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Growing from Seed

False Indigo from seeds

18 years ago

Has anyone ever tried to grow False Indigo from seed. I'am trying it this year, and the seeds are starting to mold. I uncovered them to let them air out. Any help with this would be appreciated.

Thanks, Jennie

Featured Answer

Loretta NJ Z6

18 years ago

Prod the seeds with a tweezer or something and make sure the seed is firm. If they give, throw them out. Otherwise, you can rinse the seeds with some water and a splash of hydrogen peroxide. I've done them in baggies in the fridge and it took a long time, several months. The seed wasn't fresh, at least a year old. As long as they are firm, they should still be good. Some germinated in the fridge. At that point, I potted them all up and they all continued to germinate.

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Comments (9)

blueheron
18 years ago
Park's "Success with Seeds" says:

GERMINATION: Outdoors, sow in late fall or early spring for spring germination. Indoors, nick or file the hard seed coats for fastest germination, and maintain a temperature within the medium of 70-75' until germination in 5-10 days.
Nurmey
18 years ago
Don't toss those seeds yet. It's been a couple years since I've grown FI but I seem to remember they are one of those seeds that get "furry" before they sprout. I might be remembering wrong but there are many seeds that do that.
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michelelee
18 years ago
I always soak mine until they swell, then sow. I have 4 up now.
tastefullyjulie
18 years ago
I just had a whole tray of cupid's dart fuzz up on me. Thanks to a suggestion here I misted them with a solution of 10parts water 1 part hydrogen peroxide and within hours the mold was gone. Now they look great and are sprouting.
fairy_toadmother
17 years ago
since false indigo is a legume member, does it require an innoculant? mine won't germinate and they were fresh last fall. it seems from the posts here that it doesn't.

thanks!
fairy_toadmother
17 years ago
i believe what i have is white wild indigo (Baptisia lactea).
morz8 - Washington Coast
17 years ago
Fairy, fresh last Fall isn't fresh, it's stored. Baptisia sown immediately after harvesting will sprout right away - if the seed has been stored it's much slower and some kind of means to breach the rock hard seed coat is necessary. Some will nick each seed, but Tony Avent, others (Clothier) will suggest a boiling water drench.

"Fresh sown baptisia seed germinates quite easy and quite fast...usually in two weeks. Older stored seed, on the other hand is very difficult and slow to sprout. I recommend that all old baptisia seed be placed in a Styrofoam cup and doused in boiling water and allowed to cool prior to planting. This will begin to break down the seed coat and encourage germination. We have even tried this on seed that was sown but showed sporadic germination. Un-germinated seed were sifted from the potting mix, drenched with boiling water, and resown, with amazing results. " Avent
fairy_toadmother
17 years ago
thank you! is it necessary to let the seeds dry to complete formation, or can you sow them when they are green.

i did forget to add that i sowed some last year right out of the pod (which had turned brown already) and saved some to sow this year. none of them sprouted. that which was outside received the winter treatment. i obviously sowed it wrong for it to have not sprouted. also, i direct seeded.

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