My gorgeous fremontodendron has shed this mortal coil! (As previous thread, "Sudden Death") I did grow a couple of plants from it's seed about 6 years back, they were hastily grabbed by friends, but, I seem to have lost the knowhow/knack/gift! So. if any of you guys & gals out there know or have the "Charm" of propagation from seed I would be pleased to hear of it! I even asked the Head Honcho at "The Eden Project" for any advice a few years back, and he could not help me either! As the above Fremontodendron can be purchased as a going concern, there must be a way to grow these from seeds,........unless it's a special gift from the Almighty! Happy Easter to one and all.
Hi Kenneth--not having experience with this plant specifically (collected some seeds and never got around to sowing) I was hoping somebody else would take a shot, but... The usual advice seems to be soaking in warm water for a couple days...I would change the water after a day to be safe. Then with most of these mediterranean type seeds a fluctuation in temp from night to day is helpful...so put them in little pots (to avoid root disturbance later) in an exposed area outside. No bottom heat at this time of year, and hopefully the cool nights will help trigger something. Some indications that 10% germination is about normal, so try to get lots of seeds!?
Hi Growest, Sorry so late in replying, been away to the country for a few days! I've had some other tips and hints from various sources, one of the re-occuring themes seems to be they like "Chelated" soil, (took me a while to find out what that meant) also, to gather/harvest the seeds while the pod is still green, and the seeds are black and shiny, but the outer casing has not hardened. Then to give the seeds a good soaking in hot water, let them soak for 24 hours and then plant them in "Chelated" soil! On reflection, looking at all the palaver above, I think I'll just go out and buy a new plant!............Life is short enough as it is! Best regards, Ken.
