Patagonia January 2010 , The Viola tour

[Olga Bondareva]

Ger
May I ask you for advice on sowing Patagonian viola?

[gervandenbeuken]

Olga, no matter which Viola species I sow, I always use Gibberilic GA3 powder to get a quick germination.
Although species of Viola S. America are also quite new to me, I have sown Viola cotyledon in the past with a high germination rate. However, problems began after germination. By using Gibberilic the seedlings have the ability to lengthen. This problem will be greater if the dosage Gibberilic used  increases. The dosage used is hard to say. I always use a toothpick. At the end is a very small amount Gibberilic powder GA3.
I use a paper towel, where I put on the seeds. I sprinkle the Gibberilic powder on the seeds. Then I saturate the tissue with sterilized water. Then fold the tissue for 24 hours and keep it in a plastic bag at room temperature. The seeds have to get dried on a piece of paper and then sow the seeds.
The seed medium I use for these S. American species is a mixture of lava gravel, perlite, sharp sand and a very small amount of sieved peat.
Good luck.

[Olga Bondareva]

Ger
Thank you very much! I'll try to do that.

[gervandenbeuken]

Olga, do you have any seeds of S. America species?

[gervandenbeuken]

After 3 very successful previous expeditities to Patagonia I have planned to organize a new tour to S.Amerika in late 2011 or early 2012 led by a professional botanist.
If everything goes according to plan, this 3-week tour will go to N. Argentina, Chile and the Province Mendoza.( Aconcaqua region)
Botany, this time will be completely focused on the high alpine flora.
Everything is still at a stage of any investigation made by a botanist and a biologist in the areas. All relating to accessibility of the high Andes, vegetation, accommodation and cost. The group consists of up to 15 people and need to be in good physical condition.
At the moment my list of participants 19 persons. Experience shows that sometimes people will cancel last minute. Interested people can sign up without any obligation on my list of participants. When more details are known to all people I will mail this news. See also my advert in issue 124 of the Rock Garden.

[Marcela Ferreyra - Patagonia]

 Hi Ger!. It is very nice to see the Viola photos that we have seen in Patagonia!. I hope seeds works well and produce many tiny rosetes. Huge hug from Patagonia. Marcela.

[ranunculus]

Welcome to this wonderful forum Marcela ... you live in a remarkable place!

[art600]

Only just discovered this thread and so glad I did.

Wonderful photos of magnificent plants.  Thank you Ger for making this remote area so accessible.

[gervandenbeuken]

Hi Marcela,

nice to meet you on the forum, a bit different from together in the field.
Ooh, by the way, many thanks for John Watsons email adress.

[gervandenbeuken]

Ooh Marcela, I forgot to tell you.
The police took all my volcanic sand at the airport of Neuquen.
Now I hope that my own mix will work well for gemination.

Huge hug, Ger

[cohan]

Hi Ger!. It is very nice to see the Viola photos that we have seen in Patagonia!. I hope seeds works well and produce many tiny rosetes. Huge hug from Patagonia. Marcela.

welcome! wonderful to have someone who is on the ground in that amazing biome

[gervandenbeuken]

Marcela, I am in touch with John Watson about the Viola species we found.

[Olga Bondareva]

Olga, do you have any seeds of S. America species?

Yes, I've got some from Elena.

[BULBISSIME]

Ger, I missed your post and I'm reading, re reading and re re reading it for a long time !
Fantastic trip, text and PICTURES !!! Congratulations to you and your wife  I know she had to be patient...
The Viola are simply stunning, fascinnating me and I never seen so many excellent pics from this rosulate species.

many many thank's again for sharing with all of us,
fantastic post again 

[gervandenbeuken]

Fred, many thanks for your nice comments.
You know, my wife is well known with my way of working in the field.
She is much more patient than I am!!