Brought in the common blue Iochroma australe seed direcly from Australia last winter. With Park Seed's Biodome sponge system it was easy to germinate. It grew well and started blooming in by late summer here outside that same year. Very deep blue 2-3" bells. Sorry but didn't check for fragrance ... was visually incensed by the deep blue sea color. We are curtently overwintering two plants inside, with a 55 F night minimum temperature, and 10 hr light cycle. Gets 65 to 85 F during the day depending on solar gain that day. With the Dome system, I use lights and heatmat as the std system. Can't tell you % germination with Iochroma because the seed is dust, much like Nicotiana alata. Alot germinated in a small space and natural selection was permitted to get good growers. This Iochroma species not at all like Brugmansia, Datura, Tomato, Eggplant and many other I've grown before. We have germinated all the above more with the same system. Loved seeing the white Chicken Egg fruit looking one. Like N. alata, once they germinate, all four Solanace family tested grow wuite FAST. Very impressed that dust sized seeds can do this! Same results with dust seed Heliotrope 'Dwarf Marine'. Slow seeds like Cyclamen work well too. No nutrients are added until I see green growth up and stable, then I mist to foliar feed using quite dilute eg 1/16 to 1/8th strength indoor plant ferlizer, eg Schultz African Violet. I had my own self purchased 14'x14' orchid at 14 yr old in nearby OlyWA. As a high school student I worked in a local greenhouse. The owner soon learned to use me to seed and do cuttings, rather than dig, mix and cook potting soil. So I've had some years to test methods. As a home grower, this well aerated sponge, non microbial degradable, light accessible seed well system is the best seed starting investment I have ever used at home, for EVERY class of seeds tested. It's durable, has adjustable ventation and is easy to clean and sterilize. The dense stryofoam sponge blocks float the seed wells atba standard depth and wick water from the bottom. If the dome starts to dry out, salts drip away into the tiny drain wells and don't burn roots. The open edged sponges don't ball up roots like a plastic or peat container or pot, of any kind. <This is key.> The roots aerate well and the seedlings act like they are in deep ground. When roots run out of the bottom of the wells, which is easy to lift and view, poke and plant. For fastest plant grow do tbis before the plant roots wander the bottom. This may be only a few days after planting for some vigorous plants, such as heirloom flowers and vegetables. AND you can vary the sponge well used via block/sponge choice to fit the root growth pattern. For fast root pockers use the standard small sponge with 32 plants per small dome. I like the mid-size too. The large can be used with dust seeds to make community pots, but the medium does that well too. With lower germination rate seeds I can use the central seed well in the sponge and in poke one of three side seeds into a medium sponge. IF you get lucky and all your $2 per rare Brugmansia seed grown, just rip or cut the sponge into 2 or 3 pieces, before the root systems intermix too much. The system also works well for small cutting success. Brug, Geranium, Tomato, Ornamental Sweet Potato, and many other green stem or woody cutting. such as Sarcococca. Plant from seed results are typically 100% on a 12 to 20 cents per well sponge basis. Need 6 final 3' mature white flowered N. alata for the yard by July 4? Plant 6 sponge cells, and other colors in different rows. You can plant a partial Dome, remove or add any single plant at any time. Neat. Efficient. Rare seeds? Try 2 to 32 types at a time in less than 1 sq ft "Cat worthy*" space. I just poke in a plastic plant label stake per plant or 2 per plant row on opposite row, or partial rows, to not mix up plants. * Yes, the sunny, warm floor space makes an ideal cool weather Cat Spa. I use 2' dual folded 55 Watt T-5 bulbs per two Domes, per Cat. Hints: Felines do not share space well on cool days. And they will immediately take the entire heat mat space, should you temporarily remove a tray. Any Cat worth its salt will fight your adjustments to get back the Dome space, unless you use Tuna or Catnip, either has side effects. Best choose wisely. With the protective Cat system option, mice or flies will not hurt your plant investment. And you can use more of that Duct Tape (that you never seem to use up) in protecting plants from the Cat protection option. Decorator challenges can be solved with dark Green Tape. Do not plant Catnip in the system if you have an in house access Cat, unless you for sure Tape seal the unit. 100% guarentee that they will otherwise disassemble your investment. DO make Catnip to reward Cat(s) that protect your house or yard. Two little tape pieces, one each at opposite ends of the Dome edge is perhaps sufficient. And less frustrating later if taping all edges. With the Maine Coon or Bengal option or Dogs to chase any CatZ ... use one 2.5' long tape band, per 25 lb of total animal, across the top to tape the Dome unit to a solid lower heavy or fixed surface. Do not suspend unit above the end of any board used to gain more incubator space, IF you have a Cat. They are the original contributor teaching mankind about the slingshot principle. Floating the whole assembled Dome on the top of a Tropical Fishtank can replace the need for a heatmat. However, I found it ill-advised when owning a Cat. IF you have any free range pet inlcuding a Hamster, Ferrit or larger operate the unit on a shelf or counter, not the floor. This choice also helps filter Cats from Dogs and minimizes tape requirement and later use of Goo Gone. Same advice if you have no animals, except if you host people that tend to stumble on things. They might dissemble or damage your unit or plant investment As mentioned above by another, day/night light temperature cycles created with a 24 hr time clock may help increase and maybe even synchronize germination. Exceed 12 - 15 hr of light per day if it is a Spring germinated plant in nature. "Cold stratification" of many temperate or subtropical zone plants is REQUIRED for germination. This is easily done in refrigerator main section, or a freezer if it is an Alpine or above zone plant. Use a minimum of 2 weeks, with 4 weeks typically being sufficient. With Northern and cold climate plants that prove difficult to germinate try two or three cold cycles or a single long 4 months exposure. Also research the internet. Seeds may need to be wet when you/nature does this. Germinated Seedlings do well and grow faster with 24 hr continous light. Except for those born VERY FAR North or South in the World, other people typically do not. Thus do not use long cycles or continous light if people other than these are sleeping in the same room as a fully outfitted Biodome. This oversight also increases normally noctural Cat activity, should you be possessed by a more Primal Being. Any questions?

I just put the cuttings in water. Surprisingly they seem to root better when the temps are in the upper 60's to low 70's instead of 80's-90's like most others. I've also used straight perlite which works about the same as water but I had terrible results rooting in soil. I could get about 60% of the cuttings to root and once transplanted in soil they'd grow just fine for a few months but would all of a sudden die for unknown reasons. The same thing has happened to a few others that I know and we can't figure out what killed them.

I believe I've got a small P&C. What perennials do you have for trade?

Hi all! I love brugmansias and was interested at trying my hand at Iochromas. Do you know if they also make the "Y" before flowering? Thanks! Z