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Old 10-07-2007, 11:32 AM   #2 (permalink)
taroking
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Default Re: Need help getting started growing bananas from seed.

this is an interesting wish list that you have Isaac.
But what you will find is that many of them are only vegetative, ( divisions or TC's). They do not produce seed, or they were found as an anomaly in a batch of seedlings and therefore do not come true from seed. Stick to the species selections if you would like to experiment with germination. Try www.trebrownnurseries.com or www.rarepalmseed.com. I would recommend purchasing at least 50 seeds of each variety you want to try, as they can be a little fussy to germinate. Try sowing directly into a store bought seed germination mix. Give them alternating temps at 19 hours cool and 5 hours warm. You will find that some will respond well to large fluctuations (Eg. 35c - 15c) while others are better with less severe fluctuations (Eg. 25c - 15c or 20c -15c) do not go much below 12c as this can put them into dormancy which can be hard to overcome. Also, some of the more tropical species seem to do well with constant temps in the range of 20c- 35c depending on variety. Fresh seed seems to be the best, although I have had some luck with germinating older seed stored dry at room temperature for 2 years. There are a lot of unknowns. Here are some results from my latest experiments
35c - 15c
Musa Helens Hybrid 21%
M. Sikkimensis 23%
M. Sikkimensis Red tiger 0%
M. flaviflora 3%
M. Formosana 4%
E. Glaucum 1%

25c - 15c
E. Glaucum 24%
M. Sikkimensis Red tiger 30%
M. Sikkimensis 34%
M. Helens Hyb. 11%
M. Flaviflora 7%
M. Formosana 0%

21c - 15c
M. sikkimensis 3%
M. Sikkimensis Red tiger 27%
E. glaucum 18%
M Helens Hyb. 30%
M. flaviflora 15%
M. Formosana 2%
I want to also note that after these experiments were finished, I put the seed trays on a propagation bench in the greenhouse and received some further germination from all trays with M. formosana about being about 50%
Have fun !!
Taroking
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