On your trip to the Canary Islands or Madeira you will discover many plant lovers. Quickly collect the seeds in the hope of germinating them at home and witnessing the great blooms there too. But is it that simple?
How to grow a strelizia from seeds?
To grow a Strelizia from seeds, you must first clean, file and let the seeds swell. Then sow 2-3 cm deep in nutrient-poor seed soil and keep moist. The germination period is 3 weeks to 8 months with a germination rate of 60-80%. The flowers appear after 4-6 years.
Prepare the sowing: clean, file and let it swell
The pea-sized seeds of the parrot flower often have small hairs still attached to them. They are orange in color and appear in clusters on the seeds. You should carefully remove them with a knife or your fingers before sowing.
The next step is to file the hard-shelled seeds. This allows the germ to emerge more quickly. This can take time. File the seeds until the whitish interior becomes visible. You can use your fingernails, a nail file or a knife for this.
Once you have come this far, you can continue with the source. Take a glass or a bowl and fill it with lukewarm water. The seeds are placed inside for 24 to 48 hours. They soak up water and the germination process is activated.
Sowing the seeds
Now the seeds are ready to be sown during propagation:
- Fill pots with low-nutrient sowing soil
- Sow seeds 2 to 3 cm deep
- Press earth
- moisten (e.g. using a spray bottle)
- Put the bag over it
- ventilate regularly (avoid mold formation)
Germination time and germination rate
Patience is now required. Some seeds germinate poorly, while others germinate quickly and successfully. The important thing is:
- keep evenly moist and warm
- If shoots are visible, place in a bright location
- ideal germination temperature: 25 to 30 °C
- Germination time: 3 weeks to 8 months
- Germination rate: 60 to 80%
How long does it take to bloom?
Patience is required here and: you should think carefully about sowing! If you want to admire the flowers, you will have to wait between 4 and 6 years after sowing the seeds for the first flowers to appear. Division is preferable as a method of propagation
Tip
Keep the substrate moist and not wet! Otherwise the seeds will rot and not germinate.
