Sept 20/08    Meconopsis: betonicifolia, Lingholm, nepaulense (red), horridus.  Sown in trays, unheated greenhouse in shaded portion.  Plastic cover.  Medium: equal parts peat, sand, perlite.  Daily mist with Skookum Grow.  M. betonicifolia are from collections made in 2003 and 2005.  This the third and last germination trial for the 2003 seed and first for the 2005 seed.  Yes, we had lots of kids from the 2003 seed.   Davidia: grubbed up seed in sowing pot to check for emerging seedlings.  Happiness reigns.  Lots of embryos have blown the 'hatch' on their seed chamber.  Secret is: keep seed moist, never expose to a baking sun.  Will place emerging seedlings in a germination pot with seedling seating on top so it can easily lift itself free without ripping tender leaves on the rough seed coat.  57 sprouted nuts to date.  Woohoo!

Sept 28/08    Meconopsis looks like its starting to split its seed coat. 

Sept 29/08    Meconopsis: 2003 M. betonicifolia, M. 'Lingholm', nepaulense, and horridus are starting to germinate.  2005 M. betonicifolia still shy.

Oct 2/08   Vitis: cold stratified in fridge since June.  Placed on computer monitor for gentle heat Sept 28 are now sprouting.  Stratified Asimina haven't started to do their thing...yet!

Oct 3/08   Ptersyrax corymbosa (harvested Sept '07 stored in moist peat/perlite) put on computer Sept 28 is starting to germinate.  Very neat as I couldn't find the embryo in the cut tests done...so never discard seed you know very little about.

Oct 4/08   Placed on computer monitor indivudual bags of stratified seed of: Magnolia officinalis biloba, denudata, biondii, sieboldi, kobus, Sciadopitys (in fine bark mulch), cold stored 2007 Camellia and Peonia rockii. 

Oct 13/08   Asimina roots starting to emerge.  Vitis is in the greenhouse in plug trays (no heat or light).  Meconopsis trays look like a little forest.  Must transplant Camellia today.  Sciadopitys are splitting seed coat.  Magnolia denutata and biondi putting out roots.  Very exciting.

Oct 15/08  Acer griseum started this time two years ago is sprouting after two rounds of warm then cold stratification.  Sprouted in the fridge.  Now sitting on computer desk for gentle warmth.

Oct 24/08  Acer griseum puting out first set of true leaves (red and fuzzy); Magnolia biondii looks good, Magnolia officnialis & denudata need pricking out.  Golly, 2005 Daphne mezie is germinating too (after 4 months of cold stratification).

Nov 1/08.  Stewartia serrata: 2007 seed.  Baggie sown warm/cold/warm stratification...is up after 30 days final warm stratification period.  Asimina transplanted. M. kobus sprouting with abandon.  M sieboldi seeds cracking open.

Nov 18/08  Asimina starting to push out top growth. 

Dec 26/08  Sciadopitys popping up.  Lovely vivid green. 

Feb 10/09  Arisaema sikokianum seed soaked 24 hours in Skookum solution and undergoing warm stratification in a baggie on the computer monitor.  Presoaked Poncirus put on gentle heat.  Magnolia amoena put on gentle heat too.

Feb 18/09  Poncirus sprouting with abandon.  Magnolia amoena cracking open...some roots showing.

Feb 20/09 Arisaema sikokianum seed is starting to germinate.

June-Sept/09  Bump found and major surgery.  Many species normally collected during this time were sadly forgone.  With staples being removed Sept 23, the wait for the doc's okay before resuming LIFE will be the toughest.  Thanks to all who wished me well in their thoughts and prayers.

Oct 20.  Back in the saddle.  Soaked Franklinia and Emmenopterys in pregermination treatment Skookum. 

Nov 3.  Emmenopterys is sprouting 14 days warm stratification. 

Jan 17 2010.  Happy New Year!  Skookum soaked Gymnocladus chinensis, Decaisnea, Ziziphus, Calycanthus chinensis & C. floridus, Xanthoceras, Cornus mas, Diospyros. Cornus mas and Diospyros are undergoing cold stratification where the rest are undergoing warm stratification.

Jan 29/10.  Transplanted sprouting G. chinensis, Calycanthus (chinensis and floridus), Xanthoceras.  Ziziphus and Decaisnea are starting to sprout.  AH HA!  Jujube and dead man's fingers DON'T need cold stratification!  Life is so much easier!  Posted pics of sprouting Gymnocladus chinensis with untreated seed on site.

Jan 28.  Scarified and soaking more Gymnocladus (both species).

Feb 7.  Sowing the Decaisnea, Ziziphus, and both flavours of Gymnocladus.  All look great.  Gymnocladus chinensis transplanted Jan 29th are 3-6 inches tall (purple leaves?!)...and Xanthoceras are bushy little 2-4 inch things...how cute!

Sept 25.  Placed various magnolia species on gentle warmth after being in the fridge for a year or so.  Baggie sown (of course) to conserve space and have an early start while getting the greenhouse winterized. Acer monspessianum (soaked and baggie sown in May then placed in fridge) is sprouting in the fridge.  MUST transplant or lose them all.

Oct 15.  Transplanted M. ashei, liliiflora.  Acer monspessianum doing well and pushing out first set of true leaves.  Some transplant die-off.

Oct 25.  M. amoena is up.

Dec 17/10  Franklinia is starting its 24 hour Skookum Grow soak.  Bigger seed this year...gives me hope of some success.  Also Skookum soaking: Arisaema sikokianum (2009 seed), Arisaema siko x triphylla hybrid (own hand pollination), Toona, Korean pine, Acacia angustissima, Evodia, Rhodotypos, Sinojackia, Corydalis scouleri, Fargesia nitida and Heptacodium miconioides.  Out of cold stratification and into warm stratification: Magnolia biloba, M. biondii, M. borealis, M. loeberni, M. cylindrica, M sieboldi, M. kobus, Halesia, Liriodendron, Paeonia mascula, and Schisandra.  Magnolia acuminata is not tolerant of warm stratification in a baggie so the cracked open seed was planted directly into 15cm square pots...did two pots with 20-25 seeds in each.

Dec 18.  Toona given several changes of soak water over 36 hour period.  Extremely pungent peppery onion scent...from the seeds!  Very much like the foliage scent. 

Dec 20.  Acacia angustissima germinating.

Dec 29.  Toona germinating.

Jan 3 2011  Happy New Year!  Toona, Magnolia borealis, M. loeberni, Fargesia, and Schisandra transplanted.  Liriodendron, M. biloba, Arisaema sikokianum are germinating.

Jan 10.  Halesia germinating.

Jan 18.  Franklinia transplanted.  Sowing baggie placed back in cold stratification...perhaps only for a week...then we'll see what happens again.  20 seed for 10 kids.  Magnolia biloba transplanted.  Fargesia pushing out first leaves from the 'growth cone/shoot'.

Feb 6.  Evodia germinating (warm stratification only).

Feb 12.  More Franklinia sprouting after second round of cold stratification except it was 7 days instead of 21-30 days.  With 20% additional seed germinating, its worth putting the baggie back in the fridge for more kids.  That makes 12 kids for 20 seeds.

Happy 2012!!

Sorry for being so quiet...since Sophie's death, I've lost my enthusiasm...didn't even send Christmas cards.  Hoping to get back into the saddle.

Jan1.  Meconopsis grandis, M. horridula, M. superba acquired Feb 2011 were sown.  Skookum mistings twice a day.  Under T8 florescents for 14 hours of light.  Jan 3rd...seed swelling.

Jan 3.  Magnolia tripetala collected Oct 2011 are starting to germinate during cold stratification cycle.  Medium is barely moist.  Many Mags don't like overly moist medium when in storage.  Well washed coconut coir seems proven medium.