Rob-Rah Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 Hi, Can anyone offer any advice on this? Does it need fire or anything odd, or just the usual peat and sand and patience? This is a summer-dormant species, so I guess planting seeds now would be just about simialr to what happens in the wild? Do I keep them dry or just moist until the water trays come back in a couple of months? (NB. I mean the true D. alba, not the white form of D. capensis!) Thanks. Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Spence Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 I'd treat them the same as you would D. cisitflora, pauciflora or any of the other winter growing RSA species. I've had good germination (with cistiflora and pauciflora not alba) when the seed is sown right at the end of Summer- probably in another month for you guys up north. They seem to germinate when the days are warmish but the nights begin to get a little cold. Obviously the key is to get your hands on fresh seed. Each time that I have managed to obtain fresh seed the germination rate has been fantastic. Other times when the seed has been a little older the rate has been extremely low. When I have sown my winter growing South Africans I have placed them in a cool spot that doesn't receive direct light. I have used a basic peat/sand mix and placed the pots in about an inch of water. I've only tried D. alba from seed once and had no success at all. The quality of the seed was dubious though and I have a feeling it may have been quite old. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-Rah Posted August 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 Do you suggest using D. cistiflora plants as a guide to when to sow? My cistifloras started dying back for summer only about a week or two ago (hence why I would be tempted scatter the seed of alba now). Although I expect them to want to grow again by the end of September. Does seed usually sprout at the same time as new growth, or earlier/later? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Spence Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 I try to get the seed to sprout a little earlier than when growth emerges. The longer I can give them a cool growing period the better. Having said that, I have never tried sowing them during the hotter period of the year so this may work equally as well. Obviously in the wild they would endure a period of extreme heat after the seeds are dropped so i doubt whether the heat would harm them in the greenhouse. I would definitely keep the potting mix dry until it cools down though as you wouldn't want them to germinate while it is still hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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