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we have just brought some Protea and Bird of Paradise seeds back from Madeira,can anyone give me any tips for germinating them,temps,soil etc please? ??? ???

Hot... you didn't pick up any Echium Pininana did you? The one in the garden doesn't look like it will survive to flower...  :'(

I've tried that from POD a couple of times. I haven't got it through the winter; the first time it died in the open, the second it died in a mini greenhouse.

There is a bit here on Strelitzia; http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Strelitzia/Strelitzia.htm

Sorry I know nothing about Protea

Thanks tee gee, printed it off,o.k i hope, as you seem to be switched on with all our questions do you know anything about maracuja banana and would you like a couple of seeds? ???

I've managed to get it through two winters... but it's dieing now...  :'(

Quotedo you know anything about maracuja banana and would you like a couple of seeds?

New one on me, did a google and all I could find (in english) was maracuja passion fruit.

Regarding the seed thanks but no thanks.

Perhaps if I knew a bit more about them I would try them as I often try my hand with exotic seeds.

I take a rain check for now and wait to see if this thread develops a bit first!

Maracuja banana (Passiflora mollissima) will grow outdoors, if the frost catches it it will regrow from the roots. If you want ripe fruit then it is better grown in a greenhouse or conservatory as it doesn't ripen reliably outdoors.

Quote from: gordonsveg on May 10, 2009, 13:17:25
maracuja banana and would you like a couple of seeds? ???

mine died and the fruit didn't ripen, I grew it outside, live and learn    ;D

I bought some Bird of Paridise seeds for my dad for xmas about 3 years ago. Each year i pick weird and wonderful seeds for him to see if he can get them to grow as a bit of fun.

He was told to rub the hairy / rough part of the seed with some sand paper to remove most of it,  then he sat the seeds in a plastic bottle with a little water on top of the radiator for a couple of weeks, then he planted them in Sand / Soil.

We now have a plant each, Dad keeps his in the concervatory as it is about 4 feet tall and i keep mine in the kitchen as it is only around 18 inch.   No flowers as yet!

Had a quick look and they seem to have your answer finebushpeople.co.za

 ;D ;D Thank you all for your help especialy pamsdish i have just been on their website, i paid £5 for 6 seeds in madeira and was happy.Once again thank you all. :) :)

I lived in South Africa for 20 years and there was a protea forest at the end of our street. Think protea seeds need to go through a bush fire to germinate....... don't know the Brit equivalent of a bushfire;-)

Gen in Northumberland

Just spotted this thread...  :o

I've got a bit of experience in germinating birds of paradise... though my experience has varied from up to down at times!

http://www.moonbells.com/strelitzia/strelitzia.html

moonbells

I was told to simulate fire (this was for an Australian plant) by sowing in a seed tray them laying a piece of newspaper over the tray and setting fire to it. Haven't yet tried it. Presumably, most of the heat will go upwards but there will be some heat and the ash drops into the tray and that should stimulate germination.

However the Protea seeds that I have apparently aren't the type that need fire but another type requiring a sequence of warmth and cold - which explains why they are still in the packet!

you can purchase 'smoke' papers which you soak in water before soaking the seeds, this aids germination of some species, which prefer to grow after a fire. ;) 

I got my smoke primers from here: they also sell seed at a fraction of the cost of getting a packet from the garden centre here!
   

http://finebushpeople.co.za/farmstore/catalog/accessorystore.htm


moonbells

Quotedon't know the Brit equivalent of a bushfire

Genlistlass... it's called swealing.. burning off rough grass moorland... frowned upon now but once widely practiced, hence the dialect word for it...  :)

Swaling's OK if it's done properly, while the ground under the grass is damp. That way you burn off old, dead grass, scorch off any trees or bushes starting to grow through it, and maintain rough pasture or young heather in a good state. Trouble is, people these days often burn when the ground's dry, and it gets out of control.