Hi, Can anyone tell me how to grow grass trees from seed,what seed raising mix.watering and time of germination in summer in Australia, Thank you Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, I have some info from here in Portugal which may be relevant. Mid May (so ~ equivalent to November with you) this year I sowed seed in pots (5 seeds in a 10 cm/ 4 inch diameter pot). The medium was a mix of an organic potting compost and sand in a ratio of about 3:1. The seeds were sown perhaps 5mm (~1/4 inch) deep. All the seeds germinated, and all within one month. In May-June this year the daytime max temperature was about 22'C (~72'F) dropping to about 15'C( ~59'F) at night. They are still growing on in the pots. Growth is very very slow, though perhaps I should pot them on. I think I will be well dead and compost myself before they flower....But gardeners must be optimists! Good Luck BrianO
Here's a link to a forum where grass trees in the the wild where photographed (fourth and fifth pics). Cheers, LPN. http://www.growingontheedge.net/viewtopic.php?t=2161
In the wild, I believe they usually germinate after a bush fire. I'm sure commercially they may just expose them to extreme heat, but without knowing my guess would be spring... Barrie, thanks for that link another forum for me ; ) Ed
No worries Ed ... I post on that forum (growing on the edge) under Las Palmas Norte, aka, LPN here. There's a few Aussie posters there and mainly UK contributors. I hold high regard for those folks, but allow myself a back seat mostly. Cheers, LPN (Barrie).
Ed wrote I should have said in my post re germinating seed in Portugal that I tried germination both with and without using a smoke "solution". I got 100% germination in both sets, though the smoke treated seed germinated slightly later. Ciao BrianO
There is one in the Bunya Mountains on the way to Kingaroy that would have to be at least 5 metres tall and has around ten branches coming off it. I may still have the photo but it is not digital, so may be able to scan it. I will have a look in the next couple of days...Truly a magnificent sight to see!!! Ed
