Germinating ficus benjamina

Discussion in 'Plant Propagation' started by oks, Mar 13, 2006.

  1. oks

    oks Member

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    I recently bought some seeds and want to germinate them correctly, i have read some tips here and there and this is what i found: put the seed on the dirt and make some sun shine on it since it germinates because of light, or put it in wet paper with high humidity and some light, put the plants that sprout in dirt.

    Any comments? I have grown other plants before, like morning glory (easy one), salvia splendens, tobacco and san pedro so i have some experience.
     
  2. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Close, but plant them just under a thin layer of soil, keep the pot in a warmish (70+Fahr.) place, keep the soil just moist, not sodden and place a clear baggy over the pot (propped on a stick so seedlings have where to grow) in room light but out of direct sun (or condensation will cause mold). Or were you talking about planting straight into a garden (not compatible with our winters!)?
     
  3. oks

    oks Member

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    I'm going to plant in a pot indoors, it's still below zero here in sweden.
    But you think i should put a layer of dirt on the seeds then? Do they not need light to germinate, because i saw that they do here
     
  4. oscar

    oscar Active Member

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    There are three essential things needed to germinate seeds Oxygen, moisture and warmth, light is not that important to a seed....Saying that the emerging seedling must reach the surface before it runs out of food reserve, so the smaller the seed the closer it needs to be to the surface........if youre unsure about covering the seed or not...the best way is to cover half the seeds, a fine grade perlite is an excellent cover for seeds.
     
  5. oks

    oks Member

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    Alright, i'll try that Oscar.
     
  6. oscar

    oscar Active Member

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    ooops, i meant vermiculite, sorry, hope you havnt been out and bought perlite :(
     
  7. oks

    oks Member

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    I have'nt bought anything =)
     
  8. Barry B

    Barry B Member

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    I grow ficus from cuttings. Some root heating helps a lot but that is somewhat specialised. Must admit that no root heating also works but reduces strike rate
     
  9. robfox

    robfox Member

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    Re: Germinating ficus benjamina from seed

    This may assist from http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/FigPropagate.html -

    Growing from Seed

    "Unless you live in the tropics seeds of figs are relatively unavailable (see below for seed seller info). Figs grown in the north and indoors will not have viable seed. Viable seed requires the fig to be fertilized by its own parasitic fig wasp. The edible fig, Ficus carica, sets fertile seed without any wasp being involved. I will not discuss growing from seed except to say the seed is very fine and can be placed on moistened chopped sphagnum moss and kept in a moist environment until germination occurs. Seedlings can then be pricked out and potted into individual pots and grown on after the fourth leaf is out. Seedlings are tiny but grow fairly quickly after the slow initial phase."

    Also ficus benjamina seeds can be bought in bulk low cost from India for about $210US for about 300,000 seeds via www.seedscompany.com and their guy Arun says:

    Germination rate

    "Number of seeds that germinate is approximate 55% if sown within 45 days from the harvest date, approximate germination time is 2 weeks, if the seeds are sown within 30 days from harvesting it germinates over 60%"

    Also ebay sometimes has seeds for sale, but not in bulk and thus expensive.

    Cheers, Rob
     

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