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.

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Hoya seeds : which medium is best for travel ?

Hoya verticillata variegata seeds anchored in toilet paper

Germinated seeds of Hoya verticillata variegata. I opened the zip bag 16 days after planting in humid toilet paper.

So they were 16 days without light in a closed and humid environment. Almost all the seeds have sprouted, they were selected the day of harvest ( and immediately planted to avoid fast dehydration, common with Hoya seeds ) : bad seeds from the pod, those that looked " empty " were discarded before the experiment.

This sort of paper is interesting : the seeds anchor in it easily and they can be transplanted with the paper they have attached to in transit without being disturbed. In this regard planting in a medium of peat moss instead of paper might cause more disturbance during the transfer ?

Worthy to note, seeds transplanted while still attached to their paper will find faster the upright position on the final medium.

Hoya verticillata seeds before transplanting to their final medium

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Is light not the pull factor ?

These little Hoya verticillata seeds were so eager to grow while travelling long distances in their humid zip bags !

The picture was taken only 13 days after I collected them and closed the bag. Here we see some seeds that made their way through the layers of paper !

Since the bag was in the dark it is not the light that "pulled" the embryos from the inside towards the outside of the paper. Perhaps these seeds "knew" somehow that all the other seeds around would have left them too little space inside for their growth. Or it is the air between the paper and the bag that pulled the embryos ?

Apparently being moved when travelling from Thailand to Europe did not disturb their growth.

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It was not fungi that we saw but enlarged and darker Hoya seeds with a visible embryo.

Germinating Hoya seeds between humid tissue papers in closed zip bags

Most Hoya seeds germinate quickly in closed zip bags between layers of tissue paper and can grow at least 15 days wrapped in these conditions. After the first days of growth they darken and when looking them through the tissue they seem to be surrounded by dark fungi. If we unwrap them we see that it was not fungi that we saw but enlarged and darker seeds with a visible embryo.

Hoya 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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Hoya patella seeds transferred from germination bag onto soil

Hoya patella seeds have been transferred on soil ( clay, charcoal and coco fibre mixed ) from the closed plastic bag where they germinated between humid layers of papers during 15 days.

All the seeds are still alive after 3 days but those that came with the piece of paper they were attached to find the upright position faster. On the picture the blue arrow shows a seed that was removed from the paper, it is not yet in the upright position. The one still attached to its piece of paper is doing better ( the red arrow ),

 

Hoya 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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The date of germination of Hoya seeds is uncertain

Watch your pods for change in color and germination. They are unpredictable and can germinate after a few days or several weeks.

Below is a pod Hoya lacunosa  ready to germinate .

 

 

In the pictures below are seeds that have already germinated around the pod or are very close to do. ( The pod burst before we were ready to surround it with a metal thread. )

 

 

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True to type Hoya seeds, pure breeds and hybrids

I was given a Hoya cut from the wild and I have propagated it, always by cuttings. If I get seeds from the plants propagagated this way, will they be true to type ?

 

If this first Hoya from the wild was initially a seed resulting from self pollination and was of a pure line ( many Hoya with the same traits growing in the area ) your propagation gave you a breed with an homozygous genotype and the seeds from your cuttings will be true to type.
If the initial seed was produced by self pollination but the population of Hoya was genetically diverse then the seed could have been produced by a natural hybrid.
As long as a Hoya plant has not produced true to type seeds we can't say for sure if it is a species or an hybrid.
Fortunately Hoya in the trade are propagated by cuttings, not by sexual reproduction so preserving the integrity of a Hoya breed ( species or hybrid ) is not an issue : there is no reason why a grower would mix true to type seeds with hybrids as they don't use seeds for the propagation of a breed.
However seeds are very useful : whether they result from cross pollination or from self pollinated hybrids, originally all breeds are hybrids.

Herbs and Spices, Hoya, Hoya seeds, Orchid seeds, Ferns, Fern spores are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Hoya memoria from a seed : it is more beautiful, with larger, longer and brighter leaves along curves

Hoya memoria : a cutting on the left; the plant on the right is from a seed, It looks more beautiful, with larger, longer and brighter leaves along curves. Aleyagarden is propagating it to maintain these traits. 

Herbs and Spices, Hoya, Hoya seeds, Orchid seeds, Ferns, Fern spores are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com