I just sent my first order to Allen Lowrie for a bunch of Nepenthes seeds.
I'd like to know if anyone has had luck with Lowrie's Nepenthes seeds, and
what they did to germinate them. Please send my your advice, whether you
got your Nepenthes seed from Lowrie's or not, on what germination method has
worked best for you. Remember, I'm low-tech. Also, I wonder if jars of
sterilized agar would work, like for orchid seed germination. I have never
had any success with sprouting Nepenthes seeds on top of spagnum moss. The
only good sprouting I've experienced was in the sides of a clear jar filled
with dead milled wet spaghnum, left on a window sill (like sprouting beans
as a kid). I have a little live spaghnum, but not much. And I have a
greenhouse where temps are around 60 at night in the winter.
My first attempt, last year, at sprouting N. seeds from the ICPS seed bank
met with no success. None of the seeds sprouted. My guess is the sprouting
technique was wrong. Also, is it advisable to have low light for sprouting
or moderate light like in a filtered greenhouse? Or perhaps a flourscent
light to start with? Would a tray with a heating cable help? I really want
to have some success at this as I am eager to raise N. seedlings. Thanks in
advance for your responses.
---Steve