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Just got some seeds, just wondering if anyone can tell me what they did to start them (cold stratification) etc .

I'm going to try starting them like I did the heteroclada seeds. Soak them in water for 24 hours and then plant them in plastic cups filled with potting soil.

I found the best way for me was to fill a seed try with potting compost and spread all the seeds on the top, press them down a little into the compost and put the whole think in shade outside. If the seeds are viable they should start sprouting in three or four days and then as they sprout just pot then up in three or four inch pots and leave in the shade. I did not bring in my seedlings for the winter (zone and they are all shooting away again now . Tallest seedling at a year old is about a foot.
A friend who did shelter the exact same seedlings in a Greenhouse for the Winter lost all his plants. The way I looked at it was they would need to survive a cold first Winter in the Wild so that's what they got here. Mine are Fargesia nitida Ganzu 2 but the same treatment for normal ( if there is such a thing ) Nitida should apply. Seedling will leaf curl in full sun , they curl fast but also recover fast.
Hope this helps.



Later
Steve
p.s. Compost damp not wet and never let it dry out, as I'm sure you know already .

when starting heteroclada seeds I found best results with cold stratification. put in a damp paper towel, in a baggie, in bottom drawer of the frig for about a week. then it still took a couple of weeks to sprout, but had about 80 percent or more germinate. I fill Dixie cups half full of potting mix, plant seeds about 1/8 inch then cover with plastic wrap to keep humidity in. I find that easier than transplanting from trays.

I guess I should give more info . Fargesia Nitida Ganzu 2 seeds were fresh from the Mother plant , planted within a week of harvest , no need for cold stratification as these seeds expect to germinate in there present growing season and be big enough by Winter to take the cold.
Why I use seed trays outside , natural temperature variations and with a large seed tray it's easy to control moisture levels . plus air flow is constant and open. I guess some sort of protection to stop birds eating the seeds would be wise, but I did not bother. As I said germination started within 3 or 4 days , all viable seeds germinated within 10 days.
I transplanted into pots as soon as they germinated to avoid root tangle or any of the other issues with seeds in trays.
I guess I believe mimicking natural conditions will give the best results , I had 95 % germination and all the seedlings still alive a year later , I may do something dumb in the future and kill them all , I sure hope not .
A person only gets to grow Fargesia Nitida once every 120 years or so and I'm getting too old to wait for next time .
Later
Steve

Trays work well, I used Tupperware trays with lids and used bottom heat Matt's with very good results. My mistake was over seeding, I end up with 300 seedlings in a tray and lost a lot trying to separate. Now I put the Dixie cups in the trays to separate and just cut out the bottom of the cup and plant it in the ground when there about 4 inches. peat pots would work, seed trays what every you you want to try, learning is half the fun. When I fist started germinating mine it was mid winter in a unheated garage,that's why they took so long. Now I've germinated a pound of seeds, in ever combination I could think of,with light, without. with bottom heat, without. Different soils, depths. I have about a thousand seedlings planted near the stream behind my house, all From different methods. They all worked but some better than others.[/img][/img]

Ah, I see , well they are a kind of grass seed after all . I was fortunate enough to only be dealing with a small amount of seed, also because I send my wife out to earn the money , I have more time to pick out seedlings from seed trays and look after the kids and renovate the house and ......
. Great experiment and loads of fun growing these plants from seed. Even with my small number of Ganzu 2 there are many variations in growth and culm colour, cannot wait to see what they look like mature in ten years or so
Later
Steve