The easiest way to see if seeds are viable is to float some in water. If they swell and sprout, they are viable.

Just have a look at xuan's thread "Seeds are Sprouting"

thanks abby,iput them in a clear glass pyrex bowl last night.how ling do think,at the longest before i will know?
thanks again,patricia

Or... if you don't want to germinate them right away... you can hold them up to a light source, rather like candling eggs, and if you see a little squiggle or bump or dark spot in the center of the sheath, they should be viable... that's the embryo!

If you've already floated them in water, you should see sprouting begin somewhere around the 2 week mark... although, some varieties take longer, others shorter times... it all depends.

Jodi

Have you any experience with seeds that have embryonated seeds in the pod? I just opened a batch and there is about a dozen seeds that have embryonated.

Do you think it better to attempt to germinate them without drying them?

Patricia
You are welcome. Let us know how you are getting on. You might also like to read Xuan's thread on this page 'Seeds are sprouting'

thanks to ALL of you.i'm pretty good with seed and propagating other plants,but,this is a whole new world for me.i know the seed were dry,when i went to retrieve them after watching a long time,they blew like bugs flying.after i collected them i wrapped them in paper towel for a few weeks,and just put 'em in water a few hights ago.i can't find the thread by xuan,please help.
i looked on ebay and am gonna order some seed just to try.guess it may be the agony of defeat.i'm sure gonna try.
TIA to all of you,patricia

abby11,

Can you post a picture of your seeds? I am not sure what you mean by "seeds that have embryonated."

Patricia,
I can send you seeds for a SASE! soultan- at freemail dot hu

thanks soultan,could you send me your email add.? mine is woodsgranny3@aol.com..thanks a million,patricia

java j

It is when seeds start to germinate in the pod. When the seeds come out of the pod they have whitish discoloured markings.

{{gwi:413554}}

It is my experience that the fresher the hippeastrum seed, the better the chance for germination. When I harvest seed from pods on my bulbs, I allow the pod to ripen until it begins to split open... then, I snip the entire pod off the top of the scape and set it aside on a shelf to dry for a few days. After that, I open the pod the rest of the way and remove the seeds.

I either float or plant them, or put them in little envelopes for storage, to plant later. Hippeastrum seed seems to lose its viability as time passes... I assume this is because the embryos dry out completely and die inside the seed sheath, although, I'm not certain this is the case. I have noticed, though, that the longer you wait to plant the seed, the less that sprout. So, I would be careful about purchasing seed from unknown sources...

Abby11,

Thank you for the picture and explanation of "embryonated seeds." I have never seen anything like that.

Let us know the success rate for root and leaf development.

The seeds with the white discolouring are not viable - helas.
Something went wrong during development, or incompatible genes tried to merge ...
Take them out of the water and throw them away ( my experience is they are a source of mold developping )
The all black seeds ( with a slight thickening in the middle )- they are viable, and in about two weeks time you should see their first roots.
Good luck !

Hey there,
I have some Red Lion seeds from this past winter if you want them. Although Im sure soultans seeds are great too. From what Ive read he seems to be a pretty knowledgable guy on these matters and wouldn't send you ones that are too old.

erin,thanks for the offer,i'm trying to get with soultan,but will take you up on the red lion.red is my favorite inside and out.you can email me at WOODSGRANNT3@AOL.COM so we can figure out how to send and recieve....thanks a bunch,patricia

ERIN, I GOOFED...my email is:woodsgranny3@aol.com
thanks,patricia

I agree with Jaap's statement. The seeds shown above are not viable. I generally obtain this kind of malformed seeds after I perform the pollination of Hippeastrum papilio using pollen of TET knight star lilies. Among these seeeds there are sometimes some intact, but always very few, viable seeds with a sunflower grain shaped embryo inside. It is essential that the fresh seeds be examinated in order to discriminate viable seeds which contain a plump and regularly shaped embryo inside, because the embryo dries up so fast once the seed foil is exposed to air.
Germination of seeds (forming of a root) inside the still closed, still green seed pod, is another issue and it happens obviously in still more rare cases, and I had the but one opportunity to watch a picture of proof of this phenomenon. (otherwise I would not have believed...)

Hans-Werner

All the seeds in the carry the off colour blemish on one side or the other - the normal seeds from the pods were planted separately.

I've floated some of these seeds and also used a zip lock method in tissue on some. I will report to the group on the outcome.

The reason I am attempting this is that I have read that it is possible with daylily seeds and actually thought possible also with the hippeastrum.

Whilst with these particular seeds germination is not important, what if one had a very special cross in this embryonated condition and you were to germinate a few of these precious seeds?

Besides what has one to lose a cup of water and some tissues? The possible gain outweighs the cost.

thanks to whomever sent me seed from havana,fl. please let me know who you are...and a BIG thank you. patricia

well,my seed are "viable".put them in the glass bowl on the 18th,went out of town twice,today i see not only little roots some have a few tiny green leaves.i'm soo excited,my husband told me i really need a life.think i'll put some more in water now.thanks be to this forum,patricia

Congrats! Once the leaves gain a bit of size in the water, you can plant them into small pots using a quality potting mix... you'll want to keep them moist while they are babies, and not allow them to dry out completely between waterings as you would adult bulbs. With optimum care, it will only be about 2 or 3 years until you'll see your first bloom!

Growing Hippeastrums from seed is not for the impatient, but the results are well worth the wait! Good luck with your next batch of seeds, too!

jodik, promise i'll wait,love the challenge.i'm just gonna cross my fingers and hope even half make it,i'm like a kid,so excited.

I think we all get that way... excited as all get-out to see the first of our seeds sprout... and we keep checking them to see how they're growing... and we know that at the end of it all is a wonderful flower that we grew from those little seeds!

The germination rate on some of my seeds wasn't that good, but I do have a few seedlings of each variety I planted... I keep looking at them, anticipating the day when they finally produce that huge bloom!

Yep... growing these from seeds gives us that "little kid" excitement!

jodik,forgot to tell ya,someone sent me some red lion seed.i put them in water not even a week ago and the water looks cloudy,the glass bowl is not as big as the other.we are now on community water and it has no flouride or other chemicals(for now,we have a dentist fighting it now)so,why would the water be cloudy and what should i do?TIA,patricia

I would carefully lift the seeds out, set them on a paper towel, and change that water! Then, I'd add a couple of drops of peroxide to the fresh water and drop the seeds back in.

To avoid the water ickys, you can use bottled water instead of tap water... it will stay fresh longer!

i'm so excited!all 21 seed grew.(st,josephf)being my first time,i'm not sure if i keep them inside or out,maybe on patoi?it's south west facing,but big enough and covered so they want get any direct sun. i waited too long to mess up now.the leaves(?) are 2 or more inches long.someone please give me a hint....thanks for all the patience and guidance so for,can't thank ya'll enough.patricia
opps,i have red lion and pamela?whatever,haven't seen a thing happening,what's with that?

I grew my seeds in a flat with good quality potting soil mixed with sand, and I just trans-planted the little guys two day ago into their own little pots. Since I grew mine outdoors in the morning sun, there's no transitioning necessary... I just placed the individual pots right where the seed flat had been. They get morning sun, until the sun passes overhead, and then they get the reflection of light from the white garage they are set in front of.

In your case, you may want to slowly transition your seedlings, after trans-planting, into a location that gets some sun. The more light they have, the faster and stronger they will grow. Morning sun is less harsh than afternoon sun, so keep that in mind when looking for a good location to keep the pots in.

As for the seeds that haven't germinated... I have found that some varieties are extremely slow to germinate, and some have taken over a month to sprout. I have also found that the fresher the seed, the better the germination rate... seed that I harvested last fall has a much lower rate, already, than seed harvested toward the spring!

I never give up on seeds, though, and I'll leave them to sprout in their own time... I planted my flat of seeds on May 16th, and up until about a week ago, the occasional straggler would sprout, and poke its little leaf through the soil surface... so, I'd say that if seeds haven't germinated by the end of 3 months, they're probably not going to.

Incidentally, when I trans-planted my seedlings, I used a good quality potting soil mixed with some sand... they'll stay in this until they get much older and bigger. Once I am ready to re-pot them again, I'll use a different medium... one that has larger particles and drains much faster.