Canna 2012

Really? Quite unusual, that. I blame the parents...

 

Freddy - I grew Canna for the first time this year from the seed that Sal sent me and got 100% germination. This is how I did it;

1] Hot water soak (use water boiled 5/10mins earlier). Every time that you boil the kettle tip half of the cold water away and top up with fresh warm water. Discard any floating seed. before step two.
2] After 24hrs came the tricky bit - very carefully I shaved away the hard (now softer due to soaking) shell until I got the the lighter coloured inner part of the shell (not the embryo though). It's fiddly and is best done with a new (and sterilized) stanly knife blade. WATCH YOUR FINGERS!
3] Soak in tepid water for another 24hrs before sowing.
4] As my heated propagator was full I placed the pot in a placcy bag and sat it above a radiator.

Other will have their methods, so as you'll have lots of seed you could try several approaches

 

I've never had that happen. I reckon that either this variety is different, they have their facts wrong on this one, or they are covering their front, back AND both sides!

But if they germinate in the Autumn you buy a nice Cannabis growing lamp and you'll have them in flower for Christmas

 

I do this before soaking (so the seed has a weak spot in the shell to absorb the water through).

I tried a craft knife, and a variety of other sharp objects, and decided that was way too dangerous!, so I haven't done it since! I tried sandpaper, often recommended, and only wound up sanding the skin off my fingers!, and the way I now favour is to use a saw-file (triangular file, used for sharpening saws, but any file that has filing-ribs on the edge will do) and used the edge to file a "nick" in the seed coat. I held the seed, gently, in some mole grips. (I say gently, as I did discover that they are not the same strength as ball bearings and will split if you over do it!)

I have also tried putting them into boiling water, so that they crackle when the seed coat then splits. I've read people saying this is the only method they use and they get 100% germination. This method gave me the worst germination (but you may want to try it), but I still got more than 50%, and the sample size was small, as I only have 10 seeds or so of each variety ... so might have been old seed / poor viability anyway.

I have read that warm-water soaking works because the warmth makes any air in the seed expand, and thus is expelled, and then as the seed / water cool water is drawn into the space that the air previously occupied. Seems plausible to me, but no idea whether that is the benefit, or if the warmth kick-starts the germination process

 

Kristen - the first soak makes it easier to shave them. Shaving them makes the second soak more worthwhile in so much as the softer inner shell is now exposed. I hold them in a pair of thin nosed pliers with the seed sat on BluTac to stop it flying away.

 

Ah, that makes sense. "I see said the old man ..."

In fact, now you mention it, I now remember that I used thin nosed pliers last spring too, rather than mole grips, as its easier to adjust the pressure and less faffing around setting the mole grips for the diameter of the seed. Not sure I have needed the BluTac - just need enough pressure to stop the seed "rotating" as I try to nick it.

I do wonder if the "site" of the nick is important? I always try to get it into the side of the seed, not where the "scar" is (is that the endosperm perhaps?) in the hope that I am avoiding the place where the seed will sprout from - but maybe it doesn't matter and the cells will differentiate wherever they choose to, rather than at a specific spot?

 

I ordered 270 seeds (18 packets of 15 seeds) which only cost me 28p/pkt in cash to get the points to treble up, to get the mutisave+discount+cashback, so only 2p each for seed to sow to get plants for sale.

Good job I got my scarifying method down to 6 seconds per seed http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/canna-2012.40030/page-5#post-520890

 

Hi Kristen I've found by far the easiest and quickest way of scarifying the seed is simply to hold the seed in a pair of pliers with one hand and rub away with a file until you can just see the white inside of the seed; it takes seconds and I've never had any mishaps, seeds shooting off in to orbit etc

I'm not sure it matters too much where you file the seed either, if its obvious where the 'scar' is (some varieties seem clearer than others) I'll avoid it but I'm not too concerned as I think they still germinate..

 

I had a look at your link, and the method of using a plant label, or similar, to "prop up" the pliers to perfect amount of exposed seed. Forgotten all about that (even though I replied to that thread at the time!) and I reckon that's a great method.

My reply (in that thread) was that for some very small Canna seed I found it too difficult to use the pliers to grip them, so did the "crack in boiling water" method instead.

But definitely going to use your method for "manageable" sized seeds in future.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canna-Tro...arden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item3cbd7052a9
My seeds have always germinated in 5 to 9 days.
The scarification method is a variation on Scrungees . Now if you want to get down with the kids , and be bang up to date.................

Cannas are increasingly popular in the UK. Tropical is ideal for pot/container and bedding. It is early-flowering, and in warm conditions will flower in around 4 months from sowing. 60-75cm. Seed has received a scarification treatment with a laser beam and needs no further treatment.

 

Never mind buying seed that has been scarified with a laser ... where do I buy the laser seed-scarification equipment from?

 

Kirsten I think you can get it from Q (kew gardens)

 

Surely, wouldn't that damage the 'seed'?

 

Spoiler: he gets away to sow another day