Vegetables: does anyone grow Roselle, or Jamaica or Hibiscus sabdariffa?

Replies: 13 Views: 176

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youngman
Beverly Hills, CA

September 27, 2008 7:58 PM

i had some seeds that are more than 3 years old, i planted them in the soil, none of them grew! I also had some okra seeds that are about the same age, one actually grew quite tall by now.

It is hard to believe that i planted so many seeds, and none germinated. I went to walmart, homedepot, they don't really sell this kind of seeds, and i haven't found many sites that sell the seeds, either.

I bought some seeds from those dried Jamaica calyces that they sell in the market, none grew, either.

i wonder maybe someone can just send me some seeds by mail? that would be nice. =)

MerryMary
Ocoee (W. Orlando), FL
(Zone 9b)

November 6, 2008 9:37 PM

I just recently saw some on EBay! This past week!

youngman
Beverly Hills, CA

November 7, 2008 7:12 AM

really, i am surprised that you are still reading my old post.

somehow, among those seeds that i planted, one germinated aroud october! yea, october! So far, it has grown about 5 tiny leaves, I hope that it will survive the winter, and reproduce next year.

thanks for the info.

dipsydoodle
Newcastle upon Tyne
(United Kingdom)

November 7, 2008 7:47 AM

I think the problem is your seeds were quite "old", did they have a sell by date, seeds normally do.

podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)

November 7, 2008 8:40 AM

I grew Roselle last summer but sadly harvested no seed. Something got into the seed pods and devoured them before I even got to use any for tea or nibbling, much less seed harvesting.

I do not know what your climate will be but this plant prefers warm/hot weather. You may want to shelter it if it becomes cold.

Some times older seeds can be prompted to germinate by a cold storage period or by soaking for a period of time before planting. Okra is a member of this same family and Okra seeds respond to soaking before planting. You could also do a germination test on the seeds before planting.

I think you should be able to access this link to my journal...
[HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

The culture info indicates your seedlings will not likely survive winter.

Quoted:

Roselle is a short-day plant and photoperiodic. Unlike kenaf, roselle crops cannot be grown successively throughout the year.

It is certainly worth a try and then, you can report back to us with your results. Good luck!

youngman
Beverly Hills, CA

November 8, 2008 10:13 PM

i went to a local grocery store, i was surprised that they sell this thing as flower dedocration! there are pods on the stems, without the leaves, it costs $5.99 for about 30 pods on the stems. i bought it, the pods are round unlike those that i have seen which have oval shape.

i am going to collect the seeds and hopefully they will produce next year =)

podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)

November 8, 2008 10:40 PM

I'm not surprised some of the larger stores are selling them. The seed pods make an excellent tea or can even be eaten. I hope the seeds are viable. Good luck, please report your success. pod

youngman2
Beverly Hills, CA

November 11, 2008 9:55 PM

who wants to buy some seeds from me? ;) so we can share the cost.

Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)

November 11, 2008 10:52 PM

The "youngman" account was banned for AUP violations. We have also disabled the "youngman2" account, because once you're banned, we don't let you come back under another ID. If anyone spots any other activities from this person, please contact us.

podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)

November 11, 2008 11:11 PM

Will do... Curious what AUP stands for?

Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)

November 12, 2008 12:08 AM

Sorry--Acceptable Use Policy. There are links at the bottom of each page; here's a shortcut: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

MerryMary
Ocoee (W. Orlando), FL
(Zone 9b)

November 14, 2008 9:52 AM

Does anyone know if the pods sold in the grocery stores are growable? Or have they been dried too long, or processed in some way?

podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)

November 14, 2008 9:57 AM

They may not have been allowed to ripen enough. It certainly couldn't hurt to try some though. You are in an area where you should be able to find some fresh seed or volunteer plants. The plant I grew came from a FL gardener.

MerryMary
Ocoee (W. Orlando), FL
(Zone 9b)

November 18, 2008 12:11 PM

I think I'll just order the seeds I see on Ebay and give them a try.

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