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Return to the Growing from Seed Forum | Post a Follow-Up

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passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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Posted by colimamoon colima (My Page) on
Tue, May 26, 09 at 16:36

i read that starting passiflora incarnata from seed is difficult and/or takes as long as a year.

i wonder if anyone out there has experience starting this vine from seed? because i live in mexico, seeds are my only option so please don't tell me to buy a plant :).

i wonder if putting the seeds in the fridge for a few weeks and/or scarifying them would help the process along?

thanks for your ideas, colimamoon

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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Don't scarify them but a short period of cold stratification might help with P. incarnata though I've never had a problem with just planting them. The fresher the seed the better. You might want to try soaking the seeds in orange juice or some other acidic liquid for a day or two before planting. Plant them just below the soil surface. Germination might be erratic with some sprouting in a few weeks and others taking months. Here's a great site for passiflora info

Here is a link that might be useful: Passie info

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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Since they have a hard shell, it would be a good idea to rub the seed between sand paper to abrade the surface to allow moisture to get in. This will aid germination. Bottom warmth will help in germination also. I'm not sure that cold treatment will help since these plants grow in areas that don't experience significant cold, as well as areas that do.

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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Passifloras are a hard coated seed that you do not want to scarify and P.incarnata is a cold hardy variety that can sometimes respond well to a period of cold stratification.

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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Why wouldn't you want to scarify it? Hard shells keep water out.

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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I stand corrected. The coat is permeable. Soaking in a citrus juice might help.

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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I really wish GW would let you edit posts... I just realized that it was already mentioned to try soaking in citrus juice.

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RE: passiflora incarnata; starting from seed

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thank you all for your suggestions. i did find the suggestion at the pfaf.org site to soak the seeds for 24 hours before sowing in a high pulp fruit juice such as passion fruit juice or orange juice. they say that the acid in the juices will soften the shell and speed up germination. another site forum suggested soaking in a 5% alcohol/water solution (also 24 hours) which is supposed to remove the chemical from the seed coat that inhibits germination and will speed the process. so gardenweb people, i'd say you are a bunch of winners for sure. first i'll find an orange, juice it up, soak the seeds and plant them. shall i let you know how many days before i discover a seedling or 2?

  
 

 

 


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