Author Topic: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?  (Read 2323 times)

SonnyCrockett

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Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« on: August 17, 2017, 11:57:35 AM »
I've tried germinating Passiflora seeds from BuyRareSeeds.com, but never had any luck.  Other guys online have said the seeds are old and didn't look like they would germinate. 

Any tips here?

So far, I've tried:
-Soak in orange juice
-Soak in water
-Soak in Hydrogen Peroxide
-Scarification
-Paper towel method
-Direct sowing

Is there a way to tell if they are still good?  What should I do here?

Thanks,
Sonny

DuncanKnight

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2017, 04:13:03 PM »
I am a new member.  I have tried growing old seed that were about a year old and out of a bunch of seed, I only got 3 plants out of it.  It took like over a month for 3 of the seeds to break out of the shell and another 3 months before they had a new leaf. So almost a year into this, here is how the plant looks right now.




Guayaba

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2017, 12:57:40 AM »
I wish I could tell you a success story, but I attempted to germinate over 120 Passiflora seeds last January and had no success.  I tried many of the methods you discussed including soaking in orange juice, milk, water, warm water and nothing worked.  I think all the seed I had was old and not viable.  I am trying a couple of new batches and started them this week. I understand Passiflora seed can take many months to germinate, but I used a seedling heat mat and kept the soil moist for five months.  That should have been sufficient for germination to occur if the seed were viable.
Bob

fruitlovers

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2017, 01:20:24 AM »
All depends on how the seeds are stored. If stored in hot and humid condition they may not last a month. If they are stored in the fridge at proper temperatures they can last 1-2 years.
Once a seed is dead there is no way to bring it to life. There are methods to bring seeds that are in a dormant state out of dormancy. But i don't believe that passifloras, at least the ones i'm familiar with, have a dormant stage. So best method is to buy fresh seeds. If you can buy fruits you can use the seeds inside the fruits.
Oscar

TheWaterbug

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2017, 02:21:38 AM »
But be careful where you get the seeds. I planted seeds from a Frederick plant, sprouted them, tended them, transplanted them, and waited 2.5 years to get fruit. And the fruit were small and had no pulp inside. >:( >:( >:( >:(





Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

SonnyCrockett

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2017, 09:46:03 AM »
But be careful where you get the seeds. I planted seeds from a Frederick plant, sprouted them, tended them, transplanted them, and waited 2.5 years to get fruit. And the fruit were small and had no pulp inside. >:( >:( >:( >:(







That's wild.  You would think it would at least have seeds, if nothing else.  I had a Possum Purple that I picked up from Lara Farms in Homestead, FL in a 4" pot.  18 months later, it took up 15' on a fence and had about 100 fruit on it, but I lost it over the winter.  I really enjoyed the taste of the fruit, so I wanted to try some different kinds: Pandora, Black Knight, Panama Gold, etc.  But they are hard to find, if not impossible, as a plant.  I think this will be my last time trying to germinate seeds - at least from this seller.

Finca La Isla

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2017, 10:58:16 AM »
Dried passiflora seeds can tale 2-3 months to germinate.
Peter

sildanani

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2017, 12:50:19 PM »
A heating pad may be helpful, especially for cooler months. Day and night variation play a role as well. With seeds I keep them in evenly moist soil with a plastic covering to keep humidity in, outside on my front yard for the warmer parts of the year. But the best thing to do when buying is to either get cuttings to root or get fresh seeds directly from a forum member by posting the "buy, sell, trade" tab. Don't give up on them just yet though. I have had some pop up a year later, and now I don't have an id for them. :-\  If I may ask, where have you been buying yours Passiflora seeds in the past?
Anisha

SonnyCrockett

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2017, 02:19:14 PM »
where have you been buying yours Passiflora seeds in the past?

A place called BuyRareSeeds.com.

Triloba Tracker

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2017, 04:08:38 PM »
Passiflora incarnata greatly benefits from cold stratification. I've had near 100% germination in less than 7 days after stratifying seeds.
However, this is not a tropical member of the species. I'm assuming the seeds you ordered were of a tropical genus.

SonnyCrockett

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Re: Can you Germinate old Passiflora seeds?
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2017, 12:12:02 PM »
Here's what the seed seller said:

"I soak in Orange juice until soft. Place in pots and cover 1/4" with vermiculite and no cover. Covers can rot seeds so i don't use them for seeds that can take more than 2 weeks. My seeds are under a shade cover 40% light. Some pop up in a few weeks as other take up to 2 years.  I never throw away my seed pots. I get surprises every year."

I asked him about germination rates and he replied:

"Fresh wet seeds have a better rate around 80%. Dried seeds are around 50%. They both can come up in a week but more for the fresh seeds. The dried will come up but with less germination and takes more time. Sometimes all of them pop up when dried after a year so it's really sporadic on the dried seeds. That is why I keep my pots."