Thursday, June 14, 2001
Fourth Day Results of Nelumbo Seed Sowing

So far I have found at least some sprouting seeds in Lots 6, 7, 8. 10, 12 and 14. Many of the seeds have split so wide they look like open clam shells. From reports from you out there, most had similar success with these Lots. The most prolific Lot was Number 7 where many growers had over half of the seeds sprouting. The first four lots are seeds of Nelumbo lutea which generally are slower to sprout than N. nucifera. They should show some life in the next few days.

Friday, June 15, 2001
Fifth Day Results of Nelumbo Seed Sowing

So far, I have had reports of successful sprouting of seeds in Lots 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, & 14. Lot Number 7 is the leader in the sprouting success ratio. For some it was 100%. Second is Number 8; last is Number 9 with only one sprout, but that is still better than for the dormant seeds in the remaining Lots. The sprouted seedlings are growing rapidly for me; the most advanced ones having leaf stems three inches long.

It will not be long until the first week is up after the officially scheduled group wetting of the seeds on Saturday, June 9, 2001. It would be good if all of you who started on that date would email me on Saturday, June 16, the total number of sprouted seeds you had for each Lot number. For those who started earlier, tell me how many there were on the seventh day after wetting the seeds. Those who started late, email me the results on your seventh day. This data will give a good statistic on the spread of sprouting times for Nelumbo seeds.

Thank you all for participating in this experiment.

Saturday, June 16, 2001
Sixth Day Results of Nelumbo Seed Sowing

At last I have a seed sprouting from Lot 1, which contain the Nelumbo lutea seeds collected from the state of Michigan in the year 2000. Now it is about time for the Florida collection to germinate. All the previously sprouted seedlings are growing rapidly.

Saturday is the day to make your seedling counts so that we can get an idea of the relative success one can expect from each seed lot after one week.

Thank you for your data. 

Sunday, June 17, 2001
Seventh Day Results of Nelumbo Seed Sowing

Thank you to all that sent in the results of seed germinations. Some of you had indicated that you had a late start so that the seventh day results are not yet available. Not to worry, I didn't have a rigid schedule here. The statistical results are based on the number of sprouted seeds that occur seven days after being placed in water. So, if any of you had started late, just email me the results based on the seventh day after you start. Statistical calculations become more accurate (the Standard Error gets smaller) as the sample size gets larger, so I would like your inputs whenever you can send them in. 

From the data received thus far, the calculated percentage of seeds in each lot that will sprout within one week are:

Lot Number		Week 1
	Lot 1 Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4 Lot 5   Lot 6 Lot 7 Lot 8 Lot 9 Lot 10 Lot 11 Lot 12 Lot 13 Lot 14		7% 14% 0% 14% 0% 29% 80% 67% 14% 43% 0% 50% 0% 43%

From the data, Lot 7 is clearly the winner for sprouting early. I had said in an earlier report that the label attached to the Lot 7 jar had been eaten by silverfish during storage. In looking over my records of ponds that I had planted in the San Diego area, I had noted that I had collected approximately 400 seeds of Nelumbo nucifera var. caspicum that was growing in one of the ponds. This was more than double the number of seeds that I had ever collected from any other location. This was the approximate number of seeds that was found in the jar that I identified later as Lot 7. Conclusion: Lot 7 must contain seed of N. nucifera var. caspicum. I also sent out twice as many seed of this lot than from any other lot. The variety name comes from its original location, the Volga River Delta as it enters the Caspian Sea.

Monday, June 18, 2001
Eighth Day Results of Nelumbo Seed Sowing

I now have had a report (from a late starter) of sprouts from Lots 1 and 3 within a one week period of wetting. This raises the probability of a Lot 1 seed sprouting within one week to 12% and for a Lot 3 seed sprouting to 18%. I injected this observation because Lots 1 and 3 had previously been among the lowest probabilities of the 14 Lots under test.

From the reports received, all indicated at least some seedlings growing. From now on it is simply a process of watching the seedlings grow. I will now hold off on these daily announcements for a while because watching plants grow is rather routine and not newsworthy. Nevertheless, I will still look forward to reports from late starters on their seventh day cumulative germination counts.

The next major notice will be a call for the Two Week Cumulative germination count.

Thank you all for your reports so far. 

Friday, June 22, 2001
Second Week Nelumbo Seed Germination Report Reminder

I am still getting reports on first week germination results from those who started late in this experiment. These reports have essentially verified the consensus that Seed Lots 7, 8, 10, 12 and 14 had on average better than 40% germination within one week after being put in water. These lots all contained Nelumbo nucifera seeds. All Lots containing N. lutea seeds (Lots 1 thru 4) had less than 15% germination during the same period. I will give a final calculation when all late start reports are in.

The second week information should be available when the general group germination counts are made on Saturday, June 23, 2001. To be consistent with your reports, simply give the total germinations that have occurred since you started 14 days earlier. Anything else that you think would be of interest can also be included in the report. Those that have started the experiment after the general group starting date of Saturday, June 9, can give me the data for the 7 and 14 days after putting the seeds into water.

Sunday, June 24, 2001
One and Two Week Results of Nelumbo Seed Germinations

Here is the latest summary of seed germination results for one and two weeks after they were immersed in water. The first week results are a refinement of the last report because I was able to consider the additional data sent in by those who began after the general start date of June 9, 2001.

From the data received thus far, the cumulative percentage of seeds in each Lot that sprouted within one week or two weeks are:

Lot Number		Week 1		Week 2
	Lot 1 Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4 Lot 5   Lot 6 Lot 7 Lot 8 Lot 9 Lot 10 Lot 11 Lot 12 Lot 13 Lot 14		21% 14% 0% 14% 0% 29% 81% 71% 14% 72% 0% 50% 0% 43%		42%  28% 18% 20% 25% 29% 93% 86% 20% 81% 33% 57% 38% 57%

At last the Nelumbo lutea seeds (Lots 1 through 4) are showing a respectable germination. It just took a little longer. However, the data for the second week's results are still sparse, so we can expect some adjustment in this column in the coming weeks. 

 Monday, July 02, 2001
Growing On The Nelumbo Seedlings

Now that most of your Nelumbo seedlings have produced their first floating leaves, what next? These leaves are remarkably suited for a floating existence. The leaves refuse to allow water to remain on its surface. Water rolls off like quick silver. Nevertheless, this surface invites many aphids which appear almost miraculously even though the pond has not seen them before. In some cases they are brought in by ants which tend them like cows. The ants eat the sweet droplets that exude from the aphids.

Aquatic snails attack the leaves from underneath and eat holes in them. Sometimes the snails can't wait to reach the leaves and nibble on the leaf stem on the way up. The consequence is that soon you find some leaves floating free on the water surface. Caterpillars can also appear and eat the surface layer of the leaves. By inspecting the leaves periodically, these pests can be easily seen and manually removed without the use of chemical sprays.

After the first four floating leaves are formed, the plant spreads by forming rhizomes with one leaf appearing at each internode. Side shoots occasionally appear at the internodes which allow for lateral spreading. The leaf diameters progressively increase and eventually are lifted clear of the water surface. In some instances during the first year of growth, the plant may pass through a temporary resting period. In these cases, growth ceases, the leaves turn yellow and the plant appears to be dying. This is a perfectly normal development for these plants during which the rhizome thickens to form a small banana shaped tuber. The plant then remains dormant for about three weeks when it starts growth again with renewed vigor if the water is warm.

During the first year of growth, only leaves are produced in most cases. Flowers are not generally produced until the second year. As the days get shorter in autumn, the leading rhizomes grow deep underground and form large resting tubers where they wait out the winter. All the leaves turn brown and only the resting tubers remains alive to start growth again the next spring. These resting tubers are edible and are a favorite food item in Japan and China. The Indians in America also used them as food. 

Tuesday, July 03, 2001
Results of Nelumbo Seed Germinations

The third week results are slow in coming in probably because I didn't send out my usual reminder notice on Saturday. So if those of you who forgot as well as the late starters will send in your Third week results, it will reduce the variance of the weekly averages.

The following summary contains the updated cumulative first and second week reports including those who started after the general starting date of June 9. Consequently, there will be some variation for the first two week periods as compared to previous reports. The blank spaces represent insufficient data.

Cumulative Percentage of Seeds Sprouted After One, Two and Three Weeks:

Lot Number		Week 1		Week 2		Week 3
	Lot 1  Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4 Lot 5 Lot 6 Lot 7 Lot 8 Lot 9 Lot 10 Lot 11 Lot 12 Lot 13 Lot 14		32%  14% 0% 14% 0% 29% 84% 76% 12% 72% 0% 50% 0% 43%		52%  43% 29% 20% 25% 64% 93% 88% 14% 86% 33% 57% 38% 57%		56%  - 60% 44% - 82% 93% 91% - - - 57% - -

At about this stage of the experiment, one may wonder if any of the remaining unsprouted seeds will ever germinate. By this time the seed coat should be very soft and easily peeled away from the cotyledon. If the cotyledon is still firm but rubbery, the seed still has a chance to germinate. If there is evidence that the cotyledon is starting to decay, then it is probably a waste of time to retain it. In some of my previous experiments, I have had few seed sprout after three weeks. Inspecting these unsprouted seeds after five weeks of waiting by splitting the cotyledon apart at their normal junction (similar to the two halves of a peanut), I have found that the embryo had died even though the cotyledon was firm. This was evidenced by the embryo being a dull olive green or brown color instead of the normal bright green. Consequently, I will request no further data after the third week report. Nevertheless, if there are some of you willing to hang on to these slow germinating seeds to the very end, I would be interested in hearing about any viable late sproutings. For instance it may be a characteristic of the seeds in a particular Lot number. Notice from the data above how different the groups of seeds are in their eagerness to sprout.

 Monday, July 23, 2001
Final Results of the Nelumbo Seed Germination Experiment

I took in all the germination data from those of you who were involved in this experiment. I then did a statistical analysis to determine the cumulative probability of seed germination after one, two and three weeks after wetting. It was generally determined that any further germinations after three weeks were insignificant.

The results are given below:
Cumulative Percentage of Seeds Sprouted After One, Two and Three Weeks:

Lot Number		Week 1		Week 2		Week 3
	Lot 1  Lot 2 Lot 3 Lot 4 Lot 5 Lot 6 Lot 7 Lot 8 Lot 9 Lot 10 Lot 11 Lot 12 Lot 13 Lot 14		32%  14% 0% 14% 0% 29% 84% 76% 12% 72% 0% 50% 0% 43%		52%  43% 29% 20% 25% 64% 93% 88% 14% 86% 33% 57% 38% 57%		60%  48% 52% 47% 32% 75% 93% 91% 15% 86% 38% 57% 38% 57%

The results speak for themselves. Since most of you received at least seven seeds each of two lots, you had a 98% chance of sprouting at least one seed within three weeks of wetting if you were so unlucky as to get the two worst lots (5 & 9). Since none of you got that combination of seeds, most will have done much better.

As we have found out, some of the Lotus seed germinations have been so successful that some of you may have 10 or more plants on your hands. Remember, even one Lotus seedling is enough to fill a normal backyard pond in one year. The question then is: what to do with the surplus? Having faced this problem many times before, here are a few Ideas:

1) Bring some to your local Water Garden Society Meeting to be traded or raffled off, or whatever your local society does with contributed plants.

2) Give some to your local Botanic Garden or any other organization with a pond.

3) Build another pond.

And now, thanks to all who participated in this experiment. I will now resign as spokesperson for the group; consequently, if you have an interesting story to tell about your seedlings, feel free to tell us via this list.

Walter