How To Grow Juniperus chinensis From Seeds

 With their bluish-green foliage and conical form, Chinese junipers (Juniperus chinensis) add structure and year-round color to ornamental landscaping within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 9. They are best propagated from cuttings, although Chinese junipers will also grow from freshly cleaned and pretreated seeds. Despite sufficient processing, Chinese juniper seeds sometimes take one full year to successfully sprout and are subject to a high rate of failure if exposed to hot temperatures, so it is advisable to keep the seeds cool and moist to ensure the best outcome.

1

Gather Chinese juniper seeds in late autumn once the fruit ripens to a dark, silvery purple color and the flesh yields to slight pressure. Gather the fruit in a bucket.

2

Pour water into the bucket until the Chinese juniper fruit is completely submerged. Soak the fruit for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Mash the fruit against the bottom of the bucket using a hammer. Soak the fruit another 24 hours.

3

Scrape off the flesh and damaged seeds floating on the surface of the water. Drain off the water. Scoop out the seeds that sank to the bottom. Place them in a shallow bowl.

4

Cover the seeds with very hot water. Soak them for six hours. Change out the water whenever it begins to cool, so that the seeds are never allowed to fully cool off. Leave the seeds in the water while preparing the growing containers.

5

Fill a nursery tray with a mixture of four parts seed-starting compost and one part sand. Leave the top 1/4-inch of the tray empty. Saturate the mix with water. Press the surface to release the excess moisture.

6

Sow the Chinese juniper seeds two inches apart. Gently press them into the surface until they are halfway buried. Cover them with a 1/4-inch-thick layer of compost and a thin layer of pine needle mulch.

7

Loosely cover the nursery tray with plastic wrap, and place it on a warming mat. Set the temperature to 75 F. Warm the seeds for three months to break their dormancy. Remoisten the compost when the surface feels dry.

8

Move the nursery tray outdoors after the warming period has ended. Place it in a sheltered spot under light shade where temperatures stay around 40 F. Remove the plastic wrap. Water to a 1-inch depth when the compost dries out on the surface.

9

Watch for germination in spring once nighttime temperatures stay above freezing for three to four weeks. Transplant the Chinese juniper seedlings into individual 4-inch containers filled with garden soil once they grow to 1 inch in height.

10

Grow the Chinese junipers under light shade for their first summer. Water weekly to a 2-inch depth to prevent stress. Acclimate them to direct sun for several weeks before transplanting them into the garden in autumn.

Things You Will Need

• Bucket
• Hammer
• Bowl
• Nursery tray
• Seed-starting compost
• Sand
• Pine needle mulch
• Plastic wrap
• Warming mat
• 4-inch containers
• Garden soil

Dragon Fruit Cactus Grow Instructions

Dragon Fruit Grow Instructions

    Soak the seed — Although fresh seed (no more than a few months old) can be sowed without pre-soaking the seed, the germination rate of older seed can be greatly improved by pre-soaking the seed. Place the seeds in pure water (distilled, rain or reverse-osmosis water, not tap water). Older seed that has become dehydrated (has dried to some extent) will float. Soak the seed until most of the seeds sink rather than float, soaking for up to several days if necessary. The seeds can be separated from the water either by pouring the water onto an absorbent surface (such as a folded paper towel) or through a porous surface (like a folded paper towel). Soaking is especially important if you have doubts about how fresh or old the seed may be, as many sellers don’t say. Soaking It is an important first step to produce the best germination possible. Expect seed that is more than a year old to take at least a few more days to germinate than fresh seed would, despite rehydration, but even seed that is two or more years old can have a surprising germination rate if the seed is pre-soaked before sowing.

    What kind of soil? — The “soil” should be a growing medium a very low-nutrient mix based on sphagnum peat moss, with other ingredients such as silica sand or perlite optionally added. No “potting soil” (usually has nutrients added) and no Miracle-Gro brand because they enrich their sphagnum peat moss and perlite with plant food. My favorite mix is 50% by volume of sphagnum peat moss (which is dark brown; not light-brown long-fiber sphagnum moss) to 50% silica sand (not beach nor river nor children’s sandbox “play sand”).What about coir instead of sphagnum peat moss? Although desalinated coir can be used in a growing mix for reasonably mature, using coir for germinating and the initial growing of Dragon Fruit seedlings (instead of a traditional sphagnum peat based medium) can be problematic. Coir is so spongy and springy that after watering, the mass of growing medium heaves upward as it dries, especially near the top surface, and often partially uproots tiny Dragon Fruit seedlings or makes it difficult for them to establish their first roots.

    Do not bury the seed — However, it’s OK to gently press the seed into the surface of the growing medium with a thumb or finger, or to sift a little fine dust of sphagnum peat moss (ground between the fingers, for example) onto the growing medium to settle around the seeds, to help retain moisture and keep the emerging root from drying out and becoming calloused and stunted. This also helps give the seed something to push against as the root emerges and seeks to dig itself into the medium instead of merely pushing itself along the soil surface, but it is not strictly necessary.

genminate Dragon Fruit Seeds

    Water — Use only rain water or distilled water (or reverse-osmosis water). To water the seeds, use a spray bottle to gently wet the soil surface or continue to spray to saturate the medium until some water drains out, or water from below, allowing the soil to suck water upward through the drain holes from a tray or bowl of water. While germinating seed the soil should be fairly moist. Later when the plants begin to grow well the water content should be lowered and the plants allowed to have more air and less water in the soil. Dragon Fruit, once they are past the tiny seedling stage, grow very healthy in just moist rather than soggy or saturated soil, although care must be taken so that the soil never completely dries out.
   
    Heat — Yes, keep the seeds and growing container warm. A temperature above 78 degrees Fahrenheit or fluctuating up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (24-32 or more degrees Celsius/Centigrade) will greatly help to stimulate more rapid germination and early healthy growth.
   
    Keep moist and avoid direct sunlight — Don’t allow the soil surface to dry out completely, and try to keep humidity high during germination, although it can be lowered once the plants are growing. If you live in a dry climate, it helps to germinate Dragon Fruit Seeds in a covered container. A disposable plastic food storage container makes a fine germination chamber. Cut or punch holes in the top for heat escape and air circulation, and poke some tiny holes in the bottom of the container to drain excess water. Place some growing medium inside (an inch or two (4-8 centimeters) in depth), sprinkle the seeds on top, and moisten thoroughly. Lift the lid of the container at least once a day and fan the air for a change of fresh air. The germination chamber should not be placed in direct sunlight because it will overheat both the air and soil inside and may damage or kill the seeds and germinating plants. Bright indirect light is best. Alternatively, the seeds may be sown in any regular pot or planting container, and temporarily covered with a clear plastic bag in indirect light. As with the germination chamber mentioned above, it is important to keep any covered container out of direct sunlight because of the rapid buildup of heat inside or beneath the covering, which can literally bake and kill seeds and seedlings. Once most of the seeds have germinated (within 4-6 weeks) the covering can be permanently removed and the seedlings then placed in direct sunlight.

Dragon Fruit germination container

    How long to wait? — Be patient. The freshest seed, sown only days or a few weeks after harvest, can often begin to germinate in as little as 10-13 days. Older seed usually takes 15-20 days or more before it begins to germinate, and seed that is more than a year old may require 25-days or more, and the germination rate (percentage of seeds that sucessfully germinate) is usually reduced as the seeds age. Soaking the seeds in water for a day or two before sowing, as mentioned above, can help to rehydrate dry, old seed and increase its germination rate. Warmth greatly increases the speed of germination of Dragon Fruit seeds. When the growing medium and air around the seeds are somewhat warmer than most humans find comfortable, seeds often germinate more quickly. Don’t give up too soon, and don’t let the soil surface dry and kill a newly emerging root from a just-germinated seed!
   
    Transplant — If grown in a germination container, Dragon Fruit can be transplanted after germination to a more permanent home, uncovered. The best stage to transplant them (this is merely my own preference) is after 2-3 weeks of growth in the germination container, when the cotyledons (the two first leaves, the “seed leaves”) are almost fully extended out of the seed and the first tiny true trap leaf is forming. At this stage the plant has a base and tiny root that can be transplanted, which helps to anchor the plant in its new growing medium and helps it to adapt to conditions of lesser humidity and more light. An easy way to transplant is to use a moist wooden toothpick. Poke a tiny hole in the new home of the plant, gently dig the plant with the tip of the toothpick, transfer the plant to the tiny hole in its new growing container and gently orient it properly (leaves up, base and root down) then very gently settle it into the new hole with the toothpick or a very light touch of a finger.
   
    Storing seeds — To store excess seed for later germination, place them in a small plastic bag or–if very fresh–in a paper envelope inside a plastic bag, and store them in the refrigerator. Keeping them cold helps prevent them from trying to germinate prematurely (warmth stimulates germination) and helps keep them fresh, and keeping them from drying out too much keeps them fresh longer and keeps their germination rate (percentage) higher. Placing them in a plastic bag and squeezing out most of the excess air keeps the seeds from drying out too much, and placing them in a paper envelope helps overly-moist fresh seed to dry just a little and keeps them from developing mold in long term storage. The plastic bag enclosing the paper envelope keeps them from drying out too much.

    If harvesting your own seed, allow them to dry in a small open container for 2-3 days before storage in the refrigerator.

how to grow raspberry seeds

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) make a suitable fruit crop for gardeners within U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 4 to 8, since they require a climate offering moist, somewhat cool conditions. Most commercially available raspberry shrubs are propagated vegetatively, but gardeners can successfully grow the plants at home using fresh seeds. Seed-grown raspberry plants possess the same potential for fruit production as those grown from cuttings, but with more variable results in the abundance and quality of the fruit. Nonetheless, it is a simple and effective means of creating a new shrub when fresh cuttings are unavailable.

1Place fresh, ripe raspberries in a mesh colander. Set the colander in a sink. Crush the berries against the side of the colander while running water over them.

2Pick out the tiny, light-brown seeds from the crushed flesh. Drain the raspberry seeds on a sheet of paper towel while you prepare the planting container.

3Fill a 2-inch-deep nursery tray with sterile, low-nutrient seed-starting compost. Spray the compost liberally with a water-filled spray bottle until it feels moist throughout.

4Space the raspberry seeds 1 inch apart on the surface of the seed-starting compost. Press the seeds firmly onto the surface of the compost with your palm. Cover them with a very thin layer of medium-grit sand.

5Place the nursery tray outdoors in a ventilated cold frame that stands against a shaded, north-facing wall. Leave the tray under those conditions for the winter months to cold stratify, which will break the seeds' dormancy.

6Maintain light moisture in the seed-starting compost with the water-filled spray bottle. Avoid letting the compost dry out for longer than a few hours since very dry conditions sometimes cause raspberry seeds to go dormant again.

7Remove the nursery tray from the cold frame in spring once daytime temperatures reach 60 F. Place it on a garden bench under light, dappled shade. Continue to water whenever the compost feels dry.

8Watch for germination four to six weeks after removing the nursery tray from the cold frame. Transplant the raspberry seedlings into individual 4-inch pots filled with potting soil once they grow to 1 inch in height and produce a set of mature leaves.

9Grow the young raspberry plants under dappled shade for their first summer and in the ventilated cold frame over the winter. Transplant them into a sunny or partially shaded bed with mildly acidic, draining soil the following spring after soil temperatures warm to 60 F.

Things You Will Need:

•     Mesh colander
•     Paper towel
•     2-inch-deep nursery tray
•     Seed-starting compost
•     Spray bottle
•     Medium-grit sand
•     Cold frame
•     4-inch pots
•     Potting soil

How To Grow Bamboo Seeds

How to Grow Bamboo from Seed

Most species of bamboo only produce seed about once in a long human lifetime. And most species produce seed all over the world within the span of a few years. Therefore, you may only have one or two opportunities to plant any particular species of bamboo and it will be worth going a little overboard trying to get it right. If you get a chance, here are steps to get the most out of any bamboo seeds you acquire.

    1 Buy or make a mini-greenhouse with peat pellets as the planting medium. "Jiffy" makes one that holds 72 pellets and costs about $5 US. Nurseries or garden supply stores may have other options too.

    2 Put a layer of pellets into a flat bottomed cake pan. Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour the water slowly over them to expand them. Boiling water not only works better to expanding them, but will have some sterilization value to lessen the rate of seedling failure. Repeat this step until you have all the pellets you need ready.

    3 Put the pellets back into the mini-greenhouse. Depending on how wet they got, you may need to leave the top off for a couple of days to let them dry out a little. Sogginess is not good, and the pellets hold water really well. The ideal is for the pellets to be damp, but not wet.

    4 Soak your seeds in about 85° F (30° C) water for 24 hours. Make sure it doesn’t get too hot, as temperatures over 105° F (40° C) can kill your seeds. Cooler temperatures however, will not hurt the seeds, but may delay germination by a few days.

    5 Use a skewer or chopstick to open and rough up the top part of the peat pellets.

    6 Put only one seed in the middle of each pellet. Because bamboo seeds are rare and expensive, you don't want to risk having two sprout in the same pellet and have to lose one of them.

    7 Add a small amount of “seedling mix" type potting soil over the top of your seeds. 1/8 to ¼ inch (2 to 5 mm) is enough.

    8 Put the mini greenhouse in a location where it will get medium shade. An east-facing window is good if the weather outside is cold, or a moderately shady area outside if the weather is good. NOTE: Wherever you put it, it should not get too much direct sun. Even a mini greenhouse can quickly get up to seed killing temperatures in hot direct sun.

    9

Check on the greenhouse daily, as the peat pellets can dry out quickly once the water from main soak evaporates. Before the seeds sprout, they can survive getting too dry once or so. But as soon as they sprout, they can die in a matter of hours if they dry out. If the peat pellets start getting too dry, use a spray bottle to dampen them again. You may need as much as a whole squirt per pellet to dampen to the interior of the pellet.

    10 You may see a sprout within 10 days from planting, though the bulk of germination will occur after at least 15 or 20 days. Different species have different germination rates, so don’t get disappointed too soon.

    11  If any of the sprouts get tall enough to touch the plastic dome lid while others are still getting started, prop the lid up as necessary to prevent the leaves from touching it… Any leaves resting against the lid will quickly rot and risk killing the seedling.

     12 After about 30 days, most of the seeds that are going to sprout with this method will have done so. Transplant all of the healthy sprouts into 4 qt. (or half-liter) pots using the next few steps. But don’t discard the rest of the seeds yet, as we will jar a few more into action by changing the conditions for them.

    13 Mix a good potting soil with about 50% small bark-chip mulch. This makes a potting mix with very high drainage that is good for bamboo.

    14 Put a little (1/2 inch or 1 cm minimum) of this potting mix into the pots.

    15 Move each pellet that has a sprout into a pot and fill around it so that the pellet is buried at least ¼ inch below the potting soil.

    16 Give the pots a good dose of water. Because of the really good drainage, don’t worry too much about over watering.

    17 Set these pots in an outdoor location that gets about 50% shade and that never gets full hot direct sun for more than a few minutes at a time. These seedlings are now well on their way. You will likely lose another 10% of them for no apparent reason at all, but the rest will have a good chance at making it to maturity.

    18 Go back to the tray of remaining un-sprouted seeds and put the plastic lid aside. Store it for future use if you want, but these seeds and seedlings have no more use for it.

    19 If your mini-greenhouse tray has a removable plastic liner that helps organize the pellets, take it out and make several drainage holes in the bottom of the unlined tray.

    20 Put all of the pellets back in without the liner. Space them roughly evenly, and keep them the same side up as before… Seeds to the top.

    21 Fill in around the pellets with seedling mix type potting soil, and mound it up to cover the top of the pellets by about ¼ inch (5mm).

    22 Place this tray outside in the medium to full sun, checking it daily to keep it damp but not too wet. Because of removing the dome and the increased sun, expect to need to water nearly every day. It is probably helpful to switch to a regular watering can at this point, as you can give it a more normal dose of water.

    23 Hopefully, you will see a whole new set of seedlings start to come up over the next few weeks. As these start to look ready, take them back to step 12 and get them transplanted.

Tips

    It is difficult to avoid getting the pellets soggy when first expanding them. Try to only put enough water to get them to expand without getting overly saturated. And, keep in mind that they don’t have to be perfectly expanded in order to be a good effective growing medium.
    I have done controlled experiments with seedling soil, rock wool, peat pellets, sand, and variations and combinations of all of them. Under the same conditions, the peat pellets were by far the most successful. And, it is no good having plants germinate only to damage their fragile baby roots while separating them. Peat pellets also avoid this problem, making them a very good solution.
    eBay is often a good source for seeds, although you need to be aware of where they are coming from (see the first warning below). Alternately, join bamboo related groups such as can be found on http://groups.yahoo.com or http://groups.Google.com. Many amateur gardeners are happy to share their seeds with fellow enthusiasts.

Warnings

    For the first winter in cooler climates, the seedlings will need shelter. Plant the pots in the ground and give an inch or two of mulch. Don’t give them more mulch than that, as it will encourage mice to move in and later to eat the top off of your bamboo.
    Expect no more than 30% of the seeds to ever actually sprout. And, don’t be worried if 20% of those die soon after emerging from the soil. You should also not worry if 10% or more of your transplanted seedlings slowly turn brown and die. Unfortunately, this is normal for many species of bamboo. If you end up with 2 healthy plants for every 10 seeds you plant, you are doing good. For some species it is even much worse than this.
    For the second round of transplanting where the pellets have been covered with soil, be especially careful with these to avoid damaging the roots. The potting soil gives them the opportunity to send roots out into nearby pellets.
    In really cold climates or for less hardy species, they may need to spend their first winter indoors or in a greenhouse. But remember that they need some water even in winter, so don’t just put them in a greenhouse and forget about them!
    Importation of dead bamboo products, including stubs, into some countries is illegal due to the need to control the spread of bamboo pests and/or diseases. Be sure to comply with all applicable laws when acquiring bamboo seeds.

Things You'll Need

    10 or more bamboo seeds. (Any less and there is a good chance you will not get at least one healthy plant.)
    A flat bottomed cake pan.
    1 quart or so boiling water.
    A mini-greenhouse, which is just a planting tray with a plastic dome cover.
    A jar of water and a warm (but not hot) place to put it.
    One peat pellet per seed that you intend to plant.
    A skewer or a chopstick.
    1 or more quarts of “seedling mix"? type potting soil.

how to germinate mapel tree seeds

The real "secret" to germinating maple tree seeds is to use fresh seeds. This article will reveal to you the tips to yield nearly 100% germination rates.

Steps

1. 
   1
   Get fresh, new season seeds either by picking them up off the ground under a tree or purchasing them online.
2. 
   2
   Allow the seeds to stratify. Stratification is the scientific term used to describe allowing the seed to experience an extended period of cold for at least 90-120 days – as if the seed has been through a winter period after falling naturally off the tree.
3. 
   3
   Store the seeds in a zipper bag for at least 90-120 days in the refrigerator.
4. 
   4
   Look at the seeds from time to time and make sure they are not becoming dry. If needed, add a drop or two of water, every few weeks, so that the seeds do not dry out.
5. 
   5
   Use a fungicide very sparingly. If you see mold develop treat with a fungicide, following the manufacturer's directions, or use a weak solution of bleach (1 part bleach to 10 parts water).
6. 
   6
   At the end of the period of cold storage, the seeds should germinate naturally in the zipper bag in the fridge.
7. 
   7
   Transplant the seedlings as they germinate, planting the emerging rootlet in a seed compost. A coir (coconut husk) growing medium works well.
8. 
   8
   An alternative method is to plant the seeds in a pot immediately after they fall from the tree. Use approximately ten seeds in a 25 centimeter (9.8 in) pot. This is because not all of them will sprout. Leave the pot in an area where it will get normal rainfall and snowfall. If it starts to get too dry you may want to water it. That fall or the next spring you should have some seedlings sprout.

how to grow clematis seeds

Clematis is a favorite flowering vine for many gardeners, combining beautiful shapes and colors with a very long life-span. Unfortunately, clematis can be very expensive to purchase from the store and difficult to propagate without a little know-how. With the right preparations, however, you'll be set to germinate fresh clematis seeds or to produce clematis plants from cuttings in no time.

Understand the germination process. It is true that germinating seeds is typically straight-forward, but clematis are particularly high maintenance and require loads of attention and care in order to propagate from seed. Amazingly, it takes between 12-36 months for clematis seeds to germinate. Hybrid seeds take much longer than cultivars, meaning that you’ll likely be waiting nearly three years for your hybrid seeds to sprout. Keep this in mind going into your clematis project, and you’ll likely have quite a bit of time to wait before finally planting your clematis.
    You’ll need to give your seeds attention on an almost daily basis in order for them to sprout eventually.
    You’ll have a better chance of your clematis sprouting if you plant multiple seeds at once.

Get your materials ready. In addition to their long germination period, clematis seeds also require strict growing conditions. It is vital that all of your materials are sterilized and prepared for the sole purpose of planting your clematis. You’ll need seed trays, horticultural disinfectant, sterilized seedling planting mix, clean glass, and water for moistening the soil. Use your disinfectant to clean your seed trays and glass, otherwise you run the risk of infecting your fragile seeds with disease.

Collect your seeds. If you’re not purchasing your seeds from the store, you’ll have to identify and collect viable seeds from an existing clematis. To do so, wait until the seed heads (the fluffy/furry part of the flower) turns brown and the seeds are exposed, as this means that the seeds have fully ripened and dried out. Gently remove them from the seed head, and store them in a dry, cool area.
    Don’t place seeds in a plastic bag, as moisture can build up inside and cause the seeds to rot. Instead, put them in a paper bag or compartment.
    Keep in mind that the seeds from a hybrid clematis will not form flowers that look like the parents.

Prepare your seed trays. After you’ve sterilized your seed trays, fill them with the sterilized seedling potting mix. This typically has very little soil and is mainly a mixture of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite, making it easy for the seeds to sprout. Fill the seed trays about ¾ of the way full with the mixture, and thoroughly wet it with water.

 Plant your seeds. Place each of your seeds individually in each seed tray, on top of the potting mixture. When all your seeds have been placed, cover them up with about ⅛-inch of potting mixture or sand. Water the seeds heavily so the soil is damp but not soaking, and then place your glass over the seeds. The glass will help keep the humidity and temperature high, which is preferable for germinating clematis seeds.

 Move your seeds to the best location. The seeds will do best when placed in a shady location with a temperature between 60–70 °F (16–21 °C). When winter comes around, you should allow the seeds to go through a natural freeze/frost cycle, which will strengthen them. Place them in a shaded area outdoors during the winter to promote this cycle.[1]

 Maintain your seeds. As the months progress, you’ll need to take careful care of your seeds so that they germinate, rather than drying out or rotting. Make sure that the potting mixture you planted them in is always moist, and remove the glass for a few hours each day to prevent too much moisture from building up and causing the seeds to rot.

Wait for the seeds to sprout. As aforementioned, the specific amount of time it will take for your seeds to sprout will vary greatly on the type of clematis you’ve planted. There are two sets of leaves you should be paying attention for on your seedling: the first set, and the true set. The first set, also called the ‘seed leaves’, is the first pair of leaves that grow from the seed. The second set of leaves are called the ‘true leaves’, and are the signal that your seeds are ready to be planted outdoors.

 Transplant your seedlings. When the true leaves appear, you’ll need to transplant your seedlings. You can choose to relocate them to a larger pot, or to plant them outdoors. Either way, carefully move them to their new location, being sure not to damage their delicate roots. If you choose to move them outdoors, you’ll need to harden them off by placing them in their pots outside for a few hours every day. Doing this for 1-2 weeks will help to prepare the clematis for the environmental conditions outdoors.[2]

Prepare your supplies. As with germinating clematis’ from seeds, propagating clematis from cuttings requires quite a bit of preparation and the proper materials. You’ll need a very sharp knife or pair of gardening shears, horticultural disinfectant, 6-inch planters, disinfected potting mixture, fungicide mix, rooting hormone powder, plastic bags, and straws/stakes of some sort to create mini ‘greenhouses’. Begin by using your disinfectant to clean your knife/shears, planting pots, and the stakes/straws you are using.

Take your cutting. Use your knife or gardening shears to make a single clean cut through an existing clematis plant. Cut a vine/branch that is at least 3-feet long, severing the plant just above a set of leaves and below the next node up on the stem. If you can, try to take your cutting from the center of the vine rather than the base or the tip, as this has the highest likelihood of sprouting. Continue to separate your cutting out into smaller sections for planting, by cutting just above a leaf node.

Carefully prepare your cuttings for planting. If you want your cuttings to sprout, it is imperative that you very carefully follow the directions for using your fungicide and rooting hormone mixtures. Start by dunking each of your cuttings in the fungicide mixture, following the directions that came with the mix. Then, dip the ends of each cutting in the rooting hormone mix, being careful to get just the right amount. Adding too much of the rooting hormones can prevent growth, which is not what you want. Finish by cutting each leaf in half; this will reduce moisture loss.

Plant your cuttings. Fill each of your pots with your disinfected soil mixture so that they are about ¾ of the way full. Bury the tips of each of the cuttings so that the joint of the leaves are level with the topsoil. Give them a light watering so the soil is damp, and label the pot if applicable.

Increase the humidity. Clematis cuttings will thrive in a slightly humid environment, which you can easily create with a few household materials. Stick 3-4 straight straws or bamboo stakes into each container, and place a plastic bag over the top. Make sure that the bag is not touching the plant at all, and give the soil a good watering. Once a day, flip the bag inside out to let excess moisture out and to prevent rotting.

Move the cuttings to the best location. It will take 6-8 weeks for your cuttings to start growing, and in the meantime they should be placed under the best growing conditions possible. Relocate the potted plants to a place that has plenty of ambient sunlight, but is mainly shaded, with a temperature between 60–70 °F (16–21 °C).
 Maintain your cuttings. Although your cuttings may sprout in 6-8 weeks, they likely won’t be ready to be planted outdoors for about a year. During this time, water them regularly so that the soil is kept moist at all times, and continue removing and replacing your plastic bag ‘greenhouse’ to keep the humidity up.

fly trap seeds instructions

Fresh Dionaea Muscipula Seed

Fresh Venus Flytrap seed, only a few weeks to a few months old, will typically begin to germinate in 13-18 days when kept moist and warm, and germination will continue for several weeks (perhaps 2-5 weeks after the first seed germinates) until the majority of seeds have germinated, with a few waiting days or even weeks longer to germinate.

Older Dionaea Muscipula Seed

If stored well, Venus Flytrap seed that is one, two or even three years old can still germinate fairly well (a fairly high percentage of the seed will still germinate) or acceptably, but may require from 15-25 days for the first seeds to germinate, and an additional 3-8 weeks after that for the majority of seed to germinate (of those that actually will germinate). In general, the older the seed, the fewer seeds will germinate, the longer it will take for the first seed to germinate, and the longer the period of time will be for the seeds that will germinate to do so.
If Venus Flytrap seed is not stored well, the germination rate and speed can drop substantially or even drastically. Because the seeds of Venus Flytraps are so tiny with such a thin seed coat (outer surface) it’s easier for them to dry than the larger seeds of other plants, and Venus Flytrap seeds that dry out too much won’t germinate well or at all. (see “Soak Venus Flytrap Seeds” below).

Buy Seeds from a Knowledgeable, Reputable Source

Many people who sell Venus Flytrap seeds are only dealers, not growers. They merely bought the seed from someone else in order to divide those seeds into smaller lots and sell them at a higher price. Many of these dealers may not even know how to grow Venus Flytraps or how to encourage the germination of the seed they sell. In addition, they may have no idea how to store the seed successfully for maximum germination rate, to keep the seed as fresh as possible for the longest time. The Venus Flytrap seed you buy from these vendors may be several to many years old, and few of them might germinate.
If you can’t produce your own Venus Flytrap seed or don’t want to do so, fresh seed can be bought from commercial vendors online. For a better chance of success, buy seed from people who actually grow the Venus Flytraps from which the seed is harvested, people who know how to grow and care for Venus Flytraps whether adult or seedling.

How to Prepare Dionaea Muscipula Seed

No Stratification

Stratification, the process of simulating a winter by placing the seeds in moist and cold conditions for a few weeks or months (such as folded inside a wet paper towel that is placed inside a plastic bag, then stored inside a refrigerator for some weeks) can help the seeds of fall-blooming plants to germinate (but not Venus Flytraps). The seeds of many plants that bloom in the Fall are accustomed to wait through a cool or cold winter season before germinating in Spring. When grown in artificial conditions, such seeds are often prepared for germination by stratifying them.
However, Venus Flytraps are not fall-blooming plants and Venus Flytrap seeds do not need to be stratified. Venus Flytraps bloom in Spring and produce their seed in early to mid Summer. The seed is accustomed to germinate within days after it falls from the plant in nature, during the Summer of the same year, without waiting through an intervening cool or cold winter season before sprouting. Stratification therefore is not necessary nor desirable for the seeds of Dionaea muscipula, the Venus Flytrap.

Soak Venus Flytrap Seed

Although very fresh Venus Flytrap seeds need no special preparation and can be sown immediately, seed that is more than a few weeks or months old, or the age of which is unknown, should be soaked first in pure water, which helps to rehydrate the seed and improve its potential for germination. This is especially important for seed that is more than one year old. Simply soak the seed in water for up to several days, until most of the seeds sink when the water is stirred (older, dry seed often floats). The seeds can be removed from the water either by using an eyedropper, or by emptying most of the water, then pouring the seeds and remaining water onto an absorbent surface such as a folded paper towel, or pouring it through
a porous material through which the water will pass but the seeds will not (again, a folded paper towel works well for this).

When to Plant Venus Flytrap Seed

Many people ask whether it’s alright to plant Venus Flytrap seed during the colder months of the year when most Venus Flytraps are resting in their yearly dormancy, and in artificial conditions of controlled temperature and light (indoors or in a greenhouse). The answer is yes. Venus Flytrap seedlings can wait for eight months to a year and a half before synching with the seasons and expecting or wanting to lapse into their first dormancy, so it’s alright and even advantageous, for the plants, to begin to grow Venus Flytrap seedlings in the Fall, Winter or early Spring. Because Venus Flytrap seedlings grow so slowly, sowing and germinating the seed early allows them to grow and develop to a greater extent than they would normally be able to achieve during their first season in their natural
environment. So it’s alright to sow Venus Flytrap seeds at any time of the year, if conditions can be controlled enough to prevent freezing, keep the seeds and seedlings warm enough to grow well, and provide enough light.

Germination of Venus Flytrap Seeds

Although the seeds of Venus Flytraps are very tiny (about 1 millimeter, less than 1/16 inch in length), Venus Flytraps are easy to germinate and grow from seed. A seed will germinate in as few as 10-13 days (in warm, moist conditions) to as long as 2-4 weeks or more in cooler or more variable conditions. A Venus Flytrap can grow from seed to maturity in 2-4 years. During the first year the plant will be tiny, but although the traps will be typically only 1-4 millimeters in length at that time, they are fully functional, often catching very small insects such as fungus gnats that emerge from the soil.

To germinate Venus Flytrap seeds, there are a few things to consider and remember:

• Stratification or no? — No, not for Venus Flytrap seed. Stratification is the process of keeping seeds cold and damp for several weeks or months, and for Fall-blooming plants stratification can simulate a winter for the seeds, which are used to germinating the following Spring. But Venus Flytraps bloom in the Spring, not the Fall, and their seeds do not need to be stratified. Instead Venus Flytrap seeds are accustomed to germinate within days (usually 13-25 days) after they fall to the ground during the summer, the rate and speed of germination increasing with warm temperatures. Therefore, Venus Flytrap seeds should not be stratifed, although if they are not sowed immediately they can be stored in a small bag or vial in the refrigerator
  to help them remain fresh longer and increase germination when sowed at a later date.
• Soak the seed — Although fresh seed (no more than a few months old) can be sowed without pre-soaking the seed, the germination rate of older seed can be greatly improved by pre-soaking the seed. Place the seeds in pure water (distilled, rain or reverse-osmosis water, not tap water). Older seed that has become dehydrated (has dried to some extent) will float. Soak the seed until most of the seeds sink rather than float, soaking for up to several days if necessary. The seeds can be separated from the water either by pouring the water onto an absorbent surface (such as a folded paper towel) or through a porous surface (like a folded paper towel). Soaking is especially important if you have doubts about how fresh or old the seed may be, as many sellers don’t say. Soaking
  Venus Flytrap seed is an important first step to produce the best germination possible. Expect seed that is more than a year old to take at least a few more days to germinate than fresh
  seed would, despite rehydration, but even seed that is two or more years old can have a surprising germination rate if the seed is pre-soaked before sowing.
• What kind of soil? — The “soil” should be a growing medium similar to one used for adult Venus Flytraps: a very low-nutrient mix based on sphagnum peat moss, with other ingredients such as silica sand or perlite optionally added. No “potting soil” (usually has nutrients added) and no Miracle-Gro brand because they enrich their sphagnum peat moss and perlite with plant food. My favorite mix is 50% by volume of sphagnum peat moss (which is dark brown; not light-brown long-fiber sphagnum moss) to 50% silica sand (not beach nor river nor children’s sandbox “play sand”).What about coir instead of sphagnum peat moss? Although desalinated coir can be used in a growing mix for reasonably mature or adult Venus Flytraps, using coir for germinating and the initial growing of Venus Flytrap seedlings (instead of a traditional sphagnum peat based medium) can be problematic. Coir is so spongy and springy that after watering, the mass of growing medium heaves upward as it dries, especially near the top surface, and often partially uproots tiny Venus Flytrap seedlings or makes it difficult for them to establish their first roots.
• Do not bury the seed — However, it’s OK to gently press the seed into the surface of the growing medium with a thumb or finger, or to sift a little fine dust of sphagnum peat moss (ground between the fingers, for example) onto the growing medium to settle around the seeds, to help retain moisture and keep the emerging root from drying out and becoming calloused and stunted. This also helps give the seed something to push against as the root emerges and seeks to dig itself into the medium instead of merely pushing itself along the soil surface, but it is not strictly necessary.

• Water — Use only rain water or distilled water (or reverse-osmosis water). To water the seeds, use a spray bottle to gently wet the soil surface or continue to spray to saturate the medium until some water drains out, or water from below, allowing the soil to suck water upward through the drain holes from a tray or bowl of water. While germinating seed the soil should be fairly moist. Later when the plants begin to grow well the water content should be lowered and the plants allowed to have more air and less water in the soil. Venus Flytraps, once they are past the tiny seedling stage, grow very healthy in just moist rather than soggy or saturated soil, although care must be taken so that the soil never completely dries out.
• Heat — Yes, keep the seeds and growing container warm. A temperature above 78 degrees Fahrenheit or fluctuating up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (24-32 or more degrees Celsius/Centigrade) will greatly help to stimulate more rapid germination and early healthy growth.
• Keep moist and avoid direct sunlight — Don’t allow the soil surface to dry out completely, and try to keep humidity high during germination, although it can be lowered once the plants are growing. If you live in a dry climate, it helps to germinate Venus Flytraps in a covered container. A disposable plastic food storage container makes a fine germination chamber. Cut or punch holes in the top for heat escape and air circulation, and poke some tiny holes in the bottom of the container to drain excess water. Place some growing medium inside (an inch or two (4-8 centimeters) in depth), sprinkle the seeds on top, and moisten thoroughly. Lift the lid of the container at least once a day and fan the air for a change of fresh air. The germination chamber should not be placed in direct sunlight because it will overheat both the air and soil inside and may damage or kill the seeds and germinating plants. Bright indirect light is best. Alternatively, the seeds may be sown in any regular pot or planting container, and temporarily covered with a clear plastic bag in indirect light. As with the germination chamber mentioned above, it is important to keep any covered container out of direct sunlight because of the rapid buildup of heat inside or beneath the covering, which can literally bake and kill seeds and seedlings. Once most of the seeds have germinated (within 4-6 weeks) the covering can be permanently removed and the seedlings then placed in direct sunlight.

• How long to wait? — Be patient. The freshest seed, sown only days or a few weeks after harvest, can often begin to germinate in as little as 10-13 days. Older seed usually takes 15-20 days or more before it begins to germinate, and seed that is more than a year old may require 25-days or more, and the germination rate (percentage of seeds that sucessfully germinate) is usually reduced as the seeds age. Soaking the seeds in water for a day or two before sowing, as mentioned above, can help to rehydrate dry, old seed and increase its germination rate. Warmth greatly increases the speed of germination of Venus Flytrap seeds. When the growing medium and air around the seeds are somewhat warmer than most humans find comfortable, seeds often germinate more quickly. Don’t give up
  too soon, and don’t let the soil surface dry and kill a newly emerging root from a just-germinated seed!
• Transplant — If grown in a germination container, Flytraps can be transplanted after germination to a more permanent home, uncovered. The best stage to transplant them (this is merely my own preference) is after 2-3 weeks of growth in the germination container, when the cotyledons (the two first leaves, the “seed leaves”) are almost fully extended out of the seed and the first tiny true trap leaf is forming. At this stage the plant has a base and tiny root that can be transplanted, which helps to anchor the plant in its new growing medium and helps it to adapt to conditions of lesser humidity and more light. An easy way to transplant is to use a moist wooden toothpick. Poke a tiny hole in the new home of the plant, gently dig the plant with the tip of the toothpick, transfer
  the plant to the tiny hole in its new growing container and gently orient it properly (leaves up, base and root down) then very gently settle it into the new hole with the toothpick or a very light touch of a finger.
• Storing seeds — To store excess seed for later germination, place them in a small plastic bag or–if very fresh–in a paper envelope inside a plastic bag, and store them in the refrigerator. Keeping them cold helps prevent them from trying to germinate prematurely (warmth stimulates germination) and helps keep them fresh, and keeping them from drying out too much keeps them fresh longer and keeps their germination rate (percentage) higher. Placing them in a plastic bag and squeezing out most of the excess air keeps the seeds from drying out too much, and placing them in a paper envelope helps overly-moist fresh seed to dry just a little and keeps them from developing mold in long term storage. The plastic bag enclosing the paper envelope keeps them from drying out too much.
  If harvesting your own seed, allow them to dry in a small open container for 2-3 days before storage in the refrigerator.
• Anything else? HAVE FUN! — Venus Flytraps are very interesting to watch grow from seed. Most Venus Flytraps that are available for sale are tissue cultured (micropropagated), but seed grown plants are all different: each is genetically unique, one of a kind, with the potential to be a special plant.