SOWING TESTUDINARIA ELEPHANTIPES

a In march 2012 i have been sown 100 seeds of the "TURTLE BACK ".

As substrate i uses coco nut fibers. They are pressed in form of a brick or barren and traded here as COCOHUM. This really is a superior substrate because it does not deteriorate and the pH is not as sour as for peat. It is absolutely sterile which really is a great advantage.

The temperature should not be too high. About 15 to 20 grad celsius will be the best to guarantee a high germination quote. As the "turtle back" is a "DUNKELKEIMER" it needs the darkness to germinate. If you will expose the seeds to sun light this will inhibit the germination. You should then expose the seeds to dark red light to revert the inbition. This is the characterisation of "DUNKELKEIMER". Therefore the seeds have to be covered by the substrate! On the contrary "LICHTKEIMER" need light to germinate and therefore you do not cover these seeds with any substrate.

These are the seedlings in the autumn of 2012. Today in march 2013 they do still look the same. As for young "TURTLE BACK " as seedlings there is no typical growing or resting season as you know it from the adult ones. The seedlings show you when they will rest and when they will grow. You will acknowledge this when the leaves are yellowing and the green colour fades away. Then watering must be stopped. The new growing season will be inaugurated when the new shoots emerge.

  What will be done in the future?

After 1 or 2 years i will pick the seedlings out of the coco nut fibers and place them in pots with my normal substrate. Then it is time to treat them like the adult ones. At this age they should show the adult growth pattern.