AusBonsai

Hey all,
This is all a bit of experimentation. These trees have leaves which emerge anywhere from lavendar to purple, then turn blue-gray. I understand to get a truly purple one, you have to purchase a cutting as what colour the leaves are is a bit of a guess if you take them from seed.

As I'm hoping for a deep purple, I've purchased a number of seeds from the Ole Lantana seed store. I soaked the first batch overnight and this morning, I've popped them into a some damp paper towell which has a little fundicide in it and into a draw filled with summer clothes. I reckon those seeds won't see light for a long while yet!

I've got a heaps of these seeds, so I'll do them in batches. Given they take three to four weeks to germinate, I've got some time to space things out.

Jas

Ahhh ... I've tried seeds in wet bags before but never thought to use a fungicide, great idea. Care to share which you use?

Also, curious, why in a drawer? To avoid sun and consistent cool temp?

Most Acacia species require scarification to achieve quicker, consistent germination. The usual method is to pour boiling water over the seeds and let them soak. Other methods include rubbing the seeds with sandpaper or on concrete or with a file or cut the shell with a sharp knife (last few are very time consuming)
With scarification you should get germination in 2-3 weeks.
Untreated seed coat is hard and water resistant so the seeds germinate a couple at a time over several years.

legoman_iac wrote: ↑June 6th, 2024, 10:04 pm Ahhh ... I've tried seeds in wet bags before but never thought to use a fungicide, great idea. Care to share which you use?

Also, curious, why in a drawer? To avoid sun and consistent cool temp?

I’m just using Yates anti rot, nothing special. As to why a draw, it’s a dark place that’s all. I figure they don’t need the cold of a fridge, but we’ll see what happens. I’ve got heaps more to sow, am on holiday this week so I wanted to get one batch done before I left

Jas

shibui wrote: ↑June 7th, 2024, 8:03 am Most Acacia species require scarification to achieve quicker, consistent germination. The usual method is to pour boiling water over the seeds and let them soak. Other methods include rubbing the seeds with sandpaper or on concrete or with a file or cut the shell with a sharp knife (last few are very time consuming)
With scarification you should get germination in 2-3 weeks.
Untreated seed coat is hard and water resistant so the seeds germinate a couple at a time over several years.

I have one of those kettles which you can set the temp. I’ve seen advice ranging from 70 to 100, so I picked lower. I was concerned about cooking them!

With scarification and sandpaper you can just line the bottom of a plastic container and shake.

It would be handy to have a page highlighting seed dormancy in native species; I dont imagine cold stratification would be much of an issue with the bulk of our natives. With that said the fridge is a good place to preserve germination ratios so it can't hurt either.

There's a few alpine species that are listed as germinating better after cold treatment. Examples of seed requiring this treatment are Banksia canei, B.saxicola, Eucalyptus kybeanensis, E.pauciflora, E.regnans and E.delegatensis. The method has also been applied with some success to non-alpine plants such as Anigzanthos sp. (Kangaroo Paws).

There's also some species that require leaching to get best germination. Eriostemon and some Correa species are listed in this group

Quite a few Aussie species germinate better after smoke treatment. Anigozanthus (Kangaroo paw) is one. The difference in germination rates was amazing when I tried it. I have not come across any tree species that require smoke treatment. Most of the smoke dependant species are smaller shrubs and herbs and most are WA species so probably not worth smoke treating the trees we use for bonsai.

For those who are not aware the Australian Native Plant society has a comprehensive seed germination page that covers all this in some detail - https://anpsa.org.au/plant-propagation/

Just updating my note. I did a 2nd batch on the 16th June. Which have now tunred into seedlings and will be heading out into the garden in a week or two...

Just in time, with warmer weather you'll need your summer drawer!