Den antennatum has seed pods

[Royal]

Originally Posted by susiep

Hey everyone! The biggest seed pod popped open last night. Unfortunately I didn't have the coffee filter on it. I covered it now, but is it contaminated? Should I just toss it?

Hey Susie,

Don't toss it. Just clip it and bring it inside. Leave it in a folded coffee filter so moisture isn't trapped.

I never put anything over developing capsules, I just keep a close eye on them like you did. When the start to crack, I snip off both ends (to get rid of excess moisture and help it split wide as it dries) and drop it in a filter and stick on a shelf. Some seed may be lost this way, but there's always plenty left.

After a few days to a week, the capsule tissue dries up like drying a flower. I lay out a fresh piece of copy paper and use a toothpick to loosen the seed from the crispy dry capsule. A few gentle taps/flicks will drop the seed into a pile. Fold it into a small piece of paper and label it. If there is enough, I use a kitchen knife to scoop portions for multiple seed packets (OSP would love some ). There will probably be some left in the filter as well - perfect for sharing with OB members.

[Kostas]

Awesome plant Susan!!! Well done growing it so well!

How much cold has it ever seen? I want to grow this species here mounted outside but have heard its very cold sensitive to anything below 45-50F.

Thank you very much in advance!

[susiep]

Hello Kostas! It does like the heat. I bring it inside for temps below 50. It is huge, so that is a challenge. It started growing in an 8 inch wood basket many years ago. When it over grew the basket, I turned it sideways and treated it like a mount. At this point it has covered the entire basket except the back, which is against the wall. It is all roots. I don't water it nearly as often as my other plants. It is totally different than taking care of a small plant of the same kind. I think this species can be very difficult to grow when small, but after they get big they take care of themselves. Very little fertilizer or water. No direct sun, but lots of indirect light. Warm temps and it will bloom almost continuously. Good luck, it is an awesome species and I am very attached to mine.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply and information Susan! It helps a lot! I will try a couple and see how they do for me

[Otis226]

I agree. You've done a wonderful job growing this plant. It's the most impressive antennatum I've ever seen! I've got some seedlings, just over a year out of the flask, and they are really healthy and doing well, but it will be many years before they will look even half as nice as yours! Thanks so much for sharing the great photos.
Cheers,
Tony