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#1
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Germination of Banana seeds
Hi Folks!
I planted some banana seeds (some type of Musa ... can't quite remember exactly what but they were from Chiltern seeds). Its been some months now and nothing has appeared. The seeds don't seem to have rotted, they just don't seem to have done anything! I even chipped a couple to see if that was the problem. How long should they take to germinate? I'm also wondering about the temperature, is now not very warm where they are (unheated room of house = 10-13 degrees C) what do they like? TIA Gareth. -- __________________________________________ Gareth Jones "Reality sucks - go watch a Star Trek" To email, remove the '_ns_' from __________________________________________ |
#2
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Germination of Banana seeds
"Gareth Jones" wrote in message
news Hi Folks! I planted some banana seeds (some type of Musa ... can't quite remember exactly what but they were from Chiltern seeds). Its been some months now and nothing has appeared. The seeds don't seem to have rotted, they just don't seem to have done anything! I even chipped a couple to see if that was the problem. How long should they take to germinate? I'm also wondering about the temperature, is now not very warm where they are (unheated room of house = 10-13 degrees C) what do they like? They are a tropical plant. Have you tried taking them to Tobago or similar for a few months? -- Tumbleweed Remove my socks before replying (but no email reply necessary to newsgroups) |
#3
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Germination of Banana seeds
Gareth Jones pushed briefly to the
front of the queue on Wed, 13 Nov 2002 12:20:12 +0000, and nailed this to the shed door: ^ Hi Folks! ^ ^ I planted some banana seeds (some type of Musa ... can't quite remember ^ exactly what but they were from Chiltern seeds). Its been some months ^ now and nothing has appeared. The seeds don't seem to have rotted, they ^ just don't seem to have done anything! ^ I even chipped a couple to see if that was the problem. ^ ^ How long should they take to germinate? ^ I'm also wondering about the temperature, is now not very warm where ^ they are (unheated room of house = 10-13 degrees C) what do they like? I've germinated two or three over the years (and failed with a few more). They are very hit and miss - the official line is that they will take anything from a few weeks to a year or more. My limited experience would say two to three months. Did you soak them in a warm place for a couple of days before planting? I think that's pretty important. I never chipped any of mine. And I presume you sealed the pot in a plastic bag? That's pretty critical too. The rest is just luck, I think. Andy -- sparge at globalnet point co point uk Look after the sins of write-commission, and the sins of read-omission will take care of themselves. |
#4
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Germination of Banana seeds
True banana (Musa) seeds need soaking in constantly tepid or warm
water for 3 to 5 days, changing the water daily to rinse out the germination inhibitors present within the tough seed coat. It is debatable as to whether chipping the seed coat really works. I take the view that disease can easily enter the seed if it is chipped, so I prefer to leave the seed coats entire. The seeds should then be sown in a sterile medium (lightly moist, straight perlite is ideal), just pushing them beneath the surface. Of course you can use a soil-less seed compost, but this is more likely to harbour bacterial and fungal infections which can kill dormant seeds. Temperatures need to be high - around 30C - 33C is best and the seeds should never be allowed to dry out. Given the above treatment, truly fresh seed will usually germinate within 3 weeks, but stored seed can take up to 3 months. Some Musas will germinate at lower temperatures, but you might have to wait for upwards of 6 months. If you cannot provide high temperatures in a prop case, your best bet is to seal the pot in a plastic bag and place it in an airing cupboard. Often classified as a 'banana', but belonging to a different genus, the 'Abyssinian Banana' or 'African Hemp' - Ensete ventricosum, with its large, marble-like seeds, can germinate quite successfully at around 23C - 25C. Again, germination times depend partly upon temperature and the freshness of the seed. The older the seed, the higher the temperature needs to be. HTH David Poole TORQUAY UK |
#5
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Germination of Banana seeds
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