Canes, sometimes called canna lily, are tender tropical plants that are usually planted as bulbs (tubers) in early summer after the soil warms up. Many gardeners dig up and save their cane bulbs from one year to the next. I have blogged in the past about how to save cane pipes.
Many gardeners are not aware that cane can also be grown from seed. Not all varieties are available as seed, but some seed vendors offer their own cane hybrids.
Several years ago, I grew a colorful dwarf variety of cane from seed. They were bred to produce a wide range of colors, but still be small enough to thrive in pots as small as 6 inches. Those particular cane seeds were only available to commercial plant growers.
Growing cane from seed has its problems. The seeds have an extremely hard seed coat that makes it very difficult for the seed to absorb the moisture needed to sprout in a timely manner.
They are so hard and dense, at one time in previous centuries, they were actually used in guns when lead was in short supply. People have referred to the seeds as “Indian Shot” because they resemble the BBs used in shotgun shells.
To help sprout these difficult seeds, they need to be “scarified”, not to be confused with “stratified” which is a completely different seed treatment.
Scarification involves making a small incision on the surface of the seeds, or more commonly shaving off a small part of the seed coat. This allows water to penetrate the seed coat, thus stimulating germination.
You can scarify the seeds by rubbing them with a small file or piece of sandpaper. Hold the seed firmly with your fingers and rub until a small spot on the seed coat is worn. Don’t get carried away; if you sand too deep, you can damage the living embryo inside. If you can see the lighter color of the seed below, you’ve gone far enough.
I haven’t found a really good way to hold the seeds other than with my fingers. If you try this, don’t be surprised if some of your nails fall off in the process.
When your cane seeds have all been scarified, soak them in hot water for about 24 hours. It is important to keep the water warm throughout the immersion period, do not let it get cold.
Scarified seeds should be planted immediately in a potting mix. Once they have been treated by this process they do not keep.
Cane from seed needs a pretty good start if you want them to flower this coming season. February is the ideal time to start cane seeds in our area.
You can also save the cane seeds from your plants. This involves letting the flowers fade and mature enough for the seed pods to form and the seeds in the pods to fully ripen.
If you want, you can dig up the tubers from your seed-grown cane plants after the summer growing season is over and save them to plant next year like any other cane.
Other seeds also benefit from scarification. Some of the most common include morning glory, mallow and sweet pea.
Working with specialized seeds like these can help provide a hopeful outlook during this last part of winter as we await the first day of spring, just five weeks away.
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