cutting onco seeds - forced germination

penstemon penstemon@Q.com
Sat, 15 Nov 2014 14:33:55 PST

>It is so easy to  have 'accidents' with seedlings I offer my condolences! I
am not sure how removing the aril exposes the embryo....

I think you’re right; pure sand is not the way to go, with seedlings.
I studied the pictures on the SRGC forum before proceeding, but I decided 
against cutting the seeds, because there weren't enough bandages in the 
house. If you take a dental pick and gently pull off the aril, the embryo is 
usually exposed. Sometimes it takes a little more effort, but that's usually 
sufficient.
Maybe the older the seed is, the less responsive it is to my demand of 
immediate gratification. (I exaggerate. Since I really have nothing else to 
do, I find that telling people I'm quite busy with onco seed germination is 
a good way to get out of social events.)

I grow all the oncos outdoors in raised beds of sand and gravel. I even 
water them in the summer, if I feel like it. Iris iberica and its ilk are 
summer dormant (no leaves), but Iris paradoxa is practically evergreen. A 
friend said that when he examined the soil in which paradoxa was growing, in 
eastern Turkey, it was similar to highly compressed peat.
Through the miracle of modern technology, I posted a photo of paradoxa, 
taken just a few minutes ago. (The white stuff is snow. The cage is to 
protect the leaves from being eaten by rabbits.)
http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/paridevita/…

Bob Nold
Denver, Colorado

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