species Pelargoniums - OP

[mark smyth]

I have seeds of species Pelargoniums. These are open pollinated. They are only suitable for those with heated green houses, conservatories or lucky enough to live where it's warm and frost free over the winter

[fermi de Sousa]

Which species have you got there, Mark?
I have managed to get a few of the monsonia for you too!
cheers
fermi

[mark smyth]

zonale
peltatum
australe
capitatum
graveolens
mollicomum
White Boar
The Boar
tabulare
splendide
scabrum
quinquelobatum
papillionaceum
denticulatum

[mark smyth]

I could have sent you some of these Pelargonium carnosum. They are rooted today after being sown yesterday morning 36 hours ago!! Unbelievable but true. And how did I keep them viable? By keeping them in a glassine envelope in a drawer for over a year. The were collected last summer at National Botanics, Dublin. It's amazing what a seed can put up with. The biggest question is how did they grow so fast?

[Maggi Young]

It's amazing what a seed can put up with. The biggest question is how did they grow so fast?

If I kept you in an envelope in a dark drawer for a year and then let you out, you'd be pretty keen to get on with doing what comes naturally as fast as possible , too, wouldn't you?

I think the fact that you have finally sown them at the same time of year that they would have been ready to grow last year means you have hit their "growing window" and so they have just taken off.

[mark smyth]

Maybe Ian should experiment with some of his seeds using this method. I'm going to put some olf Pulsatilla albana lutea seeds in damp paper later

[Maggi Young]

Diane Whitehead, I think it is she, uses a similar method for all/most of her seeds, ... I'm sure she has said that she finds it easier to do this, then she only has to pot up live seeds and not fill lots of pots with dead ones!
I think, over the years, that Ian has tried every posssible method of seed sowing to encourage germination.... and quite a few that were impossible too, but sometimes worked!! 

[ChrisB]

Quite remarkable Mark.  Am I to understand that all you do is put seeds on some damp paper towel and leave them to their own devices?  Sounds too good to be true.

[mark smyth]

simply so.

All I do is take a square of kitchen towel spray with water until damp c10 hand mister squirts, hold in half, set the seeds on half, fold it over, stick in a small freezer bag and leave it sitting around for 3 days and check daily. This morning I had the urge to check the Pellie bag

[mark smyth]

if it's too wet just use another square to take awy the access water.

Checking other bags Centaurea ruprestis '06 have sprouted

[ChrisB]

Gonna give this a try with my armeria seeds.  And I have others in the fridge too.  Course, if I do this now I shall have to overwinter a load of seedlings.  Ah well, I'll give it a go....

[mark smyth]

plain white paper is better to show new roots. Open the paper carefully as they will root right through in no time

Fermi add P. alchemilloides to the list and to help you choose here are some photos

[mark smyth]

For those in the UK P. australe and P. alchemilloides are borderline hardy

[fermi de Sousa]

Mark,
it's like opening a colour catalogue from a Seed Company! Great pics!
P.australe is native to this area, so I worry about that one!
Most are allowed into the country, too!
Not willing to publicly expose my greed, I'll e-mail you privately!
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Mark,

I just love the Papillionaceum and scabrum.  Such cool shape to the flowers with the undersized lower petals and the prominent upper pair.  Different shape but same effect from the splendide of course, which is just so striking.  Great pics to see the pelargoniums all together in one are like that.  Thanks.