Advise on Germinating Annonas and Eugenias

[cdin12]

I just purchased a few of the less common Annona species seeds and a few common and less common Eugenia seeds. I don't have experience with germinating these species, would appreciate a few tips to improve my chances of success.

[achetadomestica]

My experience with Eugenias is that having 2 or more trees works best.
Bees don't pollinate annonas You can put old fruit under the tree to attract
the beetles that pollinate them. I have tortoises and have the extra fruit
but hand pollination is suppose to be the best for the largest most developed fruit.
There are several youtube videos that show the details. Some annonas you will
gather the pollen in the morning and pollinate at night or vice versa for best results

[John B]

You may want to be specific on the annonas and Eugenia's you bought. Some need very little help, while others use GA3 and/or leave seeds dormant for months to assist with germination.

[cdin12]

I got a few black E. uniflora from trade winds that they allege are about ready to sprout. I'm not too concerned about those, they were cheap and I plan to plant regular in a sprouting mix with heat. I purchased a few E. stipitata that I have yet to receive. I was also thinking about purchasing a couple, E. burkartiana, those two species that lead me to ask. The Annona species purchased seeds for are:  spinescens and herzogii.

Thanks all.

[achetadomestica]

I am sorry I thought you said pollinating not germinating

I put Eugenia seeds in damp vermiculite in a baggie.
If the vermiculite is not too wet the seeds will germinate if they are good.
I leave the seeds on my counter if you kept them outside they would
germinate quicker. The only annona seeds I have germinated are
the common ones like A squamosa, A. reticulata,
I put them in between damp papertowels in a larger baggie.
I change the paper towels every 2-3 days. I had some saramoyo
seeds and left them in damp vermiculite for 6 months but they never germinated.

[hammer524]

I bought about five varieties of the saramoyos. Only 2 out of 5 germinated using the moist vermiculite in a baggie for like 6 months

I have an extra Pink Yucutan Saramoyo I can send you achetadmoestica if you pay for postage. My summer heat made a big dent on it but its starting to bounce back now that I have been giving it more compost tea. Its the runt of my litter. I only have 2 Pink Yucatans and 2 Tikyal Reds left but thats plenty for me. Let me know if your interested.
.

I am sorry I thought you said pollinating not germinating

I put Eugenia seeds in damp vermiculite in a baggie.
If the vermiculite is not too wet the seeds will germinate if they are good.
I leave the seeds on my counter if you kept them outside they would
germinate quicker. The only annona seeds I have germinated are
the common ones like A squamosa, A. reticulata,
I put them in between damp papertowels in a larger baggie.
I change the paper towels every 2-3 days. I had some saramoyo
seeds and left them in damp vermiculite for 6 months but they never germinated.

[cdin12]

It sound like I just need to keep the organics low, maintain a consistent but not too high level of moisture, be patient, and hope for the best.

[brian]

All I can say is, don't give up until the seeds rot.  Sometimes seeds will sit a long time without doing anything, but until they rot they may still be viable.  I've had tropical seeds sprout well over a year after planting!

[JCorte]

Like John B mentions, I have found some need a period of dormancy, others may not, but take a few weeks to sprout.  You'll have to experiment until you get to know the requirements of a particular variety. 

For the Saramuyo seeds I received from JF, I found that the seeds I planted right away had low germination.  Those that I stored for months then planted in the spring pretty much all sprouted, both on heated mats indoors and those left in pots outside. 

For me the best medium has been coir for seedlings, it is very finely ground and rinsed of salts with neutral pH.  For plants that are sensitive to alkalinity, I hydrate with rain water.  After it's hydrated, I squeeze out all the excess moisture, and place into ziplock sandwich bags, leaving room for the sprouts to grow.  Place seeds near the top and covered lightly, then seal the bags.  As long as the medium has been squeezed of the excess moisture, you should not have a problem with the seeds molding.  Sealing the bags keeps the medium from drying out and maintains humidity as the seedlings sprout.  I check the bags weekly, once I see the seeds starting to sprout, i open the bag a little bit to allow fresh air and grow in the bag until the first leaves have grown for about a week.  The fine coir medium allows me to separate sprouted seedlings easily.  These bags are placed on a heating mat indoors and receive late afternoon sun through a window.

Some seeds with a long dormancy period like passion fruit seeds, I plant in pots outside, often in a pot already growing a plant, in a partially shaded spot and they usually sprout on their own in spring after our winter rains.  I've had seeds sprout even after a couple years.  So I agree with Brian, don't give up on the seeds if they haven't rotted. 

It's taken me a lot of trial and error, but the above mentioned strategy has been successful for me.  Good luck to you.

Janet

[JCorte]

Here are some photos of my current plantings.






Janet