Nepenthes seeds germination
 

hi all,

the reason why i started this new thread is because to compile all relevant topics on seeds germination/ propagation. i know there are older threads that have mentioned this topic over and over again but as for new beginners like myself, we tends to search the forum upside down but what we get are bits and parts of information, sometime the sifu also get frustrated as each of us ask the same questions, its like a giant puzzle that we need to piece together to get the real picture.

so to cut the grandmother story short, i humbly request....please start to contribute information, links, pics, your invaluble experience into this thread. i know many forumers in this forum has green thumbs on germinating seeds.....:1thumbup:

new batch of purchased seeds are distributed among us and very eager to start our own nursery..hahaha. if it successful, new seedlings can be trade or exchange among us.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Hi Kevyn, there is no fixed rule to propagate neps seeds. The seeds need to be sown on mixture of peat/perlite, or sphagnum moss/perlite or pure sphagnum moss. It will depend what you like to use and their availability.

seeds can be sown on open pots or transparent containers which came with covers. Some would prefered to cover the container to increase humidity. Either way both show high germination rate, provided seeds are viable, fresh and healthy.

place containers in bright shaded spot where sufficient amount of light will ensure faster and higher germination.

most healthy neps seeds will germinate about 18 days. some people have faster result while some slower.

young seedlings need to be transplanted once they're approx 3cm wide. some grow faster, others slow,some will weaken and die naturally. It takes about 20 months for a seedling to reach 3cm wide, lots of patience and care !

Two N.northiana robust seedlings outgrowing other siblings. seeds were from the same plant.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...u/0b550b0b.jpg

some of my latest H/L and lowland neps germination.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...u/f93bda80.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...u/c4c28093.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...u/f787a1dc.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Kevyn,

Thanks for starting this thread. It's going to be a big help for newbie like me to understand more about neps seeds sowing.


Robert,

Thanks for sharing your experience in neps seeds sowing. Since you has had successes with both the LL and HL species, can i ask if you sown them under the same condition or under a different conditons?

Regards

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

both sown and grow under lowland conds. The highlander will need cool chamber on transplant else their growth will be stunted.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

I will also like to add that after the transplant, watch out for the humidity too and the media should not be too wet*biggrin2*

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

this is mine
Attachment 3951

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Thanks, really appreciates it. I now have a rough ideas how to go about it.

Will take note of that. Thanks.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Wow...Boon, that's a lot of seedlings you got there. Please share your secret recipe here so others will benefit from them. Thanks.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

nothing secret.. try maintain good humidity and temperature is most important,,, then i use high power lamp in the rack, 6 hours a day.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Nepenthes factory!

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Is it ok if i use those high power submersible aquarium lamp?

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Haha.... mine is under 39 watts 4 tubes T5HO for 12 hours:P
LL condition is 30 degrees.
RH is atleast 80%.
You are right, RH and temp is the most important*biggrin2*

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Thanks everyone for sharing these information. Hope everyone will be able to learn how to grow nepenthes from seeds... Good luck :1thumbup:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

thanks for all who contributes their tips and pics, success stories are welcome too ie different requirements and conditions for different kind of neps seeds.....

i have one batch of (n. thorelli x [stenophylla x lowii]) x mixta seeds sitting since march in my office, providing 8++ hours of lights and daily mists.......still no action...

but the n. gracilis seeds received from allenphoon's sase, germinated in 4 days after sowing!! jason's d. burmanii seeds germinated in less than a week!!! no bull****.....its true, i cant believe my eyes too!!!*biggrin2*

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

thanks kevyn for raising this issue, I use to play with 3 sp of seeds from previous seed bank, but ended up having nothing...revision of the way to germinate seeds really helps a lot:smile:

was wondering the method of watering/water traying, which would be more appropriate? tq

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

hahhaa...no sweat....i have seeds from the seed bank too...nothing came out too...

i would say control misting is the best...water tray seems to be too wet and more troublesome.:tongue:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

4days!!!! even mine also need to wait 2weeks ++, man your condition really make lowlanders happy ler!!

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

No wonder N. gracilis is every where *biggrin2*

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Sob sob...My gracilis from allen has not done anything yet...T.T

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Here is my seedstation. The green trays are on a heatingmap. So the pots are always warm. It's about 1,5 m away from a 400 W hps.

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/samenecke02.jpg

some transplanted seedlings in the lowland terra. There are also some of my own crosses which I'm especially very proud of :wub: :

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/seedlings_ll.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

its just pure luck maybe after the big batch of seeds trial failure.....:blush:

nice and clean setting, i like your hexagonal pots! what are your crosses/hybrids? please keep us updated on your own crosses/hybrids!!

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

in the lowland terra are spathulata x albomarginata (black) and (thorelii x tm) x veitchii (lowland)

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Solid:1thumbup:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

wow ! your green house going to be crowded:laugh:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

thank you :biggrin:
Lots of the seedlings are also smilesiis and suratensis and I hope that they'll grow also on the windowsill.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Very nice thread..... this is definitely a must read for any nepenthes lover who grows
from seed. Looking at all the images posted so far makes me drool....

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Here is a pic of my spathulata x albomarginata (black). It's now about 1,5 years old.

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/spath_albo_03.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Wow... very nice cross... :wub:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Here is a pitcher of a 3 years old seedgrown plant. It germinated between the papua amps. I guess it's xKuchingensis but the peristome is quite strange. What you think?

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/kuchingensis01.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

wow, thats good....stray seeds...hahaha but by looking at its pitcher's shape....it doesnt look like a x kuchingensis to me...(at least to my eyes)

can we have a look at its leaves and the whole plant, please...

also the papua amp......hehehe

this is one of the successed story of a successful neps seeds germination...good job :1thumbup:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Here is a pic of the whole plant:

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/kuchingensis02.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

i would say it is a complex hybrid....anyway its nice!!:1thumbup:

how about the ampullaria 'papua'?

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

here is the amp. All are speckled. Not very spectacular:

http://www.3ddart.com/neps/amp01.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

hmm. looks like it is covered with fine hairs...nice pitcher!:1thumbup:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Here are the only nepenthes seedling that I got. I grow them with pure spagnum moss.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ofIMG_1545.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ofIMG_1544.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ofIMG_1543.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

WOOO. Eyes dropped. So many babies. Do you cover the pot and keep warm when you first sow them?

Tried to germinate LOTS of seeds but they're all still zzzzzzzzzzzz. Sigh

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Those just little if compare with others forumer.:sweating:

When I sow them, I didnt cover the pot. But, I put those pot on top of water tray. Just my method... :shy:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

CASEYHOO, u must separate them or the growth will stop, when their roots are close to each other, growth will slow down, eventually stop.

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Sifu, will do so ASAP. Actually plan to do so long time ago. As usual, LAZY!!!!

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

i got 4 tray yet to separate also.. lazy. each with 200+-

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

sounds like nepenthes can also be made into bonzai:2thumbup:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

This is one of my seedlings, my own cross of N. sp Giant Tiger x veitchii LL

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/5282/seedlings.jpg

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Wah...i not only see seedlings, i also see something else in the mould of exotica plants coming out from SP.*biggrin2* I think in future no need to order from oversea as can get many nice hybrids produced locally.:1thumbup:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Yeah...Its good we can have our own malaysian made stuff....Cheaper :) And more shiock lol

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Yups, that's my intention and hopefully more ppl will start growing and producing their own home made species/hybrids neps. I'm no where near EP standard la... :blush:

Hopefully, our own Malaysian made neps will not only be cheaper, it'll also be unique :smile:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

nepnut, those are nice and a lots seedling you have there...

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

one thing that i like about self chosen hybrid is that we could do it our way, in other word, to "create" what we would dream of, to engineer a new breed instead of spending sky high price on something that are created on other's expectation or desires...

but the biggest set back is that we never know when our nep will flower or some times not knowing if what we have is a male plant or female plant, timing issues and so on are always the biggest trouble

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

Casey,
Thanks bro, I'm worried I'll be running out of growing space when those seedlings started to grow bigger... :sweating:

C Way,
Yups, it's not easy to do selected cross with neps, it will take a lot of time (took me 2 years) to get first batch of seeds.

You need large collection of potential breeding stock with good and desirable traits, grow it to flowering stage (when a nep flower, it usually won't be producing pitchers anymore during and after flowering for sometime, so it's a sacrifice for me), hand pollinate and grow the cross to adult stage... years of time. However, I still feel it's worth it... :smile:

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

oic, thanks a lot :), no wonder one of my n. campanulata never pitcher but keep on flowering, another one also showing the flowering sign now, too bad, both are male, other sp is no where near flowering stage...having a larger collection also means higher cost on purchasing and lot of space needed, big challenge indeed for a hobbyist since I'm not into commercial purposes

Re: Nepenthes seeds germination
 

if there too much seedlings, i still got space for them, *biggrin2*