Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Growing tropicals from seeds.

From Kristi the Wizard of Rose: I grow many plants from seeds, both for my personal collection, and for TopTropicals. I receive many questions from customers who want to grow tropical plants from seeds. Some of them live in colder climates and try to extend growing season of their tropical collections by starting new varieties early in the year from seeds. These are a few tips that may be helpful.

Q: What do I need to do to speed up germination process?

A: Many factors affect germination. Considering you get fresh seeds (for example from TopTropicals) and Mother Nature gives them a good kick start, there are a few things that may speed up germination:
1) Scarification. Large seeds with a hard outer shell can be slightly sanded down just enough for moisture to get inside to wake up the seed during the pre-soaking. Be careful not to damage the seed. See example of Lotus seed scarification.
2) Pre-soaking. We recommend pre-soaking most of the seeds for only a few hours (3-8 depending on species. Some seeds are very sensitive to moisture and may start rotting if stay wet without air circulation. Small seeds, especially tiny ones like dust, should not be soaked.
3) SUNSHINE-S treatment. Adding a few drops of SUNSHINE-S booster when pre-soaking seeds increases their germination rate 3-5 times.
4) Temperature. Warm temperatures help germination. If grown indoors, put seeds containers or trays in the warmest spot of your house; you may use heat pads. Outdoors, putting them in full sun helps a lot, just don't let soil to dry out.

Use only special porous seed germination mix to provide air circulation and prevent seeds from rotting.

Q: Should I keep seeds in refrigerator before planting?

A: Do not refrigerate tropical seeds. Stratification (treatment with cold) works only for temperate species, and some subtropical (like non-tropical Magnolias)

Q: How do you grow eucalyptus from seeds? I tried a few times with no success.

A: The secret of germinating tiny seeds like eucalyptus is - to sow them on top of the moist soil surface (soil must be very fine and soft), without covering. Keep container covered with clear plastic, in bright light. Use spray bottle to keep surface moist but not soggy. I have a customer who germinates eucalyptus seeds using an old fish tank, covered with a glass. Perfect environment - bright light and moist all the time.

What you need for successful growing Adeniums

1) Adenium plants - from TopTropicals Endless selection of Adeniums. We have double flower, red, purple, yellow and even black flowers!
2) A small pot with excellent drainage is a must. Position the plant in a pot, size of root system.
3) Adenium soil mix. TopTropicals Adenium Soilless Mix. Use only well-drained soil.
4) Lots of light. Adeniums need lots of light for heavy flowering. However from our own experience, in super hot climates, they look healthier in filtered bright light. After initial planting, once the plant is established and starts growing new leaves (may take a few weeks), gradually move it into brighter light.
5) Little water. Adeniums like a neutral to hard water. Acidic water tends to sour the soil too fast and may cause root rot. Water plants preferably in the early morning, and allow them to drink up throughout the day. Watering can be done daily to every few days. Do not water again until soil dries on surface. Never allow your plants to sit in a saucer of water, but don't let them to dry out too often - this causes adeniums to go into early dormancy. Adeniums do not like both over-watering or drying-out.
6) Fertilizer. To make your plant develop a large swollen base/trunk, you'll need a good quality fertilizer. Use slow-release granulated fertilizer for overall plant health, and liquid water soluble fertilizer for swelling up trunks that is also used to increase flowering. It shouldn't be too high in nitrogen, the middle number should be the highest (similar to 10-50-10). Never apply fertilizer directly on roots and do not liquid feed when a plant is thirsty: always water first slightly to avoid root burn and leaf drop. Do not wet leaves.
7) SuperFood micro-elements. Besides macro-nutrients provided by fertilizer, Adenium needs micro-elements for balanced development of root system and especially caudex: Sunshine-SuperFood.
8) SUNSHINE-BC. Spray leaves with SUNSHINE-BC once a month to encourage young growth, profuse flowering and large caudex.
9) Growing caudex. There is a secret how to create a large swollen caudex: raise the plant a bit every time you re-pot it, so that the upper part of roots will be a little exposed. The plant will form more roots that will go down.

See full list of Adeniums - plants and seeds.