Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 21:40:21 +0000 From: Phil Wilson <cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg320$foo@default> Subject: Re: Byblis liniflora
Hi all,
>
>Unless the seeds are soaked in gibberellic acid (GA3) germination
>will be very poor or could take up to 12 months.
>
>Use 100 g/L strength GA 3. Take 0.2 mL and top up to 20 mL water.
>Soak seeds for 24 hours.
>Sow on top of seed raising mix. (Fine sand peat.) Water tray.
>Humid atmosphere but wit air movement. Prick seedlings out, sow
>into coarse sand 75% and peat 25%. Stand in water tray. Do not use
>sphagnum on this CP.
>
While using gibberellic acid for germination of B. gigantea is well
known I have never heard of anyone using to germinate B. liniflora and I
suspect your seeds germinated in spite of the treatment not because of
it.
I have found the best method to germinate B. liniflora seed is to pace
it in a terrarium and turn the heat up to full. You need about 100%
humidity and a temperature of around 40C (about 100f I think). Under
these conditions the seed will germinate very quickly - I have had seed
germinate in five days. Once germination has been acheived I gradually
reduce the temperature to something slightly less tropical, say 25-30C
but still keep the humidity well up. I find the small seedlings
incredibly slow at first but as they get bigger they rapidly pick up
pace. Once the plants to about 2-3 inches they are big enough and the
weather is warm enough to transfer them to normal greenhouse conditions.
In the UK the trick is to get the plants growing early enough to flower
and set seed before the end of summer. This means in practice sowing the
seeds in late January/early Feb. Any earlier and the light levels are
not enough to get the plant growing well. To get seed I find I need to
have the plant in flower by mid-late June.
In B. liniflora ssp liniflora the pollen is readily produced and can be
transfered to the stigma by a small paint brush or cocktail stick.
However, the larger growing ssp occidentalis will only release pollen
when touched with a tuning fork or something similar. In this respect
the flower structure is similar to B. gigantea. I also find that plants
set seed more reliably when cross pollinated rather than selfed.
Seed will also germinate in normal greenhouse conditions but definitely
takes longer. In fact I had plants for several years which were growing
weed-like in other pots.
For soil I use a standard 3:1 peat and sand mix. You can also get away
with small pots (3" size are ideal) as the plants do not appear to have
a very large root system.
Hope this helps.
-- Phil Wilson
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