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?

It sounds like your seeds are ripe. If the pod isn't completely dry I'd keep it in a paper bag and let it finish drying. The paper bag will allow air circulation and contain the seeds. If it's dry just split it open and take the seeds out. Lay them on some paper to make sure they dry out completely before you store them. Daturas might actually be a tender perennial. I grow them as annuals but did send a double purple plant to a friend in FL before the cold set in here and it's still growing and blooming for him. They are just so easy to grow from seed that nobody bothers to try wintering them over in colder zones. If your plant is already dead or dying I doubt that it will come back to life but you can just sow more seeds in early spring. I usually start them inside in late winter because our frost date isn't until early May. Karyn PS: I don't think the photo in the first post is available anymore. All I see is the red x too.

Wow!! Now that's a fuel bill! That will make me appreciate to cost of fuel for mine. Ideally I would'nt mind a little set up like that... maybe sell a few plants, herbs, grow some mums & pumpkins, pony rides. I think I'd LOVE a job like that! Even my DH would love it! Besides, then these "things" would have a 'job' besides me throwing feed & hay over the fence twice a day! Gosh, I could put a lot of brugs in a GH like yours!!!!! I remember the pumpkin farm when we was kids up north. Halloween we'd go to the pumpkin farm. It was all decorated and scarey, had cider, apples, candy, hay & pony rides. They also sold all kinds of mums. Those are so very easy to propagate, too! Not entirely out of the question, just have a lot more clearing to do! Gosh, I'd love to have a plumeria baby, (are they addictive? lol). I'll trade you a baby brug for one. (just what you need, another baby) Boy I bet you have some nice peonies, too! When I make a few more flower beds, I thought about getting a couple of them. I've seen some pretty ones. Ya'll get much snow up there? How to do you keep the snow off your 'cold' house? I'm thinking I won't try to keep my GH as warm this year. I'm thinking of cool storing my brugs and let'em sleep. I had a terrible time with white flies and aphids in the GH last year. How do you deal with that, sprays? I figure if all the leaves are off the brugs, then there won't be nothing for the insects to eat. Although, I may decide to bring these smaller plants inside just so they can grow some and be at least a little bigger next year. Have a good day gal. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Morgensonne

Wow - yea, like that! No - I have nothing against white ones - it's the itty bitty white ones - where the flower is so small and dainty, it's smaller than a petunia. That's what I meant. I don't have a "delicate" landscape hand. Small, delicate and dainty won't work for me. Everyone in my life is a Brutus, even my dog. Big feet, big vehicles, big old dog, the landscaper and his "big" mowers and monster rakes, and a leaf blower that could remove siding. (grrrrrrrrr) The little dainty white flowers - they wouldn't make it here, that's all - they're beautiful - but too delicate for my "homestead" which is probably more like the wild west sometimes. The guys doing my siding? My Pink sedum looks like guacamole on the ground around my air conditioner.. . I'd love some extra seeds when you're done trading Mike! That would be wonderful! Thank you! And DH would love that Goree Island. He likes dats. . .