Sturt Peas again
Terry Bertozzi (Bertozzi.Terry@statemail.ss.sa.gov.au)
Mon, 24 Jan 1994 21:45:00 +1030
Sorry for this late reply, just got back from holidays. To germinate
Sturt desert peas first surface sterilize the seed with ordinary
household bleach and place the seeds in a jar and cover them with
freshly boiled water. Leave them in the water over night and then sow
them in a petri dish on wet filter paper. They should germinate within
a couple of days. Transfer the seedlings to "jiffy pots" (compressed
peat pots) which have been soaked in water and have absorbed their fill.
Keep the peat pots very wet and place them in a very bright,warm place
(I keep mine in the coolhouse in direct sun). When roots start to
appear through the base and sides of the "jiffy pots" pot the whole
thing up into a 5-6" pot. The compost should be very open i.e 60% sand,
30% perlite and 10 % peat or some such. The pot should be watered by
immersing it into a container of water and letting it absorb its fill.
The pot should then be allowed to drain and not watered again until the
compost is just about bone dryowed to drain and should not watered again
until the compost is just about bone dry. Fertilize regularly by
dissolving the fertilizer in the water before immersing the pot in it.
I use "Topsoluable" which is a gerneral purpose soluable fertilizer.
It's long winded but I hope it helps.
Terry