Visit the Seed Pod page
I get so many seed pods i give most away so if i lose some in germination its not a big concern to me,hence i dont sterilize the soil but transfer the small sproats soon after germination into fresh soil. Your odds will be higher with sterilized soil as you will remove many bateria that may affect seedlings during germination but most survive no matter what. Getting them past 2 years old is a bigger concern.
Below are step by step pictures for the Bag Method-1 thru 11 from top to the bottom, in order they show the tools needed,cutting the fruit or seed pod in half, squeezing out the pulp from both halfs to get the seeds, straining out large pieces of unwanted pulp-no worries you dont have to get them all just the bigger pieces, straining off the water into a 4 inch pot with soil mix, covering with a plastic bag leaving the end open. The last 5 pictures show what it looks like when you have a magenta colored seed pod. Many new seeds in there own mini greenhouse (platic bag)-note; leave one end partially open and each cross should be in separate containers dont co-mingle them for each group of cross made. some small babies germinated about 3 to 4 weeks old, a picture of a 2006 cross-3yr old not ready to bloom yet, but notice how the 3 yr old is spiny-usually the stems will become flat at the tips in its 2nd to 4th year.
But you say WAIT A SECOND HOW DID YOU GET THIS SEED POD! Well you have to pollinate one Epi bloom with another by taking the pollen from the anthers of one and placing in the throat of the stigma on another. (SEE PICTURE BELOW). It easy to do as most Epis are very fertile, use a swab to collect or even your finger. Place the pollen you collect in the throat of the stigma. Shake it in upright position to be sure it slides downward.THAT'S IT ! EASY ! In a week or so you'll know if it worked. With a marker pen remember to write the cross on the stem, or use wrap around plastic tags but they always fall off-marker pen is best.
Where or How Do I Register My New Epiphyllum Hybrid ?
You followed the germination instructions above and after several years your Epiphyllum hybrid has finally bloomed. You have decided to register it but how? With who? The link below will take you to the 'ESA Registration Form Page' that will have those answers and an example of the form used. A pre-registration checklist is also included on the page to review. Click the link below to visit this page
Hybridizer Pages & Links
Below are several Hybridizers and links to there individual pages or hybrids they created.
Hybridizer George French
Hybridizer Helmut Paetzold
Helmuts 'Hybrid' names are almost all named by a persons first name (random not nessarily a family member) followed by a short version of his last name (PAETZ).
Above; Hybridizer Wressey Cocke
Above is
Wressey Cocke walking in the middle of an Epi aisle at Rainbow Gardens in Vista,California. The picture was taken by Eckhard Meier and is from the mid 1980s, Chuck Everson is the one standing off to the side of the aisle. Wressey Cocke created many hybrids, several were named/registed by Ethel Hurst of Hurst Nursery among others. Coming soon below will be a link to some of the hybrids Wressey Cocke created.
Hybridizer Eckhard Meier
Eckhard Meier at a garden club meeting in Germany shown surrounded by a few of his hybrid creations, Eckhard Meier is probably best know for his hybrid
CV 'CONNIE MAYER'
among others. Eckhard is also a founding member of the German Epi club Equivalent of ESA. See more of Eckhards Epi Cacti hybrid creations by visiting his Web page located here at Mattslandscape.com, simply click Eckhards picture above or this link below.
