Galanthus nivalis, fresh seed

[Gene Mirro]

I am collecting lots of fresh white Galanthus nivalis seeds.  What is the best way of germinating them?  Should I sow immediately, or let them dry out?  Most references say they need warm, then cold, but I can't find any info on dealing with the fresh seed.

[Anthony Darby]

I would sow immediately, but don't remember seeds being white? Germination is in the spring.

[mark smyth]

off white. I'm with Anthony sow now and dont let them dry. Sow half way down a pot in a mix of good soil, leaf mould and some grit

[mark smyth]

I just went out to take some photos

[David Nicholson]

Mark, did you mean collect and sow before the seed pod becomes brown?

[mark smyth]

I think the seed coats very quickly oxidise to turn them brown. Storing them in the fridge for a day or two wont do much harm. Just other bulbs the tail on the seed is a food parcel for ants who carry the seeds underground where they wont dessicate.

[Gene Mirro]

Thank you.

[GoodGrief]

As a novice at galanthus seed sowing... should I keep the soil wet/damp/moist/dryish/bone dry during the summer?

I've also started repotting some. With the very dry weather here in the South East, the compost is pretty dry.
I feel a temptation to water them a little. Given I killed some off last summer by not keeping them dry enough, I guess I should resist.

Regards, Malcolm.

[Lesley Cox]

Once I've sown seed of anything, I don't let it dry out completely, even bulb seeds. Well, I did on one sad occasion, a whole batch of Trillium species, and never saw a seedling - ever! I sow then water, then continue to keep dampish.

[Martin Baxendale]

Malcolm, pots of seeds should be kept constantly moist until germination. Don't water repotted snowdrops at this time of year. They need to be in dry compost rather than  moist until it's time for rooting to start again in later summer. Just pack the dry compost down firmly around the bulbs so there's not too much air in it and the dormant bulbs should be fine. Damp compost after they die down is, as you say, likely to cause rot.

[Tim Ingram]

If you want get largish drifts of nivalis quite quickly I would recommend sowing in situ in the garden. What I do is to sow the whole seedpod with a small trowel just below soil surface. Germination the following spring is virtually 100% with natural small clumps of seedlings arising from each seed pod. These have flowered after 3 years for me. I do the same with special varieties that set seed (the majority don't) with the hope that something new and garden worthy will arise.

With a lot of varieties this often happens naturally and we have had an interesting cross between 'Augustus' and 'Trym' for example, and some good progeny from 'Gerard Parker', which does set seed reliably and is one of the most striking varieties in the garden.

[GoodGrief]

Many thanks for the advice. I suspect I may have picked some seed pods a little too early.
Anyway, adds an interesting new dimension to the snowdrop season.

I had a minor disaster with a group of about 20 'special' snowdrops I was repotting.
I was giving them a bit of soaking in that natural citrus-based fungicide (whose name I can't remember),
when I kicked over the tray not once but twice and scattered them here, there and everywhere.

Well, at least next season I'll have 'fun' matching 20 snowdrops against 20 names.
We'll see if they're distinct enough to identify!!


Thanks, Malcolm.

[Lesley Cox]

At least when I dropped a box of rice bubbles the other day, it was just a matter of calling in the dogs and sweeping up the rest. They didn't have to be named.

[daveyp1970]

 

At least when I dropped a box of rice bubbles the other day, it was just a matter of calling in the dogs and sweeping up the rest. They didn't have to be named.

[steve owen]

When I dropped some cornflakes on the floor my wife called out quite a lot of names.