[SYANBS] Discussion thread for the Six-Year Australian Native Bonsai from Seed Competition

[Promethius]

Not long left til this competition is on!

Make sure you check out the Naked in the Cafe comp, starting at the same time.

I will put out the shohin subcategory rules eventually. I probably have a few years to get around to that…

[Deann]

I couldn't wait for spring and bought a "Seed raising " light.
I've currently got some type of melaleuca street tree and she oak collected myself and under lights along with melaleuca and nothofagus I bought. Only planted some of the purchased seed.
I'm cooking a banksia cone/pod in the oven now, it is partly open but I struggle to open the individual seed holders without damaging them, they are tough.

[Kevin]

I'm cooking a banksia cone/pod in the oven now, it is partly open but I struggle to open the individual seed holders without damaging them, they are tough.

Hello Dean,

I baked a cone recently and had no problems extracting the seed.

Oven set to 120 degrees for 40 minutes and the individual pods opened nicely, I then used tweezers to extract the 2 seeds within each pod.

It was a Banksia serrata.

Kevin

[Trimmy]

I haven't baked a cone since high school. *ba dum, tiss*

But seriously, I might try this. Plenty of banksias with cones in my neighbourhood right now.

[Kevin]

I'm cooking a banksia cone/pod in the oven now, it is partly open but I struggle to open the individual seed holders without damaging them, they are tough.

Hello Dean,

I baked a cone recently and had no problems extracting the seed.

Oven set to 120 degrees for 40 minutes and the individual pods opened nicely, I then used tweezers to extract the 2 seeds within each pod.

It was a Banksia serrata.

Kevin

I'll just add to my above comment due to safety concerns, reducing the fire hazard I completely removed all the dead flowers / spent inflorescence. I then placed the carcass onto a baking tray. Also our oven is electric, I have no idea how gas ovens operate.

Kevin

[Deann]

The oven worked a treat, I have been drying them in a paper bag for weeks with no movement. Struggling to open some with pliers. I did an hour at 125c and they were easy to remove with a toothpick.
Some of the wings were slightly scorched looking, a shorter or lower heat may have been better, we'll see how they germinate.

[shibui]

Some Banksia species have cones that open as soon as the seeds are ripe - B. integrifolia and B. marginata. Pick when cones are mature but before they open and store to dry and they open automatically. Easy to get the seeds put but it means you can only collect cones for a brief period each year.
B. serrata and B. ericifolia are 2 that retain the seeds until a bushfire comes. That's great for seed collectors because there's almost always ripe cones full of seed no matter what time of year you are collecting. They will not open with storage but we can use the bushfire trick to get the seeds.

There seems to be quite a wide range of times and temperatures used to extract seed from the stay closed type of cones, even amongst experienced growers. That suggests that the seeds are not overly sensitive to temperature.

A few minutes in a fire or on the gas BBQ until all the spent flowers are singed off is usually enough. I can usually hear the follicles popping and know it is time to get them out. The follicles continue to open as the cones cool after coming out of the flames.
The Australian Native Botanical Garden recommends oven at 100c for 20 minutes.
Australian Native Plant society says 120-130C for 1 hour or 200c for 10 minutes.
Any times and temperatures in those ranges should be OK.
Good to hear that Kevin is thinking safety before throwing combustible material into a hot oven in his kitchen

[Jan]

Has anyone had any success with germinating Nothofagus Gunnii?

If so how did you go about it?

I've just received some Nothofagus Gunnii seed from Wildseed Tasmania, along with Diselma archeri, Gaultheria hispida and Eucryphia milliganii, and am about to start experimenting with various germination methods.

I saw Dansi's advice links in another Nothofagus Gunnii post so well give those a go - all advice appreciated.

Thanks,

Jan.

[dansai]

I just put mine out a couple of days ago. Sown straight into seed raising mix and covered with vermiculite along with a bunch of other seed. Unfortunately I think I had some rodents, either mice or native Antechinus have a munch on some seed. I had covered the JBP seed I'd sown as last year they were mown down as they germinated, but not the other seed. The next morning there was evidence something had had a forage. I could still see seed in the pots of the N. gunnii. Fingers crossed for some germination.

Having said that, I think the problem will be more of keeping them alive after, or if, they germinate. My climate is nothing like Tasmania. And I know even in Tasmania there are problems with N. gunnii in pot culture. But if you don't give it a go, then you will never know.