Subject: Growing hosta from seed

From: [email-masked] (Sandra M Albert,NB227 LRC ,551-3046,4)
Date: 7 Mar 1995 21:30:45 -0500

How does one grow hosta from seed?
I have collected  seed pods with tiny tiny
black seeds.  Will they germinate, and if
so under what conditions?

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 8 Mar 95 09:03:59 -0600

> so under what conditions?

Hm.  If I remember right, the fruits I've examined 
had fairly large, dark seeds... at least a couple of
mm...  Oh well...

My default germination procedure for any but the most
common garden annuals and vegetables is to mix the seed
with damp sand or damp milled sphagnum moss, in a plastic
bag, and stuff it in the back of the refrigerator for 6-10
weeks.  Remove the bag at the  end of the chilling period,
and spread the contents on the surface of a flat filled with
germination medium (I usually use a decent grade of cheap
potting soil at home, or our standard greenhouse mix in the
greenhouse (equal parts good "cornfield soil", sand and
perlite, mixed and steam sterilized)).

Cover with another thin layer of sand or milled sphagnum and
place in an area where it's going to get 20oC temps at night,
30oC during the day, and wait for germination.

This procedure works for just about any biennial or perennial 
plant that will grow in areas of killing frost.  The cold-chill 
period (and the seed and sand *must* be damp for this to work) 
causes biochemical changes in the seeds, releasing them from
dormancy.

DO NOT use the pre-chill on plants from tropical regions: instead
plant those seeds *immediately* on harvest (most don't store
well) and germinate immediately.  Also don't use this on most
of our "garden annuals" which are actually cold-tender semi-
perennials from the subtropics.  And most garden veggies and
similarly domesticated crops don't need a cold chill: it's been
selected out during the domestication process.

Most seed companies like Parks or Thompson and Morgan have a
booklet of germination tips for the asking, as well as tables
of what temperatures and how long till germination.

If you have access to a library that does interlibrary loans, 
ask for the AOSA/SCST Official Rule Book (I'll post the exact
title later), and read the pages on how germination is tested
in most of the commonly available commercial seeds.  There's
a BIG table listing the required testing conditions and days
before germination is considered "complete" for most of the
"usual seeds".  This can be a big help if you're trying to
experiment with germination conditions, or you're working with
home collected seed.

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Rebecca A. Ogle)
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 1995 18:04:02 GMT

hi,
I collected hosta seed last year, thinking I'll try any thing
once, and low and behold...they germinated. I put them in a non
soil seed starting mix in 6 pack trays, covered with 1/4 inch
soil mix and kept them evenly moist by bottom watering and in a
 warm place. In about 2weeks(I didn't keep a record)
I had plants in 5 of the cells! (that was 50% germination) Good
luck,I hope I remembered to tell everything...
Becca [email-masked]