by Sam Adams

Created on: October 14, 2009

Growing houseplants from seed is a rewarding experience that will allow you to increase your plant collection at a lower cost than buying the plants at a nursery. Many houseplants are tropical plants, and as such, they have specialized germination requirements. Seeds for plants such as Elephant Ear Philodendron, Schefflera, and Bird of Paradise are readily available, but if they are not germinated appropriately, you will never seed the sight that gladdens a gardener's heart - that tiny green sprout emerging from the soil.

Most tropical seeds require pre-treatment before planting if they are to germinate. Many tropical seeds have a hard shell that must be scarified before they will germinate. Scarifying creates a small opening in the outer surface of the seed, which allows moisture to enter and germinate the seed. There are many ways to scarify seeds, but the easiest way for a home gardener is to fold a piece of 200 grit sandpaper in half and rub the seed in between until you see significant scratches in the outer shell. Another way to speed germination is to soak the seeds in warm water for 24 to 48 hours. Particularly, hard seeds would benefit from the addition of saltpeter ( teaspoon per 2 cups of water).

After the seeds have been scarified and/or soaked, it is time to plant. You can use many different types of planting medium; Vermiculite, Perlite, peat moss, garden soil or potting soil all work well. More important than the growing medium is the temperature at which the medium is kept. The soil must be kept evenly warm; for tropical seeds, this means 80 to 85 degrees. Since sunlight alone will not maintain this heat, the easiest option for the home gardener is a small greenhouse kit that has bottom heat built in, or a special heating pad made to fit under a window greenhouse. These heated units are available for between twenty and forty dollars.

Once the seeds have been planted in your choice of medium and you have ensured that they have sufficient heat, you need to provide plenty of light and moisture. A sunny window should provide enough light to prompt germination, or you can provide artificial light with a grow light. The soil should be kept consistently moist, but not soggy or the seeds will rot.

After all of these steps have been followed, sit back and wait. Even with optimal germination conditions, many tropical seeds take weeks or even months to germinate. You will eventually be rewarded with a tiny sprout that will grow into a beautiful tropical plant. Once the sprout emerges, fertilize with a standard houseplant fertilizer at half strength until the plant has several sets of true leaves, then increase the fertilizer to standard strength.

Learn more about this author, Sam Adams.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.