What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Problems with byblis liniflora germinating

Hi all,

I planted some Byblis liniflora seeds on 2:1 sand:peat 2.5 weeks ago. The pots have a plastic covering over them and are placed in a tray of rainwater. I read that these seeds germinate very quickly, a few days being the norm. So I'm wondering what went wrong with my seeds.

The seeds came from a reputable source, so I have no doubt as to their good quality. The probs I can think of are below; do tell me if u think that's a real problem and how I should correct it:

1. I used metal tweezers to pick the seeds up and dropped them onto the soil. Cld these have damaged the seeds? Come to think of it, I used tweezers to pick my d.intermedia seeds as well (a supposedly prolific species) and only about 5-10% of the seeds ever germinated after 1.5 mths.

2. Light. I put mine in a permanently lightly-shaded area outdoors. The pots are always in the shadow of my porch, tho' sunlight is never far away.

3. Heat. I live in the tropics. Shldn't be an issue right? except of cos 1 week ago it was raining practically everyday, so the temp could have fallen a bit, but nothing less than 27 degrees C, I wld venture to guess.

4. Soil. I didn't bother to sterilize my sand/peat. Now there's green stuff on the sand surface. Is this a problem as well?

Thanks very much for any reply.
 
Hi,

I have sown Byblis liniflora seeds 3 months ago, and some have germinated only last weeks. In my case, I think the constant humid and heat has triggered the germination (I moved them into a new location). In your case, everything seem alright, and I don't think that the tweezers crushed the seeds, although i never use such instruement. Be patient, and it will most likely reward you... It is the first time for me that B.liniflora seeds take such time to sprout, but the important thing is that they did
wink.gif
. For your D.intermedia, have you stratified them?
 
I understand that the variety I have in the tropical form and thus no stratification is necessary. That's why I'm puzzled why the germination rate is so low.
 
If the green stuff on the sand surface is algae, you would have a problem. I presume that the algae will choke off the germinating seeds and deprive them of oxygen.
 
Back
Top