There is so much printed and bantered back and forth about the subject on the Forum. I do want to try to do this, but see long threads on the Forum and slightly varying techniques discussed on the subject. Unfortunately, I need some type of “Cliff Notes” version to try to get started. The simplier the better. I honestly don’t have the time to spend reading and researching the subject right now.
Two days ago, I extracted three embryos. I used toenail clippers to split the achnes, and I split it apart with an exacto knife. I cut the inner portion with the knife, and the embryos within seemed to just fall out. I’m ready to do the next part, but not sure where to go from here. The embryos are in a cup of water awaiting my next move.
If you haven’t removed the covering (testa) from the embryo yet that would be next. You don’t want to damage the radicle (the root tip) so work on the other end first. I use a dental pick but an exacto knife will work also. I pierce the testa with the pick at the rounded end of the embryo and then carefully remove the testa from that end. Don’t worry about damaging that end of the embryo, even if you do it’ll still grow. I then take my finger and gently push on the pointed end and the embryo should pop right out of the testa. Next I put the embryos on a clean folded over paper towel. I then spray them with a 500 ppm solution of hydrogen peroxide and put them in a sandwich bag. The bag then goes under the grow lights. After they have started growing I plant them in containers but on top of the soil with just the root buried. I spray them again with the hydrogen peroxide solution and cover them with plastic. It isn’t until after the leaves have started to grow that I cover them with perolite.
Thank you, Paul. I have been able to release 20 embryos that I want to experiment wih. This cultivar is a good one to experiment with. She releases her embryos quite easily.
Unfortunately, I’m not using grow lights this year. I’m using a north-facing window that gets late afternoon sun. Is it o.k. to use that? If so, does the plastic bag with the embryos need more sun than that? Or, less sun? Are the ultraviolet rays going to kill the embryos? Do I need to get a grow light going instead?
A south facing window would be better than a north facing one. But if all you have available is a north facing one I would highly recommend getting some type of grow light, even a small one if you just have a few seeds. A north facing window just isn’t going to get enough sunlight for proper growth. I’m not an expert but I don’t think you need to worry about ultra violet light hurting the embryos.
Regular Cool-White flourescents make the best grow bulbs. T8’s or T5’s (the skinnier bulbs) are better than T12’s (the old fat flourescent bulbs). You definitely do not need to invest in something that’s called a grow light. Just get a small shop light fixture from your local home improvement mega-store.
Actually ordinary window glass filters out the UV that could be damaging (below 340 nm). So no danger there. You need about 20 watts of fluorescent light per sq ft. So a 4 ft shoplite (2 tubes) does a strip a foot wide very well. For the early stages of just getting things going you can do with less. A single compact fluorescent in a lamp mounting of some sort would do for several pots arranged round it below the shade. Even better cover the shade inside with aluminum foil and put a piece over the top. This makes a sunbrella lamp without the heat of a tungsten halogen. Or you can hang the C.F. above your pots.