zinniasjm

I bought 10 sikkimensis seeds on eBay recently and want to plant them. I bought seed starter mix. Should I scarify the seeds? If so, how? I also read somewhere about putting the seeds in warm water first. Any suggestions, ideas, or experience you have would be greatly appreciated.

zergas

from personal experience this is what works best for me.
soaks seeds in warm water and peroxide (no more than 3% peroxide of total volume) for about 24 hours.
then get some horticultural vermiculite and soak it in water for a few minutes, sqeeze excess water from it, put the vermiculite in a ziplock bag along with 2 or 3 seeds.
close the bag and keep it at 75f (80-85 is better)
your seeds should germinate within 2-3 weeks.
as soon as they do germinate pot them up in good quality potting mix (catctus soil works very well as it drain excess water very well).

zinniasjm

Thanks Zergas! Those are some great tips! I can't wait to get started.

STEELVIPER

Fluctuating temperatures will also help. Daytime temps. to 80F-90F, then night time temps. at about 65F-70F. Use a heat pad during the day, then room temps. at night.

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mrbungalow

Fluctuating temps is a must! 14 hrs of 55-60 and 10 hrs of 80-90 works well for my sikkimensis seeds. And please don't scarify! More hours of cold, less hours of warm!

I also just read somewhere that most Musa seeds are not only hard to germinate, a fair percentage of them are naturally unable to germinate. So I would reccomend getting atleast 100 seeds from a reliable seedsource.

Erlend

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zinniasjm

Great info. Thanks! Wish me luck...