AusBonsai

Yep, here I go ... off on another project!
This time I'm looking to grow a few Melaleuca. I had a hankering to get a few nice paperbarks up and running last summer, and then after attending the Vic Native/AABC convention in May this year I was sold that I needed to get rolling with this idea. Like I said, I am particularly drawn to the varieties with papery bark - it just appeals to me, so I have spent most of this year looking for a few varities to get started on ... from seed of course! I was ideally looking for what I consider to be the "holy trinity" of Mels ... M. Stypheliodes, M. Cuticularis and M. Rhaphiophylla. These seeds are a little more difficult to get here in Melbourne - but as with a lot of things, it's not what you know ... ! I have managed to source a few seeds of varying species (including those above) from a few different sources as well as just collecting some myself. A big shout out to a couple of members of this forum who have supplied me with some ...
So, today I finally managed to get myself organised and sow a few of them. Here's what i have put in today.
M. Decussata
M.Ericifolia
M. Elliptica
M.Rhaphiophylla
M.Cuticularis
M.Stypheliodes
There are more that I still need to get moving on, but that's all for now. This is what I did : This is commonly known as the "bog method" and seems to be a pretty standard propagation technique for Melaleuca. Water is drawn up through the pot via capillary action, keeping the seed moist and meaning you don't have to water from the top and rinse away all the tiny seeds.
Let's see what we end up with in a couple of weeks or so.

Project-man is off again. Good luck and thanks for the detailed pics and explanation.

Subscribing to this thread. I have a tiny M. Nesophila on the go, a cutting from a tree in a park just down the road from me. Very keen to get a few more going.

Excellent work Ryceman love a good project. A little jealous of how well organised you are. Cheers John.

MJL wrote: ↑December 5th, 2019, 4:45 pm Project-man is off again. Good luck and thanks for the detailed pics and explanation.

Yeah... sorry, I get sucked in by a project and then everyone suffers in the end! Hopefully I have plenty to contribute that gives some others a few ideas when it comes to growing their own. I figure access to Mels is a little easier than pine seed, whether or not it’s more fruitful remains to be seen!

boom64 wrote: ↑December 5th, 2019, 7:50 pm Excellent work Ryceman love a good project. A little jealous of how well organised you are. Cheers John.

Thanks John, hopefully this project is just as productive as the pines... early days and I feel slightly more uncharted territory. It’s easy to get online and research the next stage for your pine seedlings... Mels are a bit different, looking forward to it!

greg27 wrote: ↑December 5th, 2019, 4:55 pm Subscribing to this thread. I have a tiny M. Nesophila on the go, a cutting from a tree in a park just down the road from me. Very keen to get a few more going.

Thanks for your interest mate. M. Nesophila will most likely make an appearance here at some stage as they are on my radar and I know where to go to source seed... just need to get there! Good luck with yours and keep watching!

Ryceman3 wrote: ↑December 5th, 2019, 3:07 pm I covered the seed with a layer of vermiculite. The idea here is it will keep the seed moist and stop it from blowing away.

Excellent start and very neat as usual ! I will be waiting to see how these go with the vermiculite. I normally cover my Mel seed with a thin layer of sifted seed-raising mix and have always assumed that as long as the surface stayed wet, the seeds should stay put. That said, I normally sit my pots in a 5L ice-cream container, which I think helps with mitigating the effects of wind.

Hi Ryceman, I will be interested to see how these go as I collect a few native seeds from time to time. My last attempt was with Callistemon collected from a nearby tree and found that I had about 100% success rate. The trouble with me is that I often reuse the same pots and mix so occasionally get plants that I don't remember planting. The pic below is I believe, a Mel that seems to be growing strongly but I have no idea what type it is and thought you may be able to id it for me?
Thanks
john

jgmansell wrote: ↑December 6th, 2019, 12:12 pm The pic below is I believe, a Mel that seems to be growing strongly but I have no idea what type it is and thought you may be able to id it for me?

Hi John,
Nice to see you’re having success growing natives, good luck with those callistemon! As for your image, it looks more eucalyptus than Mel to me but there are so many varieties of Melaleuca I couldn’t say for sure. Hopefully one of the plant ID gurus (Sno, shibui, Treeman, Rory, Josh et al) might see your pic and chime in with an idea... sorry I can’t help.

Thanks again Ryceman, it does seem to have a papery bark and I haven't planted any Eucalypts but I guess it will be more obvious as it matures.
john

terryb wrote: ↑December 6th, 2019, 12:02 pm

Ryceman3 wrote: ↑December 5th, 2019, 3:07 pm I covered the seed with a layer of vermiculite. The idea here is it will keep the seed moist and stop it from blowing away.

Excellent start and very neat as usual ! I will be waiting to see how these go with the vermiculite...

Exactly 2 weeks from when they were sown and this morning I saw this ... These aren't the only ones, others are also just emerging - except no sign yet of M. Rhaphiophylla or M. Decussata. It is about a week earlier than I expected so if anything I feel ahead of schedule! I always get a kick out of seeing green coming up where seeds were put down.

I wouldn't attribute success directly to the vermiculite @terryb, but it has done the job of keeping the surface moist and seeds where they need to be. They also seem to be having no trouble pushing growth up through it. As it stands now, I'd repeat this technique again - it seems to have worked pretty well... just as an FYI.

Ryceman3 wrote: ↑December 19th, 2019, 9:37 am Exactly 2 weeks from when they were sown and this morning I saw this ..

These aren't the only ones, others are also just emerging - except no sign yet of M. Rhaphiophylla or M. Decussata. It is about a week earlier than I expected so if anything I feel ahead of schedule! I always get a kick out of seeing green coming up where seeds were put down.

Nice! I also find fresh Mel seed germinates pretty readily and quickly using this method.

Ryceman3 wrote: ↑December 19th, 2019, 9:37 am I wouldn't attribute success directly to the vermiculite @terryb, but it has done the job of keeping the surface moist and seeds where they need to be. They also seem to be having no trouble pushing growth up through it. As it stands now, I'd repeat this technique again - it seems to have worked pretty well... just as an FYI.

Great to see. I was pretty happy with the vermiculite technique for my JBP seed this year. We keep trying new things and it just adds to the available techniques to try

So when are you going to set up your own nursery?

melbrackstone wrote: ↑December 20th, 2019, 10:40 am So when are you going to set up your own nursery?

Ha! Thanks Mel... I could call it a backyard nursery I guess, but since I don’t actually have a backyard it’s probably not appropriate! I like to go big and then deal with the consequences later...

Ryceman3 wrote: ↑December 20th, 2019, 12:13 pm

melbrackstone wrote: ↑December 20th, 2019, 10:40 am So when are you going to set up your own nursery?

Ha! Thanks Mel... I could call it a backyard nursery I guess, but since I don’t actually have a backyard it’s probably not appropriate! I like to go big and then deal with the consequences later...

Your own nursery ..... I think the modern vernacular would call it a roof-top pop-up. Add a few tasty beverages and you have yourself another business R3!