viability of clivia seed

18 years ago

Helo all!

I am sure many of you are aware of the short viability of clivia seed - that it should be sowed on receipt. Well I planted some in the dark ,which I had read somewhere was required. Nothing grew and I thought it was because I had bad seed. Rachel, of Silver Hills seeds in South Africa ,corrected me and said they need light. I had stuck them outside in advance of dumping my " bad seed".

A couple of weeks later , I saw clivias peeking tho' they had been in the dark drawer for over two months. It seems that they will continue to be viable if they are kept moist and in the dark ( cuz otherwise they won't store, they will grow) : )

Cherry

Comments (7)

baci
18 years ago
They will shrivel if stored. The smaller or immature seeds also sometimes shrivel & die. I have some outside in the cooler weather & some have still not sprouted but are still alive. They also need a very long time Â 9-13 months to ripen. Traders should know the seed maturity since these plants take so long to grow. Fresh seeds also travel OK when wrapped in a moist paper towel & placed in a baggie.

What type of media did you use, cherryirene? I have had luck in Vermiculite & a sandy soil.
cherryirene
Original Author
18 years ago
Hello Baci,
Tho this subject need further study, I agree that normally they will shrivel if kept in dry storage. My observation is that I had them in damp media in the dark for over two months. Since Rachel had instructed me that they needed light, I uncovered them in the media and found them all looking healthy and plump. They started to germinate within two weeks. So my thought is that if one is unable to plant them immediately , wrap them in a damp paper towel and keep them in the dark.
You ask what media do I use. I use a seed germinating mix which is basically peat moss . I have a suspicion that my growing on mix, Promix Bx ,would do just as well. That is also a peat moss with amendments added.
It is too bad that they are so expensive that we little guys can't experiment with a batch of them. I have paid as much a $4.00 for one seed.
CG
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lillybyron
18 years ago
I bought many clivia seeds on ebay and grow them using the baggie method ( damp paper towel in sandwich baggie). They germinate well. I spend $6.50 on 20 seeds... they are the generic orange clivia minata kind, but I just love them! $4.00 a seed seems too expensive for me.
cherryirene
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi Lilly,
You may well be able to buy the generic seed for a few dollars. I am a seed nut and am always looking to try the new and different. The seed that I have paid so much for are yellows , variegated and special crosses of pastels . With the yellows, you aren't even guaranteed that the plant that grows will be yellow.
Because they have to be fresh, I get an email from Silver Hill seeds and have to buy right away. They aren't even listed because they come in at irregular periods and sold ! -they're gone. Here's their address for seeds of plants you wan't find anywhere else.
http://www.silverhillseeds.co.za
CG
baci
18 years ago
Another problem with clivia is they are so slow growing. I have had one for 7 years & it is still a juvenile. They need to be mature before flowering to any extent.
I think there is also a problem with the variegated turning out albino, which results in seedling death.
Cherryirene, how did you pay through Silverhill? Did they charge you extra for shipping, or do they have a US address? I would think the yellow would do OK with hand pollination, but I am unsure of that.
Someone on eBay also reported to germinate them in a sponge, but I tried that & it did not work.
cherryirene
Original Author
18 years ago
HI BACI,
yOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT CLIVIAS BEING SLOW GROWING. HOW I GET AROUND MY IMPATIENCE IS THAT I GROW HUNDREDS OF SEEDS AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON SOMEWHERE , SO i DON'T NOTICE THE LONG WAIT FOR THE CLIVIA. THE WORST THING THAT EVER HAPPENNED TO ME BASED ON A SLOW GROWER WAS STRELITZIA. I STARTED WITH SIX SEEDS. TWO TOOK FOUR MONTHS TO SPROUT- TWO TOOK SIX ,AT WHICH POINT I WAS SATISFIED. fOUR AND A HALF YEARS LATER, THEY WERE IN BUD AND THEN MY GREEN HOUSE WAS BROKEN INTO AND THEY WERE STOLEN. BUMMER!
SILVER HILLS DOES HAVE AN ONLINE ORDER FORM BUT SINCE THEY EMAIL YOU URGENTLY WHEN THEY HAVE PERISHaBLES (YOU HAVE TO ASK TO BE PUT ON THEUR LIST) I emailed my address particulars for them to have on file (including my credit card spread out over several emails.) So when they tell me about something good, I email my wants and remind them that have all my details .
They ship them in a common bundle to the states so you don't have to pay a fortune for inspection. The shipping cost and your share of the inspection cost comes out pretty cheap . Nice folks.
CG
baci
18 years ago
ThatÂs too bad about your birds Â especially having raised them from seed. I have had 2 neighbors steal plants from me. I have put my plants on a monitor. It costs about $40.00 per camera, but I was forced to do so.

viability of clivia seed

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viability of clivia seed

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