Gentiana Species, Crested Gentian

This plant is spectacular at the Betty Ford Alpine Garden in Vail, Colorado, so it obviously grows well at altitude and cold winter condi...Read Moretions. The plants there are about 15"-18" in both height and width. Wish I could get them to grow in Denver.

For those who'd like to try germinating this tricky-for-some plant, following are some methods that have worked for a few intrepid souls:...Read More

1) Tom Cothier's method: Sow @ 18-22*C [~64-71*F] for 2-4 wks; then move to -4 to 4*C [24-39*F] for 4-6 wks; then move to 5-12*C [41-53*F] for germination.

2) Rob's Plants method: Sow at 70*F using the baggy method. In 2002, he got 55% germination in 7 - 10 days, but these factors varied from year to year. He notes that this plant is especially susceptible to damping off fungus and suspects it germinates best with fresh seed

Rob's baggy method: Sow the seed on a moistened (damp not soaking) coffee filter paper; fold it over the seed; and placed the arrangement inside a ziplock baggie under growlights (unless germination requires darkness). To keep the filter paper from drying out, it may be necessary to occassionally spritz it with just enough spray of water to dampen it. Don't let germinating roots go too long before potting up or they may get too tangled up in the filter paper. The potting medium could consist of a mixture of 3 parts of: 1 part perlite (best) or sand (not too sharp) for drainage; 1 part milled sphagnum moss or peat for their anti-fungal qualities; and 1 part soilless potting medium.

3) Another site supports sowing at warm temp: 20*C (68*F)

4) 2nd edition of Norman C. Deno's book, Seed Germination Theory and Practice - Deno roughly agrees with method #1 above for G. sino-ornata and with method #s 2 & 3 for G. septemfida, except to add that germination should occur between 3 - 7 weeks