Very few seed species need light, some seeds even find light a hindrance

It is a common misconception to believe that seeds in general need light to germinate : in reality very few seed species need light, some seeds even find light a hindrance and can only grow in darkness,  while most species germinate either in darkness or light.

Hoya seeds don't need light to germinate and to grow to a certain stage but they don't seem to be affected by light either. The percentage of seeds that germinate in the darkness of a closed zip bag between layers of humid toilet papers is not lower than seeds directly planted in soil.

Both methods require the seeds to be selected from the pods ( the " empty " seeds must be discarded ) and sown right after harvest.  

More on seeds and their darkness or light requirements :

http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/starting-plants-from-seeds.pdf
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/effect-of-light

On the picture the seeds of Hoya verticillata are showing out of the paper not because they were pulled by the light - they were in darkness 15 days and probably started to sprout a few days after being put in a postal box -. The condensation on the plastic bag may be a factor of their exit from the paper.

Hoya, Hoya seeds and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

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