THE KITCHEN METHOD OF SEED RAISING

"Aussie Tucker (for Chinese menu see last paragraph)"

By: Chef Derek

Ingredients:

  1. Seed from Bromeliads OTHER THAN Tillandsia

  2. Sphagnum Moss

  3. Small plastic pots say 2 inch square

  4. Labels

  5. Plastic bags (Small) Plastic bags

  6. Plastic ties Plastic ties

  7. Thin wire to make a Butcher's hook!

Recipe:

  1. Place moist sphagnum in pot. Firm this down to just below the rim. moist sphagnum in pot

  2. Sprinkle on seed straight from packet. If Vriesea or Guzmania spray water on the parachute seeds to dampen them down. Seed from Bromelioideae come in berries and may be sticky. Unless you MUST HAVE a high percentage of germination there is no need to wash or use fungicide. After all they don't get this treatment in the wild!

  3. Write name of seed on label and place in pot with the writing facing outwards so you will be able to read it through the plastic bag!

  4. Place pot in plastic bag. Add a small amount of water to bag, preferably rain water.

  5. Close bag with plastic tie and make a loop. Ready to hang using a Butcher's hook

  6. Hook up your bag in a light position but not direct sun. Waiting to germinate

  7. Check your bag (s) every week or so remembering to blow in the bag (giving the seedlings a bit of CO2!) before closing.

  8. When plants are 1/2 inch to 1 inch high remove pot from plastic bag to harden plants off. almost ready for transplant

  9. When plants are about 1 inch high they can be transferred to a pot of their own using soil mix. Don't do this in your cold winter months.

  10. If you forget to transplant the plants they will still survive even without fertiliser! It is just that it will take you longer to get a mature plant.

    Chinese recipe

  11. If you are the sort that eats Chinese Take-away food you can save lots of work by ordering a large serve of fried rice! After you have eaten the rice the see-through container is ideal for seed raising. Don't forget the moist sphagnum moss in the bottom half! Write the name of the seed on the lid and keep on the window-ledge as long as it is not in direct sun. Refer steps 7 - 10 above except remove lid instead of bag!

Uncle Derek Says:

"Bromeliad seed generally germinates so well you should throw away at least 1/2 your seedlings unless you want a garden full of the same kind! Be ruthless with your thinning."

If you are a BSI member you can obtain seed from the BSI Seed Fund

https://fcbs.org/