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Gibberellic Acid (GA3)

Planted some D. regia seeds a month ago. Mold set in used a fungicide, it came back reapplied it. Nothing sprouted. So i am going to try some GA3 when i get some on some other D. regia seeds, maybe its because i didn't cold stratification the seeds first don't know. Does anyone know a good source to get some? or have tried GA3 on regia seeds? before with good/bad results.

Regards
 
d regia usually germinates easy but you need to be ready to feed them or they will soon die
 
Planted some D. regia seeds a month ago. Mold set in used a fungicide, it came back reapplied it. Nothing sprouted. So i am going to try some GA3 when i get some on some other D. regia seeds, maybe its because i didn't cold stratification the seeds first don't know. Does anyone know a good source to get some? or have tried GA3 on regia seeds? before with good/bad results.

D. regia seeds germinate with nearly 100% germination rate when very fresh, without any previos treatment. No cold stratification required and surely no GA3 treatment.

Never tried with old seeds, I have only sown D. regia about 1 month after harvesting.

BTW: Did you take a photo of your seeds? Can you show a good photo of the seeds, taken before you sew them?

Unfortunately I think that some people sell "dead seeds" of D. regia, harvested from seed capsules that failed to pollinate successfully. At least here in Europe it happened more than once, that "bad seeds" of D. regia have come into circulation.
 
Does anyone know a good source to get some?
As others have said, when the seeds are fairly fresh, they germinate extremely well. However, keeping them alive to adulthood can be a bit of a challenge (for me anyway).

As for sources, I see them every year or two show up in the ICPS seedbank and also see some random offers on forums & listserver, usually after mid-summer for Northern Hemisphere. As with virtually all commercially available seed (not just regia), best to buy from a reputable source as the majority of seed being sold is non-viable garbage (imho).
 
To make clearly visible what I wrote in my last posting I found a picture of non-viable garbage and viable seeds for comparison in the German forum:

http://forum.carnivoren.org/uploads/11754.jpg

left ==> non viable garbage harvested from D. regia
right ==> viable seeds of D. regia

Only if you have viable seeds, you can expect germination.
In that case and if the seeds are fresh, no cold stratification and no GA3 treatment is needed.

BTW: I tried two times to propagate D. regia from seeds. Both times I had nearly 100% germination rate. But I could not keep the seedlings alive on the long run. All of the seedlings went black and died within the first 12 months after germination.

Germinating D. regia from viable seeds is easy, easy, easy.
But growing seedlings to plants is hard, hard, hard and leads to dead, dead, dead seedlings.
At least for me.
 
But growing seedlings to plants is hard, hard, hard and leads to dead, dead, dead seedlings. At least for me.
Jesse,
As I noted above, this has been my experience also. John B. pushed me to fertilize the babies (also as Mickey noted) and I think I have 4 that are still alive. Two are struggling but two are growing very well now (roughly 6 cm diameter)

Have you tried fertilization with seedlings?

The 2 pics of D. regia seed are nice but it's a shame the pic isn't on ruled grid paper. Without having the good seed as comparison, it might still be difficult to tell the bad seed. (FYI - there are free downloads of grid to use - here's a sample of 1mm grid with U. nephrophylla seed).
 
talk to bluemax he has had luck with seedlings
 
I have planted seeds! thought about trying Gibberellic Acid on the next batch, maybe i can get a plant some place. Thanks!! guys.

Regards
 
What worked for me, in getting seedlings out of the danger zone, was sprouting them in finely ground dried sphagnum. The stuff has amazing fungicidal properties.
 
  • #10
Ok
I acquired some GA3 at 90% (Powder) . Now for the D.regia seeds i need to know what works best. I will soak them for 24 hrs. I don't have a smidgen spoon or sea monkey spoon, and need to know how to measure at i think 250ppm. Good suggestion and guidance would be appreciated.

Regards
 
  • #11
If I remember correctly, you can't mix straight Ga3 into water.
I believe you need to wet the powder with just the tiniest drop or so of isopropyl alcohol.
This helps break down the powder so it can be mixed as a solution into water.

To get a solution of 250 ppm of Ga3, you need to mix 100ml of the powder measured out
(then add the alcohol to it) and mix that into 400ml of distilled water.
This sould give you a stock solution of 250ppm.
You should also be warned that this solution does not have a good longevity,
and that it goes "flat" very quickly (with under two weeks) even when refrigerated.

Also, I wouldn't soak your seeds for more than twelve hours.

Good luck!
 
  • #12
Instructions for using 90% GA3 can be found here or from other vendors selling on eBay:
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/GibberellicAcid.htm

The above link gives a method for measuring ~1 mg portions.

I suggest you download Dr. Norm C. Deno's papers on Seed Germination and Theory which studies the use of GA3 and stratification on many species including several of Drosera. Links to downloadable copies of these papers are provided on the website above.

GA3 will dissolve in water, just slowly. Prepare your solution a day or two in advance. Very small amounts (1 mg) present no problem and dissolves readily.

A working solution of 1000ppm will last up to a year refrigerated as long as it is not exposed to light. 1000ppm is the starting point recommended by Deno. Some species respond better to lower concentrations. Some species may actually be killed by 1000ppm. 24 hours is the recommended starting treatment time. Optimal concentration and treatment time varies from species to species. Outside of Deno's work I'm not aware of an updated study. Allan Lowrie recommends a 72 hour treatment for some Byblis species.

While GA3 can be reused some of the hormone is absorbed by the seeds so each time you use it the concentration is lowered. For most consistent results use it once.
 
  • #13
I certainly trust Not a number's experience more. I would follow his instructions— ignore mine.
Thank you for your input Not a number.
 
  • #14
Also, check out the "Help...." topic in the Sundews forum, where Notanumber and I discuss GA3 to death!
 
  • #15
This is the scoop that came with my 90% GA3. A level scoop is 0.08 grams (80 mg). Mix with 72 ml (2.435 oz) of water to make 1000 ppm solution. From there you can dilute it to what you want: 1 ml of 1000ppm solution + 1 ml H2O = 500ppm solution. 1 ml of 500ppm + 1 ml of H20 = 250pmm solution etc.
 
  • #16
...and don't take the measurements and preciseness too seriously. There's room for "error".
 
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