It musy not be to difficult...several on Ebay sell the germinated plants

karyn1
I've used plastic containers,with lids,for Dyckia and Hechtia,and I would think it will do for Puya too.
Just use about a half inch of fine potting soil,or seedling soil,dampen it,and place the seeds on top.I also add a light layer of fine sand on top of the soil as well.
Put on the lid,one edge slightly open for some air circulation,and place in a warm sunlit area . I've tried slightly covering the seeds with a soil/sand mix too,and either way worked just fine. After germanation,you can spray with water,fertilizer mix. (pics follow)
Bob
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Thanks. I have my containers on a seed mat. Do you think that's overdoing it? I was told by someone that they might benefit from a smoke treatment. I have one disc but figured if they didn't need any special treatment I wouldn't bother. How long does it usually take for germination? I know next to nothing about bromeliads and just have a few varieties that seem to do quite well with benign negligence. I've never attempted to start them from seed before.
Karyn

Karyn,
Seed germination usually takes place for me in one to two weeks,but really depends on what the plant is,and how fresh the seeds are.From my limited experiance,if you see nothing in a month,you likely will not see germination.I'm sure others on GW can add to this with their more extensive experiances.If you want to try different methods,as you mentioned above,thats always a good way to learn what works best for you.
For more information on growing bromeliads,try this web site:
www.fcbs.org
Everything you need to know will be there.Good luck with your seeds.

Bob

Thanks for the info and link Bob. They were commercial seeds that someone gave me so there's really no way of knowing how fresh they are. I do have enough to try a few different methods so hopefully one or more of them will work.
Karyn

Karyn, please let us know how they do! I have grown a couple from seeds and they did great following Bob's directions.

Have some Dyckia's right now that I will try to cross and get seeds, first time and the excitement mounts!! LOL

I HAVE SOME PUYA SEEDS GROWING IN CAT LITTER DOING GREAT.THEY SEEM TO LIKE THE REAL WELL DRAINED MIX.THE CAT LITTER OFFERS.JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET THE ONE MADE FROM FIRED CLAY.LIKE CLAY GROW ROCKS BUT SMALL GRAINS.

Karyn,

I've had both failures, followed by success germinating Puya Seeds. And I've noted that it can take them a long time to germinate.

I've germinated Puya Alpestris, Puya Berteroniana and Puya Sp. ( Neon Green ).

Puya Alpestris seeds were my first try and I learned how fragile they are. They root real close to the surface and not deeply. A rain drop can wash them away. Also, too much heat and sun proved bad for them.

So when I tried germinating Puya again, I did so under controlled conditions, indoors, following advise I learned for Cactus. My next Puya germinated in sealed mini-greenhouse containers under full spectrum lights at room temp. Soil was kept moist and inside the mini-greenhouse container, humid.

Puya Alpestris and Puya Berteroniana seem especially fragile and delicate at first, compaired to the Puya sp. "Neon Green". To prevent them from washing away, I use a spray bottle to water them ... and even still, I've had to reseat them twice to get them more firmly rooted.

Puya sp. "Neon Green" just dug in and is much more hardy.

Find Stephania's article with photos about how she starts her Broms in plastic food containers. It's a great idea for the fragile nature of Puya and other Bromeliads.

Hi all, I've recently obtained some puya seeds and have problems germinating them? Is 25 to 30 degrees celsius too hot to germinate the seeds? Do I germinate them in full sunlight?

Hi
Ive grown Puya berteroniana, chilensis and venusta from seed. I keep records of sowings so I can tell you that all showed signs of germination in 12 days. I sow in a shaded warm propagator and keep the seedlings watered from below, as Bob says they are very easily dislodged when young.
Dyckia, Hechtia and Deutercohnia seeds sown this year had all germinated within 14 days of sowing, or not at all, so I suspect the freshness of seed is important. The only exception seemed to be Orthophytum gurkenii, which took 25 days to come up and then only 2 seedlings from a whole packet.
Temperature in my propagator is about 25C, but it is on a shady windowsill so it doesnt get overheated on a sunny day.
Ali

I tossed some puya seeds in a seedling mix, put them in a plastic bag and most of the seed germinated. As soon as that happened I firmed their roots into the soil. After 4 weeks I hardened off the seedlings and given many of them to visitors. I kept about 20.