If you picked up a Lavender Pearl Anthurium seed from me or elsewhere, congratulations! I wrote this post to share how I have propagated the seeds, which are super tiny.
See the video below for how I collected the seeds and planted them. Please note that you need to be careful with the sticky pulp from the berries, which may be toxic because of calcium oxalate crystals. I didn’t experience any irritation with the pulp when squishing the berries, but it can cause irritation if you get it on your skin or eyes, or nausea, vomiting or diarrhea if you try to eat it.
The video, which was taken June 17, demonstrates lightly covering the seeds with soil but for my initial batch on April 22, I placed the seeds directly onto the soil (a seed potting mix by Miracle-Gro). Both methods were successful.
While the method in the video is much easier, you do end up with 3-5 seedlings in one pot. But I found that getting the tiny seeds off your finger to place only 1 or 2 into the pot was extremely difficult because the pulp was so sticky. I may end up paying for it later when I try to separate the seedlings - but that is years away because they take so long to grow.
On the positive side, I did get a 99% propagation rate with the first batch, and growth appeared just six days after planting, on April 28 (photo, left). By June 9, the seedlings were quite established, as seen here.
PRO TIP: Do NOT use the fiber seed pots seen in the video. The soil dried out much more quickly than the soil in the silicone trays, and if you’re not careful with watering from the top, you can easily damage the fragile seedlings.
The silicone trays shown are made by a company called Sili-Seedlings, and I found them at Walmart Ala Moana. After they sold out, I tried to order directly from the company but they wouldn’t ship to Hawaii. I ended up having them shipped to my sister in California and had her forward them to me.
I would not consider propagating this plant from seed if you’re not a patient, diligent (read obsessed) gardener. According to the interwebs, the seedling stage can last four to six months and take up to three years to fully develop. I had an earlier batch of seedlings that I tried to place in larger pots at the two month stage, and they just died – which is why I’m propagating so many seedlings this time around.
I’ll update this post with progress on these new sets of seedlings, so stay tuned!