Germinating Bromeliaceae seeds

[jam]

This is the first time I'm trying to germinate Greigia sphacelata and Fascicularia bicolor canaliculata. I'm using the plastic box method, where I have pots filled with a very porous medium (peat moss, perlite, coarse sand) with seeds placed on top and coarse sand sprinkled over them. The bottom of the box is lined with pebbles and filled with water, so the humidity should be close to 100%. After 12 days, I have observed 0% germination, while the Agaves sharing the same box began to sprout within 5 days.

How long do they usually take to germinate?
How long does the seed remain viable?
Could high day and night temperatures be a problem? During those 12 days, daytime highs were 35-38C / 95-100F, and nighttime temperatures stayed above 20C / 68F.

[Jkwinston]

I have tried a few times without much success, and I have decided that I would stick with the pups. Although you do not have a lot of them at any given time, they never disappoint you. Jkw

[nsp88]

No clue about your specifics, but only thing in this family I have tried is Puya coerulea var. violacea. Tried it a bunch of different times and ways with no luck no matter what I do. Maybe it is a bad bunch of seeds? Everything else from that seller has been awesome, though. Must be me.

[meridannight]

Agaves are not any kind of indication on Bromeliad seed germination. Their seeds are very different and progress along differently.

Puya and Hechtia can take about 3-4 weeks to germinate. Older seeds might take a couple of months. In my experience, if they don't come up after 6 months, the seeds are no longer viable. Supposedly the seeds can take months to germinate, but I haven't observed this. They either come up in 3-6 weeks or not at all. But maybe somebody else has a different experience.

[jam]

Agaves are not any kind of indication on Bromeliad seed germination. Their seeds are very different and progress along differently.

Puya and Hechtia can take about 3-4 weeks to germinate. Older seeds might take a couple of months. In my experience, if they don't come up after 6 months, the seeds are no longer viable. Supposedly the seeds can take months to germinate, but I haven't observed this. They either come up in 3-6 weeks or not at all. But maybe somebody else has a different experience.

Thank you, Meridannight. Will give it enough time then. Just over 3 weeks ATM. I still wonder if hot days and nights could negatively effect the germination process. After all both species in question are coming from cool temperate regions.

[meridannight]

Thank you, Meridannight. Will give it enough time then. Just over 3 weeks ATM. I still wonder if hot days and nights could negatively effect the germination process. After all both species in question are coming from cool temperate regions.

I germinated both, Puya and Hechtia, in tropical conditions. I have additionally tried Pitcairnia seeds, but those didn't germinate at all for me. So either the seeds were unviable, or maybe those needed more temperate conditions.