Re: How to Handle Berries of Pearl Anthurium

From: rharias at juno.com on 2000.01.20 at 15:57:53(4013) George, Sorry for taking so long to get your message, I've been away. I've grown "Pearl Anthurium", Anthurium scandens, from seed many times with great success. But let me warn you up front, the plants grow fairly slow and may take as many as three to four years before you will see the formation of berries on your seedlings. First, the seeds of this plant will stay viable for weeks if not removed from the fruit. I have planted seeds that were removed from the parent for at least two weeks, with almost 100% viability. The sticky "jelly" need not be removed from the seeds, it seems that it is neither an asset nor a hinderance to germination. The seeds will germinate quickly (less then 4 weeks). I like to use a cell tray that holds many little cells in one pack. I also like to use Fafard #2 soil (a commercial soil that is very light weight yet retains a high moisture level once wet) as my medium for anthuriums. Don't forget to water the soil before and after planting. The seeds of most anthuriums, in the wild, just grow where they fall, on the surface of some substrate. Hence the idea of sowing the seeds on the surface of the soil. But I have found that if you plant the seeds on the surface of the soil they will develop what reminds one of prop-roots. This works out well for anthuriums in the wild where leaf litter is constantly falling. But I have found, through experimentation, that if the seeds are covered with about an 8th of an inch of soil the roots will not push the entire plant into the air. The roots will grow downward and develop a strong system. So plant them a little below the surface, they will do better. For A. scandens, I like to plant 5 or so seeds together. The plants, when planted together, seem to ward off fungi that a single seedling seems not to be able to defend against. The only down side to planting seeds together in small cells is that they run out of nutriment very quickly. So once the majority of the seeds have sprouted you should start to fertilize right away. After the seed are planted, the tray is covered and the waiting begins. Once the seeds are up, write again and I'll try to help you along the way. Good Luck! Robert Arias +More Tampa, FL ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

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