Canna ~2013~

Ill have a few for back up if you don't mind sal!

 

I think PeterS was referring to Joolz's news about the update about their new website? I think they've been talking about a new website for a number of years ... maybe its imminent this time around, but its been like a lot of garden plans in the past !!

 

In the second case I was referring to the news about the new website from Jools.

But LongK, you are quite right I meant to say thank you Kristen for the earlier information about Karchesky. - so thank you Kristen.

 

I will keep checking to see if the new karchesky website appears,i have emailed and inboxed on fb since xmas but not had a reply,if they have rhizomes ready for sale soon they will show up but nothing showing the ebay site yet either.
Im off to pot up 88 more seeds

 

Where are you going to put them all Joolz.

 

No idea pete i will worry about that if they germinate..
Ive got 11 growing on already in 7cm pots
Ive decided to start the the smaller varieties in a seed pot tray(in the heated prop) it will save some space for now and the rest 2 seeds to a 7cm pot.
Its going to be a challenge..what id give for a cosy heated greenhouse

 

Rhizomes may be intercepted (and destroyed??) by customs?? whereas seed should be OK

 

Thanks Freddy. I was lucky as the Canna has shoved up 6 inches of growth from the middle of the stem. The emerging leaves have a flat area like it has been cut but they are growing! I can live with a slightly deformed leaf

 

Well, just got back from a few days away and found that out of the 33 seeds sown I have half germinated already after just 4-5 days!!, with at least one out of each variety sown coming through...

 

Well done bilbo.
Mine STILL not showing at all 1 out of 40 is poor

So Ive decided to empty the pots and nothing not even one sprouting!
Gave them another soak for a couple of hours and popped them back in, but not as deep this time!
Fingers crossed!

 

Very strange Mowgley, my seed are a mix of bought seed from last year, collected seed from my own plants and in the case of C.altensteinni these are over 7 years old and yet they still germinate, so I have a mix of seed.

When I prepared them I filed off enough seed coating to reveal some of the inner white of the seed and popped them in polystyrene drinks cups with hot water, I refreshed the water with more warm water after 24 hours and again after about 36 hours and on this occasion as I knew I would have no time to sow them after 48 hours I refreshed the water for a third time and sowed them after 72 hours.

I sowed 3 seed to a pot, 11 varieties in total, all about twice the depth of the seed and popped them on a heated propagator base and that's it.

Good luck Mowgley, I hope yours eventually come through

 

Maybe Ive filed too much off the seed. We will see!

 

Ive been thinking alsorts that i could of done wrong..
Compost not drained enough(too wet for too long)
Not enough warmth/too much warmth
Depth planted,too much perlite..on and on
And also the worry of enough or not enough filing
I noticed some places on the seed i filed was where the seed germinates directly out of but some seeds i filed i just seen the off white colour outer seed part,does it make a diifferance to germination gang? are we filing wrong ??

 

I try to avoid the "scar" when filing, as I figure that is where it will germinate from. Just nick the coat until you can see a little white. Too little probably better than too much - none at all means that seed takes its time absorbing water, so worst case is that it takes longer to germinate whereas too much may damage the seed I think.

Most seeds should expand when soaked. If they don't then worth checking that they have been nicked enough, and then re-soaking for a further 24 hours. If they expand then they've absorbed water and should be fine.

 

I've been reading Joolz and Mowgleys predicament , it is very disheartening when seeds don't germinate , and the what have I done wrong doubts creep in . I was thinking , as Kristen , was the seed scarification OK . I filed mine with a round file so the white bit was as big as a rice crispie , if that helps . Then a 24 hour soak in weak tea followed by planting 1/2" deep in MPC. I put my covered seed tray onto a heated prop, so they germinated in about 7 to 9 days at around 24°c .Hope this helps . Its not to late to have another go if you have seeds