Question about Passiflora germination

[sildanani]

I haven't been able to successfully germinate many Passiflora seeds and heard that you can use orange juice to soften the shells. Could I substitute this with lemon juice or vinegar? How long should I soak them?

[Grapebush]

I had some success using Passiflora edulis ssp. flavicarpa juice, for about 24h.

[mangaba]

Passiflora edulis seeds normally should be soaked in water for 24 hrs before planting. I have done this with 100% success. I live in the tropics. Maybe ambient temperature could be a factor for you.

[Finca La Isla]

Interesting, the fresh seeds germinate like crazy simply being spread out on the medium, pulp and all.  So, if your seeds are fresh and not germinating perhaps it is the temperature.  It's always warm here, the low might be 23c/74f or so.
The dried seeds need soaking for a couple of days and patience.
Peter

[sildanani]

Interesting, the fresh seeds germinate like crazy simply being spread out on the medium, pulp and all.  So, if your seeds are fresh and not germinating perhaps it is the temperature.  It's always warm here, the low might be 23c/74f or so.
The dried seeds need soaking for a couple of days and patience.
Peter

I got my dried seeds from eBay and I use bottom heat. Not sure if they are just old or will take more than a couple of months. I also soak them for a day. Sometimes they are successful, but it depends.

[sildanani]

Interesting, the fresh seeds germinate like crazy simply being spread out on the medium, pulp and all.  So, if your seeds are fresh and not germinating perhaps it is the temperature.  It's always warm here, the low might be 23c/74f or so.
The dried seeds need soaking for a couple of days and patience.
Peter

The seeds are dried and I use bottom heat. I was curious how an acid would affect germination vs warm water. Hey, maybe I can do an experiment!

[sildanani]

I had some success using Passiflora edulis ssp. flavicarpa juice, for about 24h.

But would lemon juice work just because it's acidic? I have purple P. edulis currently ripening. Maybe I could use that once it fully ripens.

[Finca La Isla]

The different experiments could be interesting. There is a guy who sometimes comes around with different passiflora seeds. He cautions about the germination being slow on the dried seeds. If there is any chance to get the ripe fruit I would go with that.
Peter

[Grapebush]

I had some success using Passiflora edulis ssp. flavicarpa juice, for about 24h.

But would lemon juice work just because it's acidic? I have purple P. edulis currently ripening. Maybe I could use that once it fully ripens.

Maybe it works, but lemon juice could be too acidic, and afect the seeds in a negative way... But I think there's only one way of knowing if it works or not; try it with a small amount of seeds and compare the results with other methods.

Nélio.

[LivingParadise]

Best way to start seeds with a tough coat that I have found is to take a fingernail clipper and CAREFULLY clip a nick off the edge of the seed - enough to remove a bit of coating and create a good sized hole, but not enough to actually damage the inner embryo. Soak in warm water overnight, or place in a wet paper towel inside a ziploc bag in a warm place. It helps the seed germinate so much faster when it doesn't have to fight through a hard shell. Nail clippers are much easier to hold and use accurately, even in very small seeds, than usual recommendations of sandpaper, etc. for scarification.

Using juice is unnecessary, and is more likely to start mold around the seed which would be a bad thing for the plant in its very beginning of life. Not to mention, too much acid - like concentrated lemon juice - could hurt the embryo. A metal nail clipper is much faster and is very easy to control. Best to do a practice seed first though, before doing it on the only seed you have of a very important or rare variety of plant. It's very easy to do on passiflora seeds.

[sildanani]

Best way to start seeds with a tough coat that I have found is to take a fingernail clipper and CAREFULLY clip a nick off the edge of the seed - enough to remove a bit of coating and create a good sized hole, but not enough to actually damage the inner embryo. Soak in warm water overnight, or place in a wet paper towel inside a ziploc bag in a warm place. It helps the seed germinate so much faster when it doesn't have to fight through a hard shell. Nail clippers are much easier to hold and use accurately, even in very small seeds, than usual recommendations of sandpaper, etc. for scarification.

Using juice is unnecessary, and is more likely to start mold around the seed which would be a bad thing for the plant in its very beginning of life. Not to mention, too much acid - like concentrated lemon juice - could hurt the embryo. A metal nail clipper is much faster and is very easy to control. Best to do a practice seed first though, before doing it on the only seed you have of a very important or rare variety of plant. It's very easy to do on passiflora seeds.

I am currently soaking 6 of the 10 in warm water for 24 hrs. I'll scarify and soak the other 4 and see how that works.