MY SWEETGRASS GERMINATION JOURNAL

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Oct. 23, 2002

I happened to find the ad for Plants of the Southwest as a conversion of the catalog to Amazon.com. That very morning, I call their 1-800 number and order 6 packets of Sweetgrass Seeds (Hierochloe odorata).
* Sweetgrass Seeds, $2.50/pack of 200 seeds
Phone 1-800-788-7333. Catalog #: G1850
NEW: now you can ORDER ONLINE too! Hierochloe odorata






NEW INFO!!!

March 28, 2004:
I've had great success germinating seeds after rubbing them gently between my fingers! Take the glumes off first!

Oct. 28, 2002

My order for seeds from Plants of the Southwest arrives. Advice from a customer that comes with the seeds has this to say:
"I put the seed in the ice box for about 2 weeks. Then I prepared (2) 14 inch round pots, with 2/3 part potting soil and 1/3 part sand. Very course, which I purchased at the local gardening store. I watered the soil and put saran wrap over it and put it in my green house. When the soil temp reached 55 degrees, I planted the seed. Covering it with about 1/4 inch of soil mixture above. Replaced the saran wrap over the pots, and in about two weeks had lots of sweet grass. I left it in the pot over the winter and it is now in the green house which we started to warm to 55 degrees at night. This grass has come back full force. I cut it 3 times in 1999, to make smudge sticks. The pot needs to have good drainage, and let dry out completely before watering again. Then soak it and let dry again. I wish you luck with starting from seed."













Oct. 31, 2002

I buy 2 18" (stick) gro-lamps a couple of peat pellet seed starter greenhouses (meant for tomatoes; I get 3 packets of tomato seeds along with it), and a bag of Scotts Potting Soil For Seed Starting. ("Fast-Rooting formula with phosphorus"). Weak soul that I am, a box of Paperwhites catches my eye and I pick those up, too.

I assume "ice box" means the freezer. So 2 packets of seeds go into the freezer. I start asking around looking for others willing to experiment with sprouting sweetgrass.

Nov. 7, 2002

I plant one packet of seeds in peat moss pellets, a few in pure perlite. (All of the Paperwhite bulbs have pushed themselves out of the ground and fallen over, with a thick cluster of roots over an inch long, coming out the bottom. I replant them, holding them down with plastic wrap.)










Nov. 15, 2002

Three sweetgrass seedlings have appeared. They consist of a single blade of grass, the tip curled into a tubular shape. Two are in peat-pellet peat moss. One is in the perlite.

Packet #2 comes out of the freezer and gets planted in peat moss and also in the germinating soil. Observing that each seed seems to be accompanied by a little pair of hollow pontoons, just like a lifejacket, I decide to try some out sown on the surface of a soggy soil puddle as well.

I took the time to photograph and dissect a few seeds:

10X:
Two hollow fringed glumes enclose or flank one seed between them.


60X: These are the seeds, the hard shiny lemma
(first husk) removed. I've splayed out the
palea (second husk, enclosed by the lemma).
You can see the short bulge at the base,
the rachilla (better known as the HANDLE on
corn-on-the-cob!)



200X:
The fringe between the two glumes (the hollow "pontoon" husks).

The seed has ridges just
like a little corn cob husk! I think the oval
dark spot on the left is the real seed or embryo.


Parts of a grass seed
other Grass Crop Seeds
USDA Plant Profile with picture of seeds on a stem.
(I will try to get some pictures of the white triple flowers of sweetgrass...)

Nov. 19, 2002

I've got a total of 5 seedlings. All five grew from seeds with the glumes taken off. Also, they were all planted 1/4" from the surface so I would guess this seed needs a dose of light to germinate.

Nov. 22, 2002

I still have just the five seedlings but they're doing well. I've found more specific information on how a seed germinates here. What inhibits sweetgrass seeds is a hormone called abcisic acid. Freezing the seeds breaks this chemical down in about four weeks at 4°C (39.2°F).

It occurs to me that I could breed the seeds that I've grown after two weeks of freezing to produce a seed low in abcisic acid. I would get a seed that sprouts readily with little or no time in the freezer. Since abcisic acid is a timer mechanism evolved to prevent the seeds from germinating before spring has arrived, I'd have a strain that would be fragile in the wild. It could survive as a stand that would spread by rhizomes but the live plants can be killed by freezing. So... I'm putting 3 packets of seeds into the freezer, and marking them with today's date. They should be ready to plant on the 21st of December.

Dec. 16, 2002

The Solstice is almost here. I've made a web page for cards you can download and print out. SolCards!

The seedling population is at 8. Kept near a chilly window, one has managed 3 fine leaves. The others are still pretty much just a single blade of grass each. It occurs to me that it is very important to duplicate a natural winter by freezing the seeds at least four weeks. Not doing so could create a strain of seeds unable to survive a normal winter. That would be harmless and beneficial for a strain of garden plant but bad for wild sweetgrass stands with whom cross-pollination was possible, it could be bad.

Dec. 19, 2002

I've been watering the seedlings with a mix of 1/4 tsp. diatomaceous earth and 1/8 tsp. MSM to 1 pint water. They like it.

Jan. 7, 2003

On the surface, the sweetgrass plants are growing slowly. Some have one leaf, others, two. Their roots are spreading fast, though. Happy New Year!

Feb. 15, 2003

The sweetgrass plants have been transferred to an aeroponic growing unit. They are thriving in it. I think I shall close this journal, but if anybody has information they would like to add, please email me at ruvir@hotmail.com (with Subject: SWEETGRASS). Best wishes,
--Talzhemir
September 29, 2004
Hello, friends! It's been a while and I'm still growing sweetgrass. The latest news I have is that germination rate can be greatly improved by soaking the seeds in gibberelic acid. This can be ordered online from the Super-grow company: Super-grow .