and pH of vermiculite varies from mine to mine. The vermiculite mined in South Africa is known for its ability to exfoliate--that is, to expand to many times its original volume when heated. Vermiculite can hold potassium, calcium, magnesium and ammonium needed for growing plants. It is light, easy to handle and mixes well with other ingredients of potting mixes including pesticides and herbicides.

[mellifera]

Thank you for these great photos Carsten! The 4. flower from your 1. posting look‘s very beautiful. I like the dark antheres! 

The red colour from your Shinku seedlings is top!
How big is your pot, and how many seeds give you inside?

Kind regards,
Patrick

[Leena]

Thank you from me too, Carsten. There are so much variation in Hepatica flowers!
My favourites were also the fourth one in the first posting, and the red and white seedlings look amazing,
but really all are beautiful!
I can't wait to see how my plants have survived the winter, but it will be two more months to wait.

[Leena]

Hepatica acutiloba and americana are hardy in our zone 3A garden.
Our winters are brutal . Almost every year at least one week Saskatoon gets -35C . Still they survive.

Thank you Kris for encouragement:). I should have planted my seedlings in the spring, so they would have have time to root properly,
but last autumn was long, so I hope for the best.

[Carsten]

Carsten, is this composted needle litter not too acid? I use needle litter to germinate Trillium undulatum.

Herman, I don't know about the ph level. It just works for me with Hepaticas and some other woodlanders.

[Carsten]

Thank you for these great photos Carsten! The 4. flower from your 1. posting look‘s very beautiful. I like the dark antheres! 

The red colour from your Shinku seedlings is top!
How big is your pot, and how many seeds give you inside?

Kind regards,
Patrick

Patrick, I use plastic pots 10 x10x x 9 from 'Sima'. I sow up to 50 seeds in one pot but some 20 might be better. Many pots are too crowded but the seedlings are easily splitted as of the mineral compost I use.

[Herman Mylemans]

Herman, I don't know about the ph level. It just works for me with Hepaticas and some other woodlanders.

Thank you Carsten. Here snow starts to melt, but soil is still frozen.

[Carsten]

Patrick, I use plastic pots 10 x10x x 9 from 'Sima'. I sow up to 50 seeds in one pot but some 20 might be better. Many pots are too crowded but the seedlings are easily splitted as of the mineral compost I use.

Pots from 2019 and 2018.

[Herman Mylemans]

Pots from 2019 and 2018.

Carsten, good germination! Your method seems to work very good. But a lot of work to separate all those seedlings and a lot of space to put all the pots. Always waiting till the Hepatica’s have flowered, especially for your crossings.
You will probably also have a good bookkeeping for if you want to know how a certain result came about.

[Carsten]

Herman, yes crossings must be documented on the label and in a separate seed booklet. As results often occur only in the F2 generation it gets quite extensive, to overlook all the seedlings until they are checked with their own seedlings outcome.

[Carsten]

Another cold but sunny day. These plants in the greenhouse are for exchange ;-)

2 Hepatica pubescens ex 'Hohobeni'
3 Hepatica japonica seedlings