GardenForums.com a friendly and growing community of gardeners.
We feature a Garden Discussion Forum and Garden Photo Gallery. It's a fun and friendly place to talk with other gardeners, ask questions, share you knowledge, view and post photos and more! Whether you're a master gardener, or brand new to the hobby, you'll find something of interest here.
I'm trying to plant Abrus precatorius, (known commonly as jequirity, Crab's eye, rosary pea, John Crow Bead, precatory bean, Indian licorice, Akar Saga, gidee gidee or Jumbie bead in Trinidad & Tobago)from seed and have had NO success.
I've tried
1) Seed plantation.
2) Soaking seed for 1 and 2 days in water and then planting
3) Scarifying the seed and then soaking for 1 and 2 days and then planting
Till now I have tried with 18 seeds in different batches and in different times BUT still NO success. I know the seeds are fresh because the seeds accidentally come with leaves in the market everyday. The leaves are sold in Indian markets mostly for the use in 'Paan' and 'Mava' as sweetener and also for medicinal use.
I've had three different batches of seeds but can't seem to germinate them. I could use some help on how to germinate them.
How deep did you plant them?
How wet was the soil and type of soil used?
Some seed require a long germination period.
Some seed require light in order to germinate.
Did you surface sow, barely cover the seed?
Placing the pot in a plastic bag might help.
These seed may need heat in order to germinate. Place in a sunny spot that recieves morning sun for a few hours.
It seems to me , due to the fact the plant comes from the region it does, you will need to duplicate the climate of that area. Maybe hot and humid if near the coast or arid if inland. Soil composition could have a great deal to do with it as well.
I kept relatively dry to moist to wet and the soil was red commonly found in Maharashtra state of India (where I live) On this soil I've been successful in growing all that I tried.
No, it's shell was the hardest I've every come across. I scar the seed with a file and then kept it in water, it swelled and then I planted it. Due to the small size of seed (½ cm) and hard shell, it is not easy to remove the cover. And since it is extremely EXTREMELY toxic, even scarring was considerably dangerous.
Placing the pot in a plastic bag might help.
These seed may need heat in order to germinate. Place in a sunny spot that recieves morning sun for a few hours.
It seems to me , due to the fact the plant comes from the region it does, you will need to duplicate the climate of that area. Maybe hot and humid if near the coast or arid if inland. Soil composition could have a great deal to do with it as well.
It is native to my country and there is a person growing it just 100 meters away from my place. I haven't seen the plant, since I don't know that person, but a common friend has knows about it. He has the same soil and hell, the guy doesn't even take care of it as much, from what I've heard!
Maybe you are loving your seeds to death? too much care sometimes can be as bad as no care at all. I have not had experience with this plant so I doubt I will be of any help. I wish you luck and if you are successful in growing it, please let us know. Also if you can share pictures.
Wishing you good luck
Maybe you are loving your seeds to death? too much care sometimes can be as bad as no care at all. I have not had experience with this plant so I doubt I will be of any help. I wish you luck and if you are successful in growing it, please let us know. Also if you can share pictures.
Wishing you good luck
I don't have access to a live plant. Otherwise I was thinking of grafting.
==================================
This is from a different forum I asked this same question in. But since I haven't gotten a response in three days, I'm asking it here.
Shah Jahan said:
gbronner said:
Abrus precatorius Cultivation:
Originally from India, Abrus precatorius is adaptable to most soils, but prefers a tropical climate with reasonably high rainfall and a sunny position.
Propagation is by scarified seed sown in spring. Abrus precatorius seeds germinate more consistantly if scarified. Cover the seeds with very hot water and soak overnight or until they swell. Pick out those that didn't swell and repeat process with them. Sow swollen seeds immediately in seeding mix, covering with two to three times their thickness. Do not overwater or allow to dry out and provide good drainage and bright light. Should germinate within a few weeks with pretreatment or erratically without.
from http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/89.html
I searched for hours on google and didn't find that page! Thank you for your help. THIS will surely help.
applestar said:
Oh! Interesting! So that hot water treatment part is similar to when I tried growing lotus seeds. I held the seeds with pliers and rubbed against sandpaper until outer coat was rubbed off and white spot showed. With lotus seeds, properly scarified seeds sank as well as swelling.
I'm thinking of doing the scarification and then the hot-water treatment. But since the shell is really REALLY hard and the seed is extremely poisonous and getting them and scarring them is difficult, I would like to know it beforehand. How 'hot' should be the water? And do I need to change the water every few hours to keep it hot?
For hot water scarification.
Bring water to a boil (212[SUP]o[/SUP]F), remove the pot from the stove, and place the seeds into the water.
Allow the seeds to soak until the water cools to room temperature.
Remove the seeds from the water and sow.
For hot water scarification.
Bring water to a boil (212[SUP]o[/SUP]F), remove the pot from the stove, and place the seeds into the water.
Allow the seeds to soak until the water cools to room temperature.
Remove the seeds from the water and sow.
OK. But wouldn't the boiling water kill (and probably cook!) the seeds?! I know that I would remove the pot BEFORE putting the seeds, but doesn't boiling kills stuff (more so, since the seed is already scarred)? And how long do I have to keep them soaked? I was thinking 24 hours, since the seeds are pretty tough and remaining in the water for a day might help germinate OR is it advised against?
Thanks for the link. It was very informative. BUT it said that the hot water treatment was to induce scarification. AND since I priorly scarr the seed using a file, should I still use really hot water? I was thinking of taking a middle route and scarr the seed using a file and then use hot BUT NOT boiling hot water and soak the seeds for 24 hours and then sow. Should I go ahead?
Thanks again for all your help. I sincerely appreciate it.
Gardenforums.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
