Germination was inconsistent, but almost every seed germinated if they were left in the fridge for long enough. After they germinated I planted them in a little punnet with soil and watered them occasionally. Eventually I planted them in a larger pot of soil, and they pretty much just looked after them selves.
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| Muscari grape hyacinth flowering |
Unfortunately I grew my seedlings in a cup of soil for far too long and they were somewhat stunted, and when planted out I had them in poor soil, so they have not grown to their potential. Few people are going to give them perfect conditions so I think it still shows the rough time frames that can be expected when growing muscari grape hyacinth from seed.
Days to maturity Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
Seeds in the fridge 02/12/2018 Day 0
Seeds germinating 31/01/2019 to 11/03/2019 Two to Three months
Flowering Late August 2020 Around twenty one months
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| Muscari seedlings flowering in under 2 years |
Some of my seed grown plants are flowering now, meaning it took them a little under two years from seed to maturity.
Some plants are far larger than others. Some are not flowering this year, these will most likely be large enough to flower next spring. Considering how little effort and how many new plants I now have, just under two years from seed to flower is a really good outcome.
It took less than two years for muscari to flower when grown from seed. I have read in gardening books that muscari take up to six years to flower from seed, other places claim 3 to 5 years from seed, there seems to be unilateral agreement not to bother. I guess these people never actually tried to grow muscari from seed themselves.
Very few places in Australia sell muscari grape hyacinth seeds. When I have fresh seeds I list them on my for sale page. I don't know how long the seeds remain viable, when the next lot are ready for harvest I plant out all of my remaining seeds. This way the seeds are always fresh. I really should keep some aside and see how long it takes for germination rates to decline.
Grape hyacinths are the most obnoxious weed in my garden. You won't get them out ever if they are established. They seed around, they produce an enormous amount of bulbils that break of if you try to get the main bulb out. The flowers smell bad, the foliage looks really ugly most of the year. I really wouldn't grow them voluntarily, especially in Australia, where you have a unique flora that's threatend by many invasive species. I would actually love to read more about Australian natives on your blog, there are not many people doing breeding work on Australian food plants.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how different people perceive things. I love the smell of grape hyacinth and the foliage doesn't bother me as it looks much like grass. I understand what you say about them possibly being invasive in some situations. Like every other plant, they can be a weed in some areas while being difficult to grow in others. They grow well here, but haven't proven to be invasive even though they have been grown in gardens in this area for over 100 years. There are some Australian natives that are not from this area that pose a greater weed threat.
DeleteAs far as Australian native food plants go, I don't have a lot of experience with very many of them. I grow Mentha australis, which I love, and a few others, but not many. Many are difficult to grow from seed, and getting access to germplasm of Australian natives is strangely difficult.
Yam daisy used to be extremely common, but is locally extinct through most of its previous range. I know yam daisy grows in the paddock next to me, but I am not allowed to take plants/seeds from the paddock and can't find anywhere else to get any plants or seeds. I grew this years ago, I would love to grow it again and dabble in producing larger roots, but I just can't get access to seeds.