TESTUDINARIA HEMICRYPTA

on new year´s eve i started my seed sowing project. one of the first ones has been Testudinaria hemicrypta and Testudinaria elephantipes. nowadays they are named under the genus Dioscorea which belongs to the family Dioscoreaceae. plants of this family have been the source of the substances that build up our first "anti baby pills" in the rocking 60s. normally i am sowing in using the FLEISCHER METHODE, a very professional and easy method in sowing seeds.  i will demonstrate and explain this in the near future. but here i just took some mineral water bottles and filled them up with coarse lava, added boiled water and the seeds and covered them with basalt grid. the only thing to consider is that the seeds are DUNKELKEIMER, that means they do not need and are not allowed to get light. so if by accident they are exposed to light, their awakening will be stopped. if seed collecting in the daylight and other "accidents" will do the same...i must have to say "yes". may be this is the reason why so many seeds disagree to grow up. so this is why you see my bottles are mantled up with aluminium foil. they stand on a warm place, receiving 20 to 25 C in the day and 15 to 20 C in the night. if some fungi will threaten their health i will treat those "little dirty bastards" with vitriole, copper sulfate. so, let´s wait and see...