Propagation of asterias from seed

[Hanazono]

Two matured asterias pushed pots out and I decided to go to the repotting.

1. Miracle kabuto
Bought seed and sowed on 17th September 2004
The size is 17 cm in diameter currently.

2. Hanazono kabuto
Bought seed and sowed on 24th August 2005
The size is 16 cm in diameter currently.


It was full of fine roots in both pots.
I washed bodies and roots by water.
The photo is 2 asterias under drying,
They are sit on empty pots for the protection of roots.


Roots were trimmed off as shown on the photo.
The trimming allows this one to get enough space for developing new roots in the new pot.

I will set them in pots soon.
Since roots are all fine, you do not need a long drying time.

[Vipassana]

Beautiful specimens.

[Hanazono]

G'morning Vipassana,

Thanks for your comment.

I planted 2 asterias in this morning.
Since all roots are fine, you can not dry them so long.

Potting-mix: 40% cactus & succulent-mix in market ( organic base)
40% pumice sand (1~5 mm)
20% pumice gravel (7~10 mm)
Topdressing: dark pebble
Pots: imported plastic pots
Since this place is very dry, I select plastic ones.
Asterias will reach to 20 cm in diameter and so this size can use until the end of their life.

Frank

Miracle kabuto

Hanazono kabuto

[Hanazono]

Ruri kabutos sown seed in 2012 have pushed flowering buds up.
I keep this species to make a new cultivar.

When it was crossed with a super kabuto, a new one shows a clear contrast of dark green body and white flecking.

[Hanazono]

Some of miracle kabuto seedlings sown seed in 2013 pushed tubes out.
I selected 20 seedlings and repotted yesterday.

Selected seedlings in 5 cm square tubes

Removed from tubes and trimmed roots

Repotted seedlings in 6.5 cm square pots
Since roots are trimmed, watering will start next week.

[Hanazono]

2 species of asterias were repotted.
Both seeds were sown on 20th July 2016.
They should be repotted in September 2017 but I missed its timing.

Miracle kabuto
Washed 50 seedlings after removed from the original pots

Cut tap roots off

After repotted, one of pots
You can not judge "true miracle" at this age. I keep all of them.

Super kabuto
Cut tap roots off after washed.
I can select "true super" at this age. I selected 42 seedlings

True super
The seedling on the photo will be a good super kabuto in future.

After repotted, one of pots

[Hanazono]

I tried to create a variegated nudum asterias (ruri kabuto nishiki) and crossed a variegated standard asterias X a ruri kabuto in 2011.
Seeds were sown in september 2012.
Some of seedlings were variegated nudum which grew slower than normal asterias.
Some of them have reached a good size, 5 cm in diameter.

This degree of variegation dose not affect on growing speed at all.

The degree of variegation is not fixed. It will be changed during growing.
This degree is an acceptable level.

I think this is too much.

[WayneByerly]

Potting-mix:
Organic material base plant seed rising-mix- 1
Zeolite 1~2 mm size- 1
Scoria 1~2 mm size- 1
Clay 1~2 mm size- 1
Coarse sand- 1
I do not repot seedlings for 1 year after the germination and so I mix 20% of organic material in the potting-mix.

Your success rate in seed germination is nothing less than phenomenal. So I have to ask you a couple of questions about your choices.

Pardon me for asking, but I can be a little bit slow at times so I want to make sure that I that I understand what is happening here. It looks like you're ratio here is 20% organic and 80% inorganic ... is that correct? Do you use anything in particular as an organic component? Do you think that coir would be an acceptable organic material because it does not rot as fast as peat moss and/or because it hydrates faster/easier than peat moss?

I had never heard of anyone using zeolite in their creation of a soil mixture. I had to look it up to even find out what it was. So why do you use zeolite? Do you use it for water retention, as a detoxification agent, or as a fertilization component?

Is your clay component a high fired clay? Or do you use simple cat litter?

I regularly use a red volcanic rock (3 to 4 mm in size) in my creation of a soil mixture, so I would like to ask you why do you use scoria? Do you use scoria because it is formed from basaltic magmas, instead of pumice, which is formed from rhyolitic magmas?

Explain the why of your choices, if you would please. There are some of us out here who are just fascinated by what you are doing, and wonder about the technical aspects of your choices. Your success rate is a very strong argument from making the same choices that you have. But i think that knowing the why of your choices is important for understanding.

[Hanazono]

G'morning WayneByerly,

The success germination rate of asterias is mostly affected by the freshness of seeds.
Sowing just after harvesting shows the vest success germination rate.
Sowing within one year shows an acceptable rate.
Since I harvest seeds by myself, I can keep this standard.

Potting mix:
You are correct.
20% organic
60% permeable material (inorganic)
20% coarse sand (inorganic)

Organic material is a seed rising mix for flowering plants which is in market.
I think coir will give a similar result.

Potting mix materials should be available locally.
Zeolite is crashed permeable rock, available various size locally in here.
Scoria is not available now and pumice sand is used instead.
Clay is sifted cat litter, assumed burnt by low temperature.

Top 20 mm of soil is not mixed organic material, mix of inorganic material only.
Organic material is mixed in rest part.

I feed water from bottom of pot just before sowing seeds.
Organic material is floated and reaches to top surface if inorganic mix was not heavy enough.
I mix zeorite and coarse sand which are heavy materials to minimise this problem.

Seeds do not contact with organic material during germination.
Roots will contact organic material when they were developed more than 20 mm length.
This setting allows both of a good germination rate and a good growing speed during 1st year of seedlings.

Frank

[Hanazono]

One of miracle kabuto seedlings sown seed in 2013 has started to show the character of "miracle kabuto".
The size is around 6 cm in diameter.
Since current miracle kabuto is mixed various forms of asterias, it tend to be a small size.
To minimise this problem, the gene of Calles kabuto was mixed during the development of miracle kabuto.

This one grows faster and larger than others.
I assume the gene of Calles kabuto has still remained.

[piyeron]

Hi frank. For that last plant you posted, was it you who introduced the calles kabuto gene via breeding (to achieve the traditional large sizes of miracle?)

I've been going through your posts repeatedly because I'm still having trouble differentiating a true miracle from other asterias forms. Hanazono is very easy to distinguish, and the same for most super kabutos (the flecks are generally irregular). I've been trying to stare at your miracle plants so I can familiarize myself with how they look like. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the main characteristics of miracle would be:

*mutation in flecking-- mostly fine and even/consistent-sized, shaped somewhat like sakura petals and often spaced very close together in a mature plant
*mutation can appear anytime, but usually after 3-5 years or so
*large mature size-- much bigger than super kabuto
*low percentage resulting from seeds (because gene is weak, unlike super kabuto)

And also, the shape of the plant itself isn't the main characteristic of miracle because asterias in general can be round, star-shaped, etc. Am I correct thus far? Haha

If you would be so kind, can you take some side-by side photos differentiating miracle from other varieties? Thank you in advance.

[Hanazono]

Even if they were same species, each individual shows quite different appearance and so it is not easy to compare.
Especially super kabutos have various flecking patterns.
I think there are not so many miracle kabutos outside of Japan.

I select 4 of typical mature plants.
Upper left: hanazono kabuto
Upper right: miracle kabuto
Lower left: super labuto
Lower right: hanazono-super kabuto (1st filial, I made.)


Some of different appearances
miracle kbuto


Super kabuto

[oriky]

Hi Frank, thank you for the information,
here some plants that i success get seed from. those are just a starshape kabuto or miracle with low phenotype?

[Hanazono]

G'morning oriky,

I think:
The top one is mixed the gene of miracle kabuto.
Since it is not positive enough, the mutation of flecking has been appeared yet or never.

All others are super kabutos.
4th one from top is a good super kabuto.

When you pollinate these cultivars, select good ones and do it.
You should not cross with a standard asterias.

Frank

[oriky]

thank you for the answer, i bought seeds of those plants as "miracle kabuto", pay allot of money for them, also get seeds from Japan, under the title 特選ミラクル兜錦 until now for germinate, 2 look like variegata
i understand those "special miracle kabuto" - do you know what is the meaning of special at this name?

hope one day own some genetic of real miracle