I brought in a batch of 300 moso seeds last year. I have detailed my expermentation with germination on my website trying various recommended techniques, including a table with the variables. You may find it a good read. Check previous entries to read the entire experiment. http://www.hardyoutdoorexotics.com/?cat=11 To make things easier for you, I germinated them directly in soil. I had a 75% germination rate by soaking the seeds in a 10% saltwater solution for 10 minutes, and rinsing off with water before sowing. 67% germination rate with a batch that had an overnight soak in a 20-20-20 solution. And 67% germination rate with a batch that had a soak in a 10-52-10 solution. Those two 67% germination rates were ranked in the top 3 for breaking through the soil the quickest at 21 days. A water soak also broke through at 21 days but only netted me a 58% germination rate. For those that recommend a brief refridgeration for these seeds, germination was delayed, and the success wasn't that great. Here is a link that might be useful: My exotic plants blog

Hi. If you look through the Frequently Asked Questions at the top if the message list, there are details on floating the seeds in water and planting them directly in soil. You can also search this forum for the word "float" and see several discussions about germinating seeds. With reasonable care, you could expect blooms in 3-4 years. Good luck! Kristi

The best method I've found so far is to go to the bench grinder and just hold them between your fingers and buzz against the stone for a second. It gets through the shell in a flash and you don't have to file your finger tips off with a file. I get through about 100-150 in ten minutes that way. Then I soak them in water for a day or three and stick them in starting soil. I'm getting about 90-95% starts. If you use the peat pellet starters the roots will stick out the bottom within days of germination and you'll be potting them up within the second week. I'm currently starting about 3,000 seeds and expect flowers just before frost, or more likely next season.

I'm a newbie to gardening and this forum has been so helpful! Especially the canna info as I have been collecting canna seeds over the past few weeks. I visit with clients daily about gardening stuff and I cant wait to send them here for info!!! Thanks people!