Basjoofriend

Hi!

Yesterday my Brazilian friend told me that my banana seed (11 species, hybrids and provenances) from Rarepalmseeds and Sunshine Seeds are germinated after 5 nights with nearly freeze (near 0°C or near 32°F, so 1°C, 2°C or 33°F, 34°F or 35°F), all of the seeds germinated!!!! It's amazing!

I have shipped seeds to Helton to Brazil:

Musa sikkimensis Rarepalmseeds
Musa sikkimensis Sunshine Seeds
Musa sikkimensis Red Tiger
Musa sikkimensis Red Flash
Musa sikkimensis Manipur
Musa x sikkimensis "Daj Giant"
Musa sikkimensis x paradiescana
Musa sp. Helen's Hybrid
Musa cheesmani
Musa yunnanensis
Musa siamensis "Thai Gold"

Now I can begin my project with crossing bananas. Now I have the importantest bananas for my program in Brazil.

I surmise that hardy and cold tolerant bananas require stratification to germinate. Who has the similar or the same experiences like me?

Best wishes
Basjoofriend

Chironex

Very interesting findings! I remember reading that someone had speculated on the benefits of cold stratification, but I know of no one who has tried. I believe that Joe Real had such a post a long while back, if memory serves.

__________________
Scot

akebono

I'm just getting germination off of some seeds from a single species (Musa sikkimensis) and single supplier. About 30 seeds were split into two groups. One group was kept cold 2-4 C for 7 days, the other was temperature cycled between 26 C and 46 C until germination. After 21 days the temperature cycled group showed some germination.

Not sure what the difference in results are due to, but I am glad for you!

-akebono

Basjoofriend

Hi,

also it was a cycle between night and day, near 0°C overnight and so between 20° and 25°C overday. I do remember about germinating Parajubaea torallyi from the Andes from Peru. Musa sikkimensis is a mountain banana from the Himalaya.

Helton has also protected the seed from cold, fortunately no frosts. He also was surprised.

Best wishes
Joachim

jmoore

Interesting.

Getting the seeds as close to their natural environment is the key I suspect. It is a strategy for a lot of plants to remain dormant until the conditions are right and this usually comes after a spell of cold weather, I don't see why bananas (especially sikkimensis) should be any different. It won't do any harm to put them in the fridge for a couple of days. I think I'll try just that when my next batch arrives.