What a shame. Certainly not for lack of trying. It is likely one of two issues - the seed was immature or possibly sterile or nearly so. Check out this list, hopefully you know what seed you gathered. Sterile hostas

are you sure they are hosta??? ... check out the link... ken

http://www.hostalibrary.org/seed/indoors/seed.html

omg... you are breaking them out of the pods i hope ...

there should be like 20 seeds per pod.. so when you say you only collected 150 .... i am wondering why you only got 7 or 8 pods ...

ken

I've not tried it myself, so have no personal experience. However, lots of people grow them, so it can't be that difficult (it's not difficult to grow them, just to grow new marketable ones).

I understand this is a good tutorial: hosta library.

Click on the link on the bottom that says either "Greenhouse" "indoors" or "outdoors".

Just in case you got a bad batch of seeds, there are places to buy seeds as well, January is a good time to start seeds, as they are big enough to go outdoors in May or so. They discussed sources of seed here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2059541/hosta-seed-sources?n=5

Good luck.

bk

Thanks for all of the quick responses. I am quite certain that I was taking hosta pods, but I don't know which cultivars. I thought that it would be a fun activity with my son to go seed collecting in the neighborhood, so we found a number of hostas growing in alleyways and by roadside to watch in the fall to collect pods. They were all from larger sized hosta plants and not some of the smaller versions that can be commonly found. We probably did get substantially more than 150 seeds. I don't think that we hit 20 per pod, but I did collect a lot of pods and have a jar full of seeds now. Unfortunately, the nature lesson has had a pretty poor effect since nothing has yet come from our seed collecting! I had wanted him to follow the whole cycle and have the fun of seeing seedlings come up.

Three questions to follow up on what different people have said...

1) When using a paper towel in a plastic bag, does the temperature around the bag need to be 70 - 80 degrees? Or is that only when working with soil?

2) Can they be started indoors without true grow lights? We don't get a huge amount of direct sunlight in the house, unfortunately, but I also don't have a good place to put a grow light set up.

3) Is there any way to tell from visual inspection whether you have immature or sterile seeds? Probably not, but might as well ask.

Thanks!

did you look at the link i provided ...

can you give us a pic of your seeds ...

where are you .. that they grow in alleys??? ... absolutely never heard of that ...

seeds are winged out of the pod .... sterile ones are all wing ... there has to be a hard nodule in there... the actual seed...

ken

Not certain what I did wrong either but managed to kill the beautiful seeds that Dansgarden gave me from his specialty mixes. Other then the volunteer seedlings when I throw the pods of each under the mother plant and then transplanted them later ( by the way 99% all green) those grow like weeds. May try again but haven't got anything real special to need more but it is fun to see them grow regardless. Maybe spring sprinkle some of the seeds outdoors under other hosta to see what happens

hosta do not need a cold dormancy ... they will sprout immediately ...

if you do not have hosta seed... and they need the cold dormancy ... then you would not be having any luck ...

the fact that none sprouted.. really leads me to thinking you dont have hosta seed ... unless they are the sterile ones mentioned way up

ken

I will upload the photo. The plants from which I took the seed pods looked exactly like hostas, so I don't have any reason to think that they are another plant. I live in the Virginia area in semi-suburban environment, so quite a few of the plants grow next to the curb or have migrated across a fenceline in the back part of gardens. It is not too hard to find the plants.

Most of them do seem to have a hard nodule, although the size varies from seed to seed.

If I try again with the paper towel approach, do I need to keep the temperature strictly around 70 - 80 degrees?

Would I also have to get a grow light set up to keep them going?

so much for that theory ... lol ...

do you feel any nubs.... in the thick end of the paper wings??? ... if not.. no seed there ...

i am not seeing them in the pix .... but that might just be my old eyes ...

there are a few of the sterile ones... that multiply like rabbits ... probably because they dont seed ... and it is not uncommon for peeps to line them out to cover ground .... and perhaps that is why they are lining the alleys ...

still curious where you are ...

ken

The seeds may germinate at cooler temps, but very slowly. 70-80* is ideal and you should see germination in 10-14 days. How long has it been since you planted them?

I am in the Northern Virginia area. Hostas are pretty popular around here. I'm posting another picture. They almost all have nubs that I can feel, which means that they should be viable.

I had some planted for about two weeks, but gave up because I saw no action. I also tried putting two batches in the dirt in two separate spots in the yard, but no action.

Perhaps I should try again though. Do you think that it would help to soak the seeds in room temperature water for a day? Or perhaps use a tad of hydrogen peroxide?

These look good, right?

They definitely will not germinate outdoors this time of year. Watch those spots in the spring, though...they should sprout then.

I think they just need time. Two weeks may not have been long enough, if the temperature was below 70*F.

I started seeds from 27 different crosses this year and all but three have sprouted. The germination varied from 10 days to three weeks and they were sprouted at a room temperature of 65 degrees. Of the last three, one I don't expect to germinate because of the variety Purple Haze) but I haven't given up on the other two yet because of my low temps here for germinating. Give them time and keep them moist.

Thanks garyz. Two questions if you don't mind...

1) What medium did you use?

2) How did you keep them moist? Misting the soil once a day or so?

Seangi, I used clear plastic deli containers with hinged lids and a commercial seed starting mix. Once the seeds were planted and the soil moistened and the lids were closed, I only had to mist once or twice on the latest germinating containers. Best wishes for your endeavors.

always dampen your media first.. then put it into whatever .... .. then tamp down lightly after seeds are in ... and mist just a bit more ...

rub a couple of those seeds together in your finger.. until you remove the wings ... then you will know if there is a seed kernel there ... cant tell on pix

im still thinking you didnt review that link i gave you ...

ken

I did read the link, which was helpful. I have read quite a few other pages as well, some of which offer methods that I have tried to replicate and some of which describe approaches that require more space etc than I have.

i broke open a seed as you suggested and photo is below. There is a hard, white knub in this seed. The other seeds have this same nub. I guess that means that these should be viable...?!?

i have tried again with another set that I soaked in water overnight and have put in a pot with a plastic cover. It is sitting on an electrical device that helps add warmth to the soil. No germination after about ten days, but I will give it another two weeks.

I succeeded in getting some seeds to germinate! I placed the pot on an electrical device that acted like a heating pad and got about 30% germination rate. Thanks to all for the advice.

Now I need to figure out how to help the little guys with light since our house is not great for light during the winter.

Does anyone have experience using flourescent lights to help seedlings? I see that there are lots of gro-light systems that can get to be quite expensive. I also see some online posts from people who say that flourescent or (even better) T5 bulbs work just fine and you can just buy a suitable fixture. I also see that flowering plants need lights with a redder spectrum and others prefer cooler light spectrums.

Any advice on the simplest workable solution for indoor lighting to help plants?

Cheap fluorescent shop lights will do everything your seedlings need. T5's definitely put out more light, which the seedlings will appreciate...but standard bulbs will do the job. Keep the lights close to the seedlings...within 2-3".

I have growing hosta seedlings right now. So as long as you keep the medium moist, temperature between 70 and 80 degrees and cheap fluorescent lights above them, seedlings will grow. Seedling color will be mostly plain green, with some bluish and yellow. Variegated seedlings you could get from streaked plants which probably will not be available in alley ways.

seangi, don't feel bad that some seeds did not germinate. This year strangely with my same setup seeds from some plants did not germinate at all, also some seeds I bought at auctions.

seangi,glad to hear you've had some success. As Josh said, cheap shop lights will be find until they get some size and you can transplant them.

lowes or some such ...

cheapest two light fixture you can find ... filled with cheapest fluorescent lights you can buy .. even better if it come in a 14 dollar package ...

set up lamps.. so they can ALWAYS be kept 2 inches from the plants ... so it had to be adjustable ... hardware chain and teacup hooks work great ...

still cant believe it wasnt covered in that first link i gave you ...

ken

Thx to all comments.

However, looking at different links on the web, different people argue for different solutions. Hard to know which one to rely upon, so it is helpful to interact with people via forums. And yes, the writer in Adrian's link did share his approach to lighting with some photos.

I have read consistent advice to keep the lights 2-3 inches above the seedlings. I have also seen photos of the shop light and chain approach that many people use. Unfortunately, I don't have a place in my house which is well suited for such a setup. I can do a cruder arrangement with clip-on lamps but won't be able to control the distance with the same precision as a chain and hooks.

I did find bulbs today that put out 1600 lumens at the blue end of the spectrum, so I am assuming that will give enough light. Just need to figure how to get as close to the ideal distance as I can.

How critical is controlling the distance to getting strong plants? Is it "nice-to-have" or is it "mission critical"?

Can't answer your last question as I've never tried seeding hostas indoors, sorry but I just want to congratulate you! Your perseverance paid off! I am glad you got some to finally germinate for you...glad you came back with an update and I hope you will post photos of your hosta babies for us to see. :-)

Here is a couple shelves of my seedlings growing this morning

I simply use shop lights with T12 fluorescent bulbs. I keep them above domes when they germinate sufficiently high such that temperatures on the soil are 75-80. (I heat with the lights) Once the plants are larger I keep the lights 1-2 inches above the leaves. Lateron with large plants, some leaves will touch light bulbs which are cool.

Distance between plants and bulbs is critical. If you take a look at this link, you'll notice how quickly light intensity drop as distance increases.

http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/light_intensity.html

Had a little success with the seedlings, but they are growing very slowly. One is getting to the point where I can move it into its own pot, but the other three might need more time. Sharing the pictures because Josephine asked. I am now trying with a second batch of seeds, but requires patience again!

Wow! Look at those cuties grow! Boy, do I suffer from gardening withdrawal right now..... maybe next winter I'll take up trying to grow some seeds I will harvest this summer.

Seangi, thank you for posting this lovely photo! :D. I really love the look of your growing medium too! I can almost smell it...hmmmm...it will be fun to watch them grow.

Dear All,

thanks for the advice. In total, I have about twenty seedlings and started a second batch. I think that they needed warmer soil and lots of time. Takes these particular seeds a few weeks to germinate.

now that I have them growing, does anyone have guidance on how big they will get in one year? I know that it varies by hosta and that plants usually need 5-7 years to mature. Mine mostly still only have two or three leaves showing and are about four inches tall after about four months. Does that sound right? Anything that will help them speed up?

i still have them indoors. I tried planting two out to see how they would do and they haven't fared very well, so I am going slow with the rest.

I am responding to the "planting two out...." . Did you "harden them off" before you planted them? It is important not to place them in direct sun as they have lived a sheltered life so far indoors and are very susceptible to sunburn and the elements.

Suggest with the next few to put them outside (still potted perhaps) in a bright shady area with no direct sunlight and gradually give them more light as they get used to outdoor temperatures. Slow and easy is good. If you get a cold night, bring them in or shelter them. Back out again the next morning.

You could scatter some seeds on planting area late this fall and see if they germinate next spring.? I had my very first seedlings come up last year on their own. I happened to leave two scapes up with ripened pods attached. They did all the work themselves! Many this year look like minis in the form of a whole shoot instead of just one leaf when they first germinate. A real fun pastime!

Happy for you that you kept them going! Congrats!

Hello! I wanted to thank everyone again for their advice over the winter. In the end, I managed to get about twenty seeds germinating. They grew slowly over the summer and I planted out a bunch and kept some in pots to overwinter.here a few photos to share a small success that your advice helped make happen.

Great success in your babies. I gave up on trying to grow them indoors and although I have not tried since I killed the special ones that were given to me have had success throwing pod under mother plants and raking up debris and find them growing successfully in the rock paths. I am sure if they were expensive or rare, I would kill them. Things are going into rest mode now and soon as frost hits can start cleanup. It has been a wonderful long season in British Columbia and I am ready for a rest too. Picture of driveway hosta complete with bites. This season I cut all the seed pods off before they ripened

In case anyone is interested, I thought I would describe my own hosta seed starting method. I start them this time of year in a mix I make myself, composed of wetted peat moss and vermiculite. I am too cheap to pay for soilless mix for seeds. I start the seeds in almost anything, but prefer 72-cell plug trays. Seeds are sown on top of the peat mix and I do not bother covering them. I cover the whole tray with a plastic dome, which has degraded enough over the years to allow air in, but keep seeds out. I shove the plug tray in a cold frame, let winter have its way with them, and collect them in the late spring when germination is well advanced. Germination is profuse, transplanting is easy, and I did not have to mess with lights during the winter. Of course the method is much slower.
When I am feeling really ambitious, I start seed at the beginning of June so it will receive its first transplant before fall and then winter the seedling outdoors. None of this is rocket science.

Our winters here are severe.

I sow several trays this way and just do not bother transplanting the seedlings that do not interest me,