I wasn’t having any luck with the Lavatera seeds I harvested from my garden, so I thought I’d try again. This time, I soaked them for one or two days (can’t remember how long!), and then I put them in the moist paper towel in a little ziploc baggie. Good news! It’s working. Well, one of them sprouted after only one day in the baggie. I think others will follow shortly.
Also, I wasn’t completely sure which part of the seed was really the germ — the seeds kind of split into two parts: a crescent shaped outer part around an inner part that’s also curved but thicker and a little more substantial looking. I was pretty sure it was the inner part — it just made sense. But that’s being proven true now. It is the inner part.
I can’t remember if these flowered first year from seed, but I hope they did. I’ll try to keep track of that this time. I really need to create a database with notes on each plant I grow so I can remember these things, along with bloom times.
OK, maybe it’s not so bad after all. I got six more sprouts out of the Lavatera seeds today. I think I now have all the Lavateras I need for the space I have.
Definitely, the soaking made the difference.
Well, it’s not working as well as I hoped. I have four seeds that have germinated, which is better than the zero I had before, but there’s still a lot of them that must be unviable. I harvested these seeds last August. Maybe they weren’t ripe enough yet?