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Moist Paper towels, zipped inside a ziploc bag, bubble wrap, and that's all.
You have to keep them moist, because unlike seeds, these are Live plants
You have to keep them moist, because unlike seeds, these are Live plants
Scrape em off onto media. Starting pygmies is pretty much a cakewalk. No reason to second guess. The simplest solution is the best one with these guys.
If the root is embedded in the paper snip off as much of the paper you can with some scissors and just plant it bit of paper and all. The paper will eventually break down. Or soak it in water until the paper towel falls apart.
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I just gently rinse them off the paper towel. squirt bottle. paper breaks down. just makes it a wee bit harder with precise placement of gemmae
Same, moist paper towel, in a bag, in bubble wrap. I just tear off the small piece of paper towel and plant the whole thing if it is attatched.
Actually it is the prolonged contact with water that likely stimulates the gemmae to grow. While gemmae are not seeds they are basically dormant embryonic plants which is what a seed basically is - just more advanced developmentally than seeds and without the testa. I've dry stored D. scorpioides gemmae for two months in film containers with >85% remaining viable through that period. Unharvested gemmae on the plants themselves of most of the species I grow will remain viable for 3-6 weeks depending on the species. If I mist the plants regularly (once or twice daily) some of the unharvested gemmae may begin to sprout. Without misting they tend remain dormant until they dry out.
If the gemmae is old and sort of desiccated floating them in water will usually get them to sprout.
If the gemmae is old and sort of desiccated floating them in water will usually get them to sprout.
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jimscott
Tropical Fish Enthusiast
I've had a hard time spraying embedded / sprouted gemmae off moistened pieces of paper towels. I have to pry them off with my fingers / nails. That's when I wonder if by doing that, I damage them and end up killing them. I've wondered if the gemmae in the crown were somehow receiving nourishment or were in some way connected to the parent plant. Personally, I like the gemmae shipped dry, in wax paper. They are much easier to deal with, in getting them to their respective pots.
That's what I figured. So how does one go about keeping packages from freezing? I understand one is meant to use heat packs, but where does one acquire such? I haven't seen them around.