Planted the new seeds...

I have planted the noni, ylang-ylang, lemonade berry seeds. I'm keeping them warm close to my heater.

I forgot to mention but I did clip the tops of the noni seeds before I soaked them for three days. I have read that clipping with a fingernail to create an opening in the seed coat enables air and water to enter the seed and contact the embryo faster. It should theoretically increase the germination rate and reduce the germination time. I'll keep you posted.

As mentioned before I chose to utilize cold scarification for my Chinese yellow banana seeds. Hence, they're now chilling in a ziploc bag in my fridge.

New seeds arrived!

I have received the new seeds I ordered. They are: lemonade berry, noni, ylang ylang and Chinese yellow banana. Whoever reads this post might argue that lemonade berry is not rare nor tropical in the US. However, it is very rare where I live, which is Istanbul. Hence, please accept it in the rare category in my case:) I have been soaking them in water that has a bit of vegan food plant to promote growth. They are sitting in small separate cups close to my heater. This is the third day of soaking and I plan to plant them tomorrow.

I have tried to grow Chinese yellow banana from seed before with no success. I have seen a few websites that suggest cold scarification. Hence, I think I'll try that approach this time and post the process and the out come here.

As far as the acai seeds are concerned, I water from frequently and keep the soil moist. No germination as of yet.

Growing Acai plant from seeds: planting

I planted the acai seeds in a small plastic yogurt cup. Of course, I made a small hole at the bottom of the cup for the proper water drainage. I planted the two seeds in the same cup. I keep the soil warm and moist. I read this fact in several forums on the internet. The cup is sitting very close to my heater in the living room. Red spikes should appear in about two weeks if successful germination takes place. That will be like the first week of April. I'll provide an update then. In the meantime, every time I water the acai seeds, I'm adding to the water a vegan food plant. I'm not going to provide brand names in my posts because advertising is not the purpose of this blog unless somebody asks for the brand I use specifically. In addition, there are several brands that provide vegan food plants. I just follow the manufacturer's instructions on light feeding to promote healthy growth.

Growing Acai plant from seeds: soaking

My first experiment in growing a tropical plant from seed in a non-tropical setting is 'acai.' We will see if it'll grow successfully indoors...

I have found the following information from www.mayoclinic.org: "The acai (ah-sigh-EE) berry is a grape-like fruit harvested from acai palm trees, which are native to the rainforests of South America. Acai berries are widely touted as a so-called superfood, with proponents claiming that they are helpful for a variety of health concerns."

I got the seeds two days ago and they have been soaking in room temperature tap water. I plan to plant them tomorrow. In the picture below they are happily soaking:

Two acai seeds resting in a glass of water