Hello. I've tried several times to germinate passion flower seeds also with no success. Any easy methods? Thanks, djbond

Ethanol cider (alcohol) is hard cider, the kind you would drink as opposed to isopropol alcohol. I use orange juice for soaking older passiflora seeds. I don't pre-treat fresh seed. I haven't used bottom heat for germinating incarnata seed.

Incarnata seeds from colder regions often require cold stratification for good germination. There is some evidence that high heat can overcome this requirement, but the temps needed may be close to lethal temps (I cooked some rare seeds this way last year).

Here is the method I use for incarnata seeds. After soaking the seeds 24-48 hrs (in water), place them in lightly moist sand in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3-4 weeks (up to 3 months), then sow and move to warm temps (75 to 85F) and they should start sprouting in a couple of weeks or less.

I always stratify my incarnata seeds in moist sand, even though I'm in one of the warmest zones it grows in. I get very good germination rates from this. I sell seeds on Ebay when I'm not trading here, and have had positive responses from those I do business with. I'm not convinced that soaking the seeds in any solution helps, but I don't think it hurts either. To each his own.

The one thing I've found that hampers germination is those who dry seeds for long-term storage. Most of these I've purchased simply will not sprout. They go dormant, and it takes a lot to wake them up. I dumped out one pot of soil I (think) I'd tried growing store-bought caerulea seed in two years ago without luck. Naturally, I have half a dozen shoots poking out of the dirt pile now!

I have never grown Passion Flowers before, but I bought caerulea, actinia, incarnata and edulis seeds online in January. I soaked the seeds in a weak hydrogen peroxide solution (2T of 3% in 1 qt of water)for a day or two, then planted them about 1/2 inch deep in a seed-starting mix in plastic containers with clear lids . I used an old electric blanket, set on low, for a heating pad.

The seeds were planted on January 10, 2010. I think I planted about 12 - 15 seeds. Some germinated after a few days and some took a few weeks, but one or two haven't come up at all, yet. I now have 10 seedlings! Most of them are about 4 inches tall. One just popped out of the soil yesterday.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should put them in a bit larger pot indoors for a few more weeks, or just leave them in the pots they are in until I plant them outside.

I have no idea how well they will grow outside. I live in the Willamette Valey of Oregon, USA. I saw one growing at a local nursery last weekend. It was outside all winter and had not been cut back. We had several nights that were well below freezing last winter, but this plant was protected between two buildings.

Have fun experimenting!

I have grown dried passiflora incarnata seed, and I found grazing them with a file helps. I got about 40-50% with this method from 1 year old dried seed.

I never special treat them and have nearly 100% success with fresh seed and 90% with older seed - some do take awhile to germinate though (and some only a few days)

I tried first three scarification techniques described on the link below.

Two of three of the vinegar technique sprouted but took about three weeks.

Two of three of the hot water technique sprouted at about the same time.

None of the filed ones have yet.

No idea if the techniques worked or they just sprouted any way.

My $.02

-l2t

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.ehow.com/how_2330741_scarify-seeds.html

I don't knick seeds because it is a very good way to allow fungus in to rot the seeds - of course some seeds are more prone to fungal attacks than others.

For passiflora, it seems orange juice works better than vinegar because of the vitamin C content.

For passion vines, I've had good luck not doing anything to the seeds