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quick stratification?

i really procrastinated this year and didn't start stratifying my sarr seeds until just today. was wondering if its possible to do a "quick stratify" by leaving them in the fridge for like a week and then do a few freeze/thaw cycles for another week.
 
Not sure if this applies to Sarrs or anything, but you can get away with stratifying temperate dews for 2 weeks. (Though optimal stratification is 4 weeks!) Doesn't seem like too long of a wait. Good luck with your seeds!
 
how is the germination rate when doing that? I know i could just wait the extra two weeks but i'll be moving plants out of my terrarium soon and want to utilize the new space as quickly as possible. seems wasteful to have 150 watts of light shining on just a couple of pots
 
i really procrastinated this year and didn't start stratifying my sarr seeds until just today. was wondering if its possible to do a "quick stratify" by leaving them in the fridge for like a week and then do a few freeze/thaw cycles for another week.

I don't think there is a "stratification shortcut" like what you describe, but considering that it is still fairly early in the game, you can afford to do a proper four week stratification and then sow. That puts your sow date at April 15th and that isn't too late at all.
 
I don't think there is a "stratification shortcut" like what you describe, but considering that it is still fairly early in the game, you can afford to do a proper four week stratification and then sow. That puts your sow date at April 15th and that isn't too late at all.
I agree. Dormancy in seeds is related to hormones many times, and there really isn't a workaround. The cold affects the hormone levels until a certain threshold is reached, and the embryo is no longer prohibited from germinating.

Gibberelic acid works for some things but isn't a magic bullet. I haven't tried it on Sarrs so I don't know if it helps or not.
 
hm alright.. i normally start the process in january so for me it feels late. i have some not so special flava seeds i could try an experiment with i guess..

how long would they need to soak in GA for it to work anyways? I put my seeds on the soil today and when i sprayed them they jumped all over the place. They seem extremely hydrophobic
 
1) with GA3 you soak for 12 to 24 hours before planting, then wash it off, then plant. Like I said though, I haven't played with it yet enough to give better advice.
2) I always plastic wrap over my Sarr seeds. Any amount of rain will splash or flood them out of the pot.
3) Since it will be later in the year, if you do plastic wrap your pots, make sure they don't get out in direct sun and heat beyond 90F--it'll fry them.
 
Norm C. Deno's paper on seed germination did not find a GA3 effective on Sarracenia seed. It is probably because they have a somewhat waxy coat. A longer treatment may have better results. You can find downloadable copies of his papers on the National Agriculture Library run by the USDA website.

Do a search on Author = Deno

http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/naldcPUB/search.xhtml
 
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