Help with Jack in the Pulpit seeds

babylark · February 27, 2008

I boughts some seeds to grow Jack in the Pulpit last year. I just found them and I would like to grow them. My house is VERY shady and used to be a picnic grove. There are large (100+ feet) Oak trees, Native Ferns and May Apples in my yard. I just thought it would be nice to have some of these little jems. I had gotten some seeds before and they never came up. I even had them "sprouted" on a paper towel. What did I do wrong? Can anyone help?

bitterwort · February 28, 2008

Babylark, I've never tried growing Jack-in-the-Pulpit inside because mine drop seeds and the squirrels plant them all around the yard. It's not clear to me whether the seed must be fresh to germinate, but I suspect cold is a factor.

You might check out the directions Tom Clothier provides--there are a couple of entries for Arisaema (the species we have here is triphyllum).
http://tomclothier.hort.net/page02.html

If I had lots of seed, I would be tempted to plant them in a pot (covered with hardware cloth to keep the squirrels out) outside now and see if them come up on their own over time. If you don't get them to go, buy a plant or beg one from someone and be patient. They take a number of years to produce female flowers--and thus fruits. Good luck!

February 27, 2008	#1
babylark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lebanon, PA • Zone 6a Posts: 145	Help with Jack in the Pulpit seeds I boughts some seeds to grow Jack in the Pulpit last year. I just found them and I would like to grow them. My house is VERY shady and used to be a picnic grove. There are large (100+ feet) Oak trees, Native Ferns and May Apples in my yard. I just thought it would be nice to have some of these little jems. I had gotten some seeds before and they never came up. I even had them "sprouted" on a paper towel. What did I do wrong? Can anyone help? __________________ I can not be held responsible for anything typed above, as I believe my Corgis have learned to type!

February 28, 2008	#2
bitterwort Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MN Zone4b Posts: 292	Babylark, I've never tried growing Jack-in-the-Pulpit inside because mine drop seeds and the squirrels plant them all around the yard. It's not clear to me whether the seed must be fresh to germinate, but I suspect cold is a factor. You might check out the directions Tom Clothier provides--there are a couple of entries for Arisaema (the species we have here is triphyllum). http://tomclothier.hort.net/page02.html If I had lots of seed, I would be tempted to plant them in a pot (covered with hardware cloth to keep the squirrels out) outside now and see if them come up on their own over time. If you don't get them to go, buy a plant or beg one from someone and be patient. They take a number of years to produce female flowers--and thus fruits. Good luck! __________________ Bitterwort