Frangipani Seedling

Rachel Darlington asked 14 years ago

I am growing Frangipani from seed this year. A seedling germinated for me on 29 January and grew well until I potted it on. The packet came with dire warnings about root disturbance so I transplanted the seedling complete with its compost from the the original cell. The seed case was stuck on the top of the plant for a long time and I feared it would rot (as has happened with some Ricinus) so I removed it carefully. The seedling now stands at 1 1/4 inches but does not seem to be growing. I fear the compost is too dense and that I should have added some grit or perlite to the mix but am nervous to interfere because of the ‘root disturbance’ warnings. The seedling gets plenty of light but not direct sun and is indoors. I let it dry out between waterings. Have you any advice on what I should do?

1 Answers

Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
It does like well-aerated soil and it might be too dense with inadequate air space.

But it might be  a ‘tired seed’. Sometimes seeds, in general not just of this, can be a bit old, and tired, that is, they have enough energy stored to sprout but struggle to get going properly.

Sometimes these seeds photosynthesise enough to get over the hump, but sometimes they fail, usually not able to ward off dampling-off disease or botrytis.

Try to keep it warm, sheltered, bright indirect light and water when  just dry on surface, but don’t allow to dry too much.

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