Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

Hi all.
I received these seeds from FlaFlowerFloozie and soaked them in warm water for two days and then put them in a baggie with damp sphagnum moss which I put on top of my electric hot water heater. I then covered the baggie with some insulation to keep the heat in.

I believe the seeds were about a month and a half old when I received them. I started on October 6 and today I checked (Feb 7) and I have three fresh sprouts.

Of course I checked them everyday and turned the bag over so the seeds wouldn't dry out, and gave them a spray with water when it got too dry in the bag.

Now I have potted one up with regular potting soil with added perlite and sat the seed on top of a little perlite island and covered that with more perlite and watered it.

The idea behind the perlite is to help stop the damping off.

I then put a clear cup upside down on top of the first cup and taped the seam to keep the fresh sprout from drying out.

Hope this works.

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Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

That is just like a mini green house.......clever.
And congrats on the new sprouts.

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

Well, it's been almost a year since my Velutina's germinated and now I have flowers. The tree with the two pups now has a fat bud showing itself.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fo3SanYTkQ

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

Congratulations Sammy! You get a zone-denial award from me!

:birthdaynana:

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

Finally the banana peels itself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9tDz4j1Qfg

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

A taste test and a look inside for the seeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH0YeVi0kt0

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

I bought 1000 of these from mark davies on ebay uk and soaked and planted the first 200 about 6 weeks ago. i am running a vitopod at 30c daytime, off at night and in the last few days 5 have popped up, so hopefully many more on their way. i have tried before without success and it seems to prove that you need to be able to get the right temperature, which most propagators cannot attain.

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

Thanks for posting your experiences with this species, Sammy!

I am now where you were 15 months ago with m.velutina seeds just germinating after 4 months. I had just about given up with them when approximately 7 of the dozen or so seeds showed sprouts. Here in zone 6, the nights usually stay above 50°F (10°C), and humidity is good. How much sun is best for a new sprout if it has good moist potting medium? Can fresh seeds be planted immediately for better germination, or is it necessary for them to dry out first?

Thanks,
--Rick in CT

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

Hi Rick,
I would try your new sprout out in the sun and see how it does.
I hear fresh seeds sprout quicker than older ones.
Last summer I put one of my plants outside and it barely grew. Must have been the very cool nights that slowed it down. Anyways the ones I kept inside all summer grew much quicker and flowered in a year. They can take quite a bit of shade and still flower, but it seems they need a continuous warmth to grow well.

Sam.

Re: Musa Velutina Seeds Germinated
 

I bought 3 plants of ornata x sikkimensis because i didn't want to wait for germination. all 3 arrived same size and were treated same way. 1 plant was put in my porch for maximum sunshine, the other 2 put indoors. the 2 indoors are now about 6 inches taller than the porch one, so presumably temperature was more important than sunlight as it was warmer indoors but no direct sunlight. 3 more of my velutina have now sprouted in propagator, they were all soaked and rubbed on sandpaper to help break dormancy.