Getting Hibiscus Wood to root/ growing seeds

[Nievesgirl]

What are the steps to get wood from a hibiscus to root ? my understanding is you cut some mature wood from the plant and root it ? if not please explain.

also I planted 2 seeds around march 27 and they have yet to sprout. Do you think they are goners? I nicked the seed and put in organic potting mix for now.

[Charlie]

One key to both rooting and germinating is temperature. If it gets too cold during either process it often fails. The temp should be 70 to 80 both day and night, which is not always easy to accomplish. A source of bottom heat is helpful, such as seed pads or even the top of an appliance like a refrigerator. You don't need a lot of heat, just a gentle warmth below the tray or whatever is used to hold the seeds or cuttings.

Seeds have been known to germinate years after planting, but usually they will either germinate or rot within the first couple of weeks. When the seed is fresh and conditions are right the seed often germinates within a few days.

Good luck!

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

I should have known I was going something wrong. The first seeds left them in my room under compact fluorescent lighting I brought them to work to my desk where lots of sun come in the window and its warm. But nothing has sprouted. So I thought I did something wrong.... I took another seed nicked it then let it soak overnight then planted it in jiffy potter.  This time I left it outside on my balcony but its been cold in Los Angeles. I planted it yesterday do you think its too late ? I just moved it inside. If this seed fails I will wait till it gets back to regular 80 degrees

[Charlie]

You are on the right track. We all have to experiment with the conditions we have in order to find what works. Seeds that don't germinate right away can still do so unless they rot first, which is common if they are too wet. It can be tricky to get all the factors right, but once they are right it seems very easy. Nicking is helpful and speeds up the germinating. I nick all my seeds but I do not soak them. Soaking is likely to bring about rotting and is not necessary. Just press the nicked side of the seed into the moist but not wet potting mix and it will absorb all the water it needs to germinate. Don't bury it, just press it into the wet mix nicked side down.

Good luck!

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

You are on the right track. We all have to experiment with the conditions we have in order to find what works. Seeds that don't germinate right away can still do so unless they rot first, which is common if they are too wet. It can be tricky to get all the factors right, but once they are right it seems very easy. Nicking is helpful and speeds up the germinating. I nick all my seeds but I do not soak them. Soaking is likely to bring about rotting and is not necessary. Just press the nicked side of the seed into the moist but not wet potting mix and it will absorb all the water it needs to germinate. Don't bury it, just press it into the wet mix nicked side down.

Good luck!

Charlie

Well I looked at the seed and its rotted ( probably like you said soaking it)  so I will wait for better weather. The weather hear has be crazy hot then cold now hot again... but the nights are still cold and not warm.

[kris]

I did some hybridizing last fall and planted some of the seeds from those crosses in 6 pack seed trays and miracle grow seed starter and I got several to root.  However, I had several crosses I made that had seeds, but did not germinate.  Its entirely possible that them not sprouting is not your fault, but rather is due to infertile seeds.  Good luck and be sure to post pictures of your first blooms!

[Nievesgirl]

I did some hybridizing last fall and planted some of the seeds from those crosses in 6 pack seed trays and miracle grow seed starter and I got several to root.  However, I had several crosses I made that had seeds, but did not germinate.  Its entirely possible that them not sprouting is not your fault, but rather is due to infertile seeds.  Good luck and be sure to post pictures of your first blooms!

I hope they are infertile because I bought these seeds from Barry S.  Since the weather is getting hot I will try it again . So far the nights are not cold anymore.

[kris]

I realized that your wood question was never answered.  So this is my first time doing it too, I just got some wood from a friend and I was reading that you can dip the cuttings in root tone and put them in a gallon pot with perlite.  Then stick the pot in water so that when it evaporates the water is wicked up so the cuttings dont dry out while getting established.  It is also important to keep them in shade when they are rooting.  According to my research it takes about 6-8 weeks to root.  Am I missing anything charlie?  Hope this helps

[Nievesgirl]

I decided to buy this

[img]http://www.thisyounghouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/jiffy-plant-tomatoes-from-seeds-greenhouse.jpg[img]

And I planted 4 seeds to see if this would work. Today I see 3 sprouting !!!! , It comes with a cover to keep the dirt pellets warm. One day I accidentally left them out when it was hot but they still grew. Now I will try some more seeds and keep track of the seedlings growth I will post some pictures in a few days.

[kris]

Hi Nievesgirl,

Im glad that is working for you!  In 8 months or so you should have new hybrids to share

[Nievesgirl]

Ok I see 4 sprouting out of 4  , I just planted 5 more to see if they will sprout. when should I transfer them out of the pellets ? Not really take them out but put them in a pot ? I have 3" clay pots I bought

[Charlie]

Nice Job. You are experiencing one of the pleasures in growing these - learning what works for you in your environment! These lessons can be painful when they involve plants dying but when you get it right it is quite a high!

The first pair of leaves on hibiscus seedlings are not true leaves. Wait to see the next pair of leaves emerge and then you can transplant to the small pots. Small and delicate as they look, hibiscus seedlings are actually pretty tough and vigorous from this point on. The main danger remains damping off due to high humidity so be careful with the dome. You should get some air circulation inside the tray during the day to help prevent this fungus disease from overwhelming the tiny seedlings. After you transplant them there is little danger of this.

Good luck, and well done!

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

What i do is put dome over them only at night to keep a nice warm temp , then i take it off during the day and they get some real sunlight when its around 4pm.
Thanks for the info also 

[Charlie]

That's perfect. I used to do the same thing when I used a dome and it helped cut down the losses due to damping off.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Here are the pics , I deceived to plant the rest of my seeds So we will see how many more will sprout so far I am having luck with this method. I had people tell me its 40-50% that the seeds will sprout so far I got 100% results out of the first batch and the second batch looks like I got another 100% result. 4 out of 4 now 5 out of 5  Lets hope the rest sprout.

I am going to try to get some wood from hibiscus Plant a few block down inf front of another apt. I tried it once but I did not know what i was doing back then lol.