Advices request for sowing some species

[Darren S]

Aiko,

I've been growing SA bulbs for many years and Massonia are a specialty.

I think Brian was lucky getting any germination from M. jasminiflora and the Daubenya.

M. jasminiflora and Daunbenya are winter growers. The seed ideally needs the following for full germination:

Most winter growing bulb seed needs a warm dry period of several weeks after the seed is harvested - if the seed comes from South Africa in our winter it may have only just been produced and will not have had this after-ripening. For this reason I store all my winter growing seed received after october at room temperature until the following late august. Then it is sown and allowed to experience the ambient diurnal temperature swings. Germination is usually 100% by late september. The other advantage is that the bulbs are then automatically in phase with our seasons and will not attempt to go dormant too quickly, which is what often happens with spring-sown seed which may only get a few weeks growth before warm weather arrives. (I never store SA bulb seed in a fridge by the way - with some species it seems to halt the after-ripening of the seed and (permanently?) prevents germination. With few exceptions the seed will be fine stored at room temperature for a couple of years at least).

M. wittebergensis is an alpine from the Drakensberg and is definitely a summer grower. I will be sowing my seed this month at ambient temperature under glass. If there is no sign of germination in 30 days I will put it into a propagator to give it a sudden warm 'spring' as it would experience in habitat.

For the winter growers I can do no better than recommend Paul Cumbleton's advice in his Wisley Blog on the SRGC site:

http://www.srgc.org.uk/wisley/2007/221107/log.html

[BrianMc]

I think Brian was lucky getting any germination from M. jasminiflora and the Daubenya.

Maybe I should have been filling out my lottery tickets too!

Did a little research and found an excellent site: http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswi ... ebergensis

Which informs that M.wittebergensis..."The name is derived from a record made by the Drège brothers on the southern slopes of the Witteberg (near the present town of Lady Grey) at an altitude of 7000-8000 ft (2000-2400 m) in January 1833."

So its not the same Witteberg as in the Conophytum

[Aiko]

Thank you Darren. So sowing of Massonia wittebergensis in spring, and Daubenya and other Massonias in autumn. Same autumn goes for Albuca spiralis then.

And Drimia [Drimiopsis] uniflora in spring, as I thought. But I still doubt to sow them when it is cool, or when it starts to warm up quite a bit in April.

[CactusFanDan]

Cameron and Rhoda McMaster suggested that I sow Massonia seeds around now and that seedlings might not go dormant in their first Summer (plus the UK hardly gets anything worthy of being called Summer ). Also, they suggested that they might pop up next year if they're do so this year, so don't throw any pots out.

I've sowed M. wittebergensis, jasminiflora, echinata and pygmaea along with some other winter growing species a few weeks ago. No signs of anything yet, but it might still be a bit cool for them. I'll post here when I see something.

[BrianMc]

plus the UK hardly gets anything worthy of being called Summer

Well that is very true, last summer being the first 'real' summer here in years. I am in the lucky position of being able to sow most Mesemb species at almost any time of year. Lithops and Conophytum sown in late winter or early spring will usually get a couple of weeks to dry out mid summer, but everything else can be grown right through for their first twelve months due to the lack of heat here. I am sure I will be able to keep my Massonias going through the first 12 months.

Having received germinated seeds in their packet (through the mail) of Brunsvigia and reading that Boophone seeds had short viability. I did not want to leave the Massonia seed too long without sowing, as I was unaware of its age. At least if the seed is sown it has a chance to germinate, whether that is in spring or autumn. They won't germinate with success if they are kept in the packet.

[Astro]

Massonia seed viability shouldn't be an issue. When stored properly it is good for years (I've read accounts of very good results even with 10+ year old seed).

I have sown 8-year-old Daubenya alba seeds (closely related to Massonia) and gotten pretty much 100% germination (after sitting out on the porch for 5 or 6 weeks at 5-10C at night and 15-20C during the day). Worth noting was that the same Daubenya seeds did absolutely nothing when they sat in a slightly warmer environment for 2 months (15-20C at night and 25C during daytime).

I have similar experiences with some 4-year-old Massonia pustulata seed (100% germination after ~4 weeks).

[Darren S]

Massonia seed viability shouldn't be an issue. When stored properly it is good for years (I've read accounts of very good results even with 10+ year old seed).

I have sown 8-year-old Daubenya alba seeds (closely related to Massonia) and gotten pretty much 100% germination (after sitting out on the porch for 5 or 6 weeks at 5-10C at night and 15-20C during the day). Worth noting was that the same Daubenya seeds did absolutely nothing when they sat in a slightly warmer environment for 2 months (15-20C at night and 25C during daytime).

I have similar experiences with some 4-year-old Massonia pustulata seed (100% germination after ~4 weeks).

I agree about viability and you experiences also echo mine. It makes sense that these summer dormant bulbs don't germinate at higher or constant temps as they have evolved to germinate in response to the warm days / cool nights they get in habitat in the autumn.

I have also found that Daubenya need considerable warmth during their summer dormancy. If they don't get this they simply don't re-shoot in the autumn. I've had the same happen with Massonia depressa and numerous Irids after the cold summer of 2012. Apparently they (like many summer dormant bulbs) need to accumulate a minimum amount of degree-days to confirm that summer has been and gone and it is safe to grow again when cool weather arrives (otherwise they might regrow in mid summer in habitat after a passing cold front, with potentially dangerous consequences should this be followed by warm dry weather again). The warmth may be easier to provide for cactus growers or those in warmer areas but I manage my collection in an alpine house in NW England and temperatures during summer rarely get very high due to the rubbish weather and all that ventilation. Growth of my SA bulbs this winter (especially Daubenya) has been notably improved by last year's warm summer. Even Brunsvigia marginata obliged with flowers in the autumn - a rare event here. If we have a cold summer again I will be tempted to put my dormant Daubenya bulbs in a propagator at 25C for the whole of August to give them a proper warm summer.

The comments about Conos and Lithops etc are interesting. I did carry out lengthy experiments regarding best time to germinate summer-dormant mesembs of several genera (excluding conos and lithops) under my conditions in 2002 and offered to write up my findings for the MSG bulletin but didn't get a reply - possibly my mail got spam-filtered out or Suzanne wasn't really so desperate for material as the editorial suggested. Incidentally - the best growth was, by far, obtained for early autumn sowings as opposed to winter/spring ones. Subsequent growth has depended greatly on how much I neglected them - after 12 years some of the Mitrophyllum and Monilaria from this experiment are flowering for the first time!

[BrianMc]

I did carry out lengthy experiments regarding best time to germinate summer-dormant mesembs of several genera (excluding conos and lithops) under my conditions in 2002 and offered to write up my findings for the MSG bulletin but didn't get a reply - possibly my mail got spam-filtered out or Suzanne wasn't really so desperate for material as the editorial suggested

I am sure Suzanne would have been interested in your proposal if she had received it. If you still have the information why not offer it again. Information on genera other than Lithops would be quite refreshing.

With regard to autumn sowing, for a number of years in the early 90's I sowed all my Faucaria, Pleiospilos etc in August in the greenhouse without any propagator. The fluctuation in greenhouse temperature resulted in excellent germination. For those who don't know Scotland, August is not really a summer month, more like a pseudo-autumn month, dull weather and cool nights. I have successfully germinated many conos in October, in the greenhouse without any additional heat. However, given my Latitude on the globe any advantage over sowing in February is minimal as light levels in December are so low that plants have to be dried out slightly and put into 'stasis' otherwise bloating and rotting will occur.

Are you providing supplementary lighting in winter Darren?

[Darren S]

I did carry out lengthy experiments regarding best time to germinate summer-dormant mesembs of several genera (excluding conos and lithops) under my conditions in 2002 and offered to write up my findings for the MSG bulletin but didn't get a reply - possibly my mail got spam-filtered out or Suzanne wasn't really so desperate for material as the editorial suggested

I am sure Suzanne would have been interested in your proposal if she had received it. If you still have the information why not offer it again. Information on genera other than Lithops would be quite refreshing.

With regard to autumn sowing, for a number of years in the early 90's I sowed all my Faucaria, Pleiospilos etc in August in the greenhouse without any propagator. The fluctuation in greenhouse temperature resulted in excellent germination. For those who don't know Scotland, August is not really a summer month, more like a pseudo-autumn month, dull weather and cool nights. I have successfully germinated many conos in October, in the greenhouse without any additional heat. However, given my Latitude on the globe any advantage over sowing in February is minimal as light levels in December are so low that plants have to be dried out slightly and put into 'stasis' otherwise bloating and rotting will occur.

Are you providing supplementary lighting in winter Darren?

No supplementary lighting Brian but I suspect my conditions at the time were different to yours. We lived on Walney Island on the Cumbrian coast. Walney has a unique climate in that it is virtually frost free and also has high levels of sunshine as clouds often don't form until the moist air from the Irish sea has drifted over and reached the lake district hills further inland. ( It is just about the most permanently windy place in England though......) My late mother-in-law who lived nearby would grow florists cyclamen, south african bulbs and some pelargoniums outdoors right through the winter. I have not repeated the experiment since moving here but it would be interesting.

[BrianMc]

We lived on Walney Island on the Cumbrian coast. Walney has a unique climate in that it is virtually frost free and also has high levels of sunshine as clouds often don't form until the moist air from the Irish sea has drifted over and reached the lake district hills further inland.

I have seen similar things up here when visiting collections close to the Ayrshire coast, I have noticed plants flowering freely that struggle to bloom in my Greenhouse.