Propagation of Streps from Seed

I enjoy starting plants from seed, and am currently hybridizing streps.  Here is an outline of  how I start my plants from seed:

Here is a green seedpod on one of my streps:

If you harvest the seeds from it, they would not be viable.  The pod which is ripe will look brown and will start to open.  Don't panic at this stage, there are thousands of seeds in it, and even if it loses some, there are plenty left.  Here is a ripe pod:

The seeds are very tiny:

And because I always sow them too thick, if I sow them alone, I usually mix them with a bit of sterile sand to help me sow them evenly.  I use a good potting soil such as promix.  Once I have the seeds sown, I place the pot into a humidome.  If the seedlings dry out they will die.

If I am dealing with fresh seed, I have had seedlings show up in as little as 3 days.  However, they may take longer.  Here is a container with baby streps grown from seed.

I usually wait until the streps are big enough to handle before I transplant them.  The first pot I transplant into is usually made from a 35mm film cannister with a hole drilled in the bottom for drainage.  After the plants are established in the film cannister pots, I typically move them into either a Solo cup (3 oz size) or 2 1/8 inch pot.

If you have any questions, I have not answered, please email me through the link below: