Starting off some fern spores

So my first try at attempting to grow fern spores, with Cyathea lepifera, turned out to be a no go. After only a couple weeks, gray-blue patches of mold can be seen on the surface of the peat. A few days ago I got spores for Blechnum tabulare, Cyathea medullaris, Cyathea dregei, and Dicksonia fibrosa. I scoured the recycling bin and came across a bunch of containers which looked like good germination chambers.

First I started boiling some water and rinsed out the containers with soap. I filled each container with about an inch of perlite then poured boiling water over it. I then layered some peat moss on the top and wet it with the boiling water. I then stuck the container into the microwave and microwaved for 10 minutes. One of the lids of the plastic containers melted and could no longer fit over the container, so I used plastic wrap to cover it. They were all stuck in the freezer for about an hour then the spores were layered on the surface. They are in a sunny spot on a table in my growing room. No mold, please!

Spores from B and T ready to germinate!

Blechnum tabulare spores ready to go

Cacti seedlings, Cyathea dealbata, and more seedlings

More Eulychnia breviflora seedlings have emerged. And now I have one more tiny Epithelantha bokei sprout.

Eulychnia on bottom right, Epithelantha just above it.

I got a new type of tree fern, Cyathea dealbata. Ordered it off of eBay from the Fern Factory in Fullerton. When mature, the fronds have a fantastic white underside. Really excited for it to get big and lush!

Cyathea dealbata on my windowsill

The Aloe helenae have really started springing up now! I have over 20 little seedlings starting to grow!

Aloe helenae seedlings

The Yucca thompsoniana have also started to look like grass. I would be thrilled if they maintained their growth rate as they got larger. Unfortunately, yucca are notoriously slow growing.

Yucca thompsoniana seedlings peaking out of their container

Dividing Agave, Aloe helenae update, Cyathea spores, and a Platycerium

A lot has happened in my collection the past few days. I got some seedling trays so that I could divide the Agave seedlings. Got some Cyathea lepifera spores to try my hand at fern germination. A bunch of Aloe helenae seedlings have popped up. And I got a new fern: Platycerium ridleyi.

Divided out the individual Agave victoriae-reginae seedlings (25 total). That should be a 100% germination rate!

The spores look like dust.

I ordered some Cyathea lepifera, a type of tree fern, from eBay. The seller was in southern California, so hopefully they were freshly harvested from one of his plants, as was indicated on the eBay listing. Using the YouTube video released by the Fern Factory, I sterilized a plastic container using 70% strength isopropal alcohol. Perlite was sterilized in a microwave for 7 minutes then layered around 2 inches thick in the bottom of the plastic container. Some peat moss was wet then sterilized in the microwave for 7 minutes. I layered the peat on top of the perlite, and poured boiled water over the peat and perlite. After the whole thing cooled down, I sprinkled the spores on the top of the peat. The container was closed and is currently sitting in my room. Hopefully in a few months I will see prothalli.

Look at all those little Aloe helenae seedlings!

It looks like the Aloe helenae seedlings are making some good progress. Although, the supplier said there were 100 seeds, so it wouldn't be a very good germination rate if this is all I get. I am happy with as many as I got but would be happier with more.

Platycerium ridleyi looking good

I love the staghorn ferns (Platycerium) and see them all around the place here in Los Angeles. Though I have had a hard time finding any other than the common Platycerium bifurcatum. I decided to order this guy off of eBay and am pretty happy with what I got. It looks really healthy and haven't show any signs of stress so far (I got it a few days ago). I have sprayed it here and there, but read that it should be kept on the drier side. It is located in front of a window which I keep open all the time, so gets any sort of cross breeze coming through my space.

Agave ornithobroma, Yucca faxoniana, and Yucca thompsoniana Germination!

It seems like almost every morning I wake up I find a new species has germinated! I really need to get some pot trays so that I can divide out my seedlings. The Agave victoriae-reginae alone has around 15 seedlings, which will take up a lot of space. I'm not done until every last inch is covered in plant!

Its interesting to compare the way the Agave victoriae-reginae seedlings look versus the Agave ornithobroma. The A. ornithobroma are much skinnier, looking almost like a succulent blade of grass. While the A. victoriae-reginae are sort of bulbous towards the base. Really interesting.

Agave ornithobroma seedlings

Yucca faxoniana shows its first signs of germination. A white root, around an inch long, can be seen through the side of the cup.

The root emerges! (Yucca faxoniana)

Lastly, Yucca thompsoniana has begun to emerge. This Yucca tree produces bluish leaves, shorter than Yucca rostrata, and retains dead leaves on the trunk as it grows, making it look nice and shaggy.

Yucca thompsoniana sprout

Germination of Cacti and Aloe

Today I noticed germination from Epithelantha bokei and Eulychnia breviflora (Mesa Garden)! I am really excited to some day see the amazing golden woolly fruit from the Eulychnia.

Epithelantha on left, Eulychnia on the right

 Also, there are some tiny sprouts popping up in the Aloe helenae container (Le Jardin Naturel). This is one of my favorite Aloes and it is really hard to find. I got tons of seeds, so hopefully this entire container will be full of tiny little seedlings in the next few weeks.

Aloe helenae seedlings!

The Yucca elata var. verdiensis seedlings seem to be coming a long great with really long tap roots. After I see the first true leaf, I will separate out the seedlings into individual containers.

Yucca elata var. verdiensis seedlings

The Agave victoria-reginae seedlings REALLY took off in the past week. I count over 15 little seedlings in the container now.

Agave victoria-reginae seedlings after a week

Puya Germination

So last night I noticed that there were a bunch of little sprouts in 2 of my Puya pots! That means it took about 2 weeks for germination. Not too bad!

Puya alpestris babies

Puya ferruginea

Aristolochia and Fatsia Sowing

4 days ago I got some seeds from Brazil Plants. Most were Aristolochia (one of my favorite vine genera). All in all I got Aristolochia arcuata, Aristolochia chamissonensis, Aristolochia eriantha, and Aristolochia veracruzana. I put them in cups to soak for 24 hours and found the water had changed colors. Hopefully that is the seeds releasing any germination inhibitors.

Soaking the Aristolochia seeds

After the 24 hour soak, I decided to use the ziploc bag method so I could watch germination. Haven't seen anything yet, but hopefully soon!

Aristolochia in ziploc bags

I decided to collect some seeds from a Fatsia japonica which I had passed by a few times. There were tons of seeds and the berries made quite a mess below the plant. While I was cleaning the berries, I could see the juice change in color from a reddish-purple to a gray-blue. It was pretty interesting. I then rinsed the seeds and they are currently soaking. I will sow them tomorrow.

The mother Fatsia plant

Soaking the seeds

Lastly, the next plant to germinate from the Phoenix Desert Nursery seed order was Yucca elata! Completely unexpected. I would have guesses one of the Puyas would have been next. I imagine it has more to do with freshness of the seeds versus the particular genus the plant belongs. Can't wait to see what is next.