How to sprout moso bamboo seeds?

I purchased some moso bamboo seeds from ebay and followed sprouting directions and after 20 days still nothing

How to sprout moso bamboo seeds?
Hey Deanuzzle,



I bought Moso rizomes, and it worked ok, the Moso does not like my South Carolina lowland sand. It is still alive, but the Phyllostachys Rubromarganata (ruby bamboo) loves my soil.



You do know that it is difficult to find viable seed, because it is rare for bamboo to flower, that leads to storage problems and other possible problems.



Here is an extract from the 1st web site. This should help you if you have any seeds left that you did not try to start. Also, you should look at the other web sites, the American Bamboo Society has many links to great sites.



"I purchased 100 black asper seeds over the internet and I 1. rinsed the seeds with clean water. 2. Soak seeds for 5 minutes in 10% salt water, then rinse. 3. Soak seeds for 20 minutes in clear water. I mixed 60% vermiculite and 40% sphagnum moss. I added water but not enough that if you squeezed the mix, water would drip out. I found that the seeds would rot, so I use a little less water. I had bought some plastic Tupperware type boxes at Wal-mart and I have some 16X24 propergating mats, so I put some of the mix in the box, about 2", so not to melt the box, then I put the mat in and added another 4" of mix and randomly scattered the seeds. I put the lid on and pluged in the heat pad. 3 days later 48% germinated!! Everyday I see a few more come up. I take the box outside in the shade and for air cirulation. I planted the seeds November 21 and today is the 30th. My tallest plant is about 3 1/2". Don't forget, you still have to mist them a couple times a day." 1



Hey if you ever get some good shoots, let me know.
Reply:The moso seed I germinated both a few years ago and even a few months ago all started germinating within two weeks. In both cases I used the same method, which you can find here:



http://www.gator-ventures.com/bamboo/bam...



It's very possible that the seed you got is too old and has lost it's viability. If the bamboo seed was not stored properly the germination rates go way down. The seed I germinated a few months ago was several years old, but was kept in cold storage and I still achieved over a 60% germination rate.



Hope a few of them start growing!