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Has anyone had luck germinating these seeds? I just can't seem to get these red Erythrina herbacea seeds to break dormancy. I have soaked, nicked & used baggie method, and then heating pad, They do not swell upon soaking which is kind of odd, and I was beginning to think it was old seed. But after reading some past posts I see a lot of "old seed" is still viable.
Any help would be appreciated.
Linda
These seeds are relatively easy to germinate with the following instructions. File a spot on the seed until the white inner portion of the seed clearly shows (I use a bench grinder). You can actually do multiple spots. Then soak at room temperature for 24 hours. You shold notice the seed swelling. If it has not, you did not file completely through the outer cover of the seed. Once it has swollen, change the water daily until the seed coating has split and the "root" starts to extend from the seed and the two seed halves have split. Then, take the seed out of the water and carefully remove the seed coating, which should be pretty soft. Place the seed, rood side down in moist potting soil with a little fertilizer mixed in. The top of the seed should just be visible at the surface of the potting soil. Keep this out of direct sunlight. After two days, you should notice that seed has turned green and a sprout will come out of the top of the seed. If the seed lifts out of the soil, carefully remove it from the soil and embed it again (be careful not to damage the root that should now be longer). Keep the potting soil moist and plant the seedling after it has 6-8 leaves.
