I have a big monkey tree pod,(cone?) and I know I can use this to grow a tree, but how do I go about doing that? Do I break the pod take the seeds out and then sow them?
The cones won't be ripe yet, they ripen in September to October in the northern hemisphere. When ripe, the cones break up to release the 200 or so seeds. Sorry, but a cone picked now won't have any viable seed in. If you can get some more in the autumn, there's details on growing the seeds here: http://www.pinetum.org/adviceAR.htm
Thought that the cones may take 2 years to ripen? If you search "seed " in this forum "Monkey Puzzle Trees and Relatives" some more useful info will come up of others success with seed.
About 18 months, from spring pollination to seed maturity in autumn the following year. The two years probably refers to the total reproductive cycle, including the months between when the cones first start development and pollination.
