WOO HOO! I HAVE LIFTOFF! I was so skeptical that I even dug the baby up to make sure it was indeed the Canary Bird seed! Seed source Outside Pride, peat based potting mix (ProMix & Evergreen Top Soil 50/50) and kept outdoors. No heat mat or lights. Days in the low 80's and nights in the low to mid 50's. Nicked and planted about 10 days ago. Keep in mind though this is one seed out of 50 planted. I also got some seeds from Swallowtail Gardens and they suggested nicking and soaking for 72 hours changing the water daily. I've actually been changing the water twice a day because I'm pretty sure the seed coat has a germination inhibitor. They will get potted up tomorrow.

Whoo-hoo!!
I moved mine outside the other day to see if it will help in the germination.

Congrats!

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, too. I received a few seeds from a trader. Got them nicked and soaked. Now they're in a pot of vermiculite...

This thread originated in 2015 which means we've been trying to germinate these bloody seeds going on 6 years now with a myriad of methods and in all that time only 1 seed so far has germinated. I have to wonder if this vine tends to produce unviable seeds.

Anne, I don't know what else it could possibly be

I have 5 pots of seeds and anxiously awaiting germination. I planted morning glories and Mina lobata at the same time. Half of the morning glories and all of the Mina lobata have come up. Still waiting on the canary vine.... I managed to successfully germinate canary vine back in 2001, so what's up now? I've been trying 3 years now without any success.

And here I thought it was me. I've tried and failed with 3 packs of seeds indoors so now I am trying them outdoors! I really want to grow this vine!

What kind of climate does this vine grow in naturally in its native range? I could only think trying to mimic that somehow would help? I'm also trying to grow Scottish flame flower which is Tropaeolum speciosum. No luck with seeds so now I'm trying rhizomes. I gave up inside so now I have some seed in this large pot mixed in with some other climbers.

You know, I'm not sure. Possibly a tropical place because the vine is an annual for folks like us.

gardenfish said:You know, I'm not sure. Possibly a tropical place because the vine is an annual for folks like us.

I looked it up and wiki says Peru and Equador. I can grow other nasturtiums with ease from seed every year. I wonder why this one is so difficult? I tried to get around it by ordering 2 plants from a nursery I've used in the past but the vines are so delicate that they were trashed and broken on arrival and even under heat and grow lights did not recover so I wound up getting a refund. I was so bummed!

Maybe you should grow the chilean Tropaeolum species. Check the pictures I have posted in the PDB. They all form a mini potato like tuber, and given proprer care will return year after year. Most of you would have to keep the pots with the tubers indoors over winter, since they grow wild in zones 9a / 9b.

Blue Nasturtium (Tropaeolum azureum)

https://garden.org/plants/sear...

Bolivian Nasturtium (Tropaeolum tricolor)

The latter became its name due to the colours of the Bolivian flag.

Ursula, I was debating getting seed for both of those but the germination instructions are crazy and they clearly state that germination is erratic and low. I bought some rhizomes of T. Speciosum which I've got out in a large pot and I'm hoping will come up. I tried the seed to no avail (or maybe they just don't want to come up yet) but convinced a nice Ebayer over in the UK to post me the rhizomes. I hope they take as they are a lovely looking delicate red vine.

Flame Nasturtium (Tropaeolum speciosum)

Lisa, that's another chilean species (the one with the largest growth and blooms), but I have not tried it. Some 13/14 years ago I found a place where they grow wild. Although the vines and flowers had all dried back I knew they were T.s. because of the size of the dry plants (climbed up and then down large trees - looked like a curtain) but I was delighted to collect some seeds. I shared part of the seeds here (or was it DG at that time?) and sold some on internet and ..... forgot to keep a few for myself.

I have longed to go back to that place to see them in bloom and take pictures, but ........ each way is app a 2 1/2 hours drive and my osteo-arthritis does not cooperate with such long drives.

I do have some seeds of my pot grown T. azureum if you and the other T. lovers want to give them a chance.

It´s funny, but my double as large T. tricolor pot and older/larger plants, placed on the same balcony (I'm back in the big city) did not produce any seeds(picky pollinators?).

Last year I sowed some really old seeds of a gorgeous pink hybrid produced in Japan, but although 1/2 of the really old seeds germinated, they were sown(sowed?') too late in the season to bloom. I hope they bloom this year.

Still waiting.....I was so hopeful...another failure to germinate.

@mutisia, T. azureum and T. tricolor are just lovely.

I've given up
Checked the pots today and nothing, seeds were mush in the dirt.

Ronnie, I have grown many Tropaeolum species from seeds - with good results. I always sow them during Fall and make sure not to overwater them, but I'm in a significantly warmer climate than you. However: I'm stubborn. Do you have an unheated room in your house?

Another fact to consider with chilean species is to sow/grow them in a deep pot/container, since the tiny tuber will make its way deep down and escape through the water discharge hole deep into the soil, where it won't be able to overwinter in your climate. Therefore it will do best in a large deep pot placed on one those long legged metallic pot-supporters (please tell me what the proper name is) and store them the same way during fall and winter. Don't forget to (sparingly) water them during the cold monts.

Do you want to try T. azureum seeds?

Thank you Ursala I would love to give the T. azureum seeds a try! I will message you

Mutisia said:Maybe you should grow the chilean Tropaeolum species. Check the pictures I have posted in the PDB. They all form a mini potato like tuber, and given proprer care will return year after year. Most of you would have to keep the pots with the tubers indoors over winter, since they grow wild in zones 9a / 9b.

Blue Nasturtium (Tropaeolum azureum)

https://garden.org/plants/sear...

Bolivian Nasturtium (Tropaeolum tricolor)

The latter became its name due to the colours of the Bolivian flag.

Wow, that T. tricolor is flashy! I see in the database a photo from Arizona, but no growing zones listed — can they tolerate intense hot arid summer? In pot?

Ursula, I would love to see these plants in their native range. Tell me about how you got the blue nasturtium to germinate? They are just lovely along with the others you posted! The instructions I read online were crazy saying make it hot, cold, hot and even then they probably won't sprout. I have the flame creeper rhizomes in a deep pot because I don't want to lose them in the garden being they are not hardy here in NY. Here's a photo of one I moved the dirt off of and it looks like something is happening!

Sorry for having misled you Zoe, but I don't have T. tricolorum seeds at this time. However, if my pollinators come visit my plants (just started emerging), I will contact you via this thread.



Lisa,

our T. species seeds should be sown/sowed (please, somebody tell me which is correct) in early Fall in good alcaline soil with VERY GOOD DRAINAGE - add some Captan fungicide to the soil. Since they do not want to be transplanted, place the seeds at a distance of some 2 or 3in apart and cover your seeds with half an inch compost. Gently press down the top of the whole planter with something flat and water (less water is better than excess). Keep the seeds/seedlings humid but never soaked. I have no experience growing them indoors. I understand our dear late jmorth grew them in his basement - he might have posted some notes of his successful experience.

They will remain quite short plants in the first season, but can become very long vines from the second year on.

Overwatering will kill them. Once the flowers are pollinated, the whole vine will die back, but your little tubers(not larger than 3/4in in diameter) will remain to provide you with an amazing display of growth and flowers.

At the die back stadium water them sparingly and don't get tempted to dig your tubers - this might kill them.


THE IDEAL POT

should be 40cm/16in deep. In my experience, the best pots are the ones I made myself from fishery discarded styrofoam boxes (yeah, they smell really bad before you wash them). It takes 2 of such boxes to make a nice planter. Cut out the bottom of one and hot-glue it to the top of the other. Cut out a lot of drainage holes on the bottom or just pinch/burn the holes with a hot iron.

Cut several 2 1/2 inches from the cut out bottom, hot glue the necessary squares until they reach some 4 inches and attach 6 'legs' to the planters bottom. If tropaeoum is planted in a box/planter without 'legs' to keep them at certain height, the tubers will escape to the garden soil, where they might not survive winter due to cold or dampness.

To make this planter worth, apply textured paint used for the exterior of buildings with a roller. NOBODY would guess they are styroform planters. Don't apply this paint to the exterior of the bottom. My planters are 11 or 12 years now and I do not see the need to replace them.

Saludos!