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Old 30-09-2006, 07:43 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Farm1 Farm1 is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 735
Default Eucalyptus ficifolia seeds

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
"Sacha" wrote in message


So - having brought 4 or 5 home, has anyone experience of sowing

these,
time
of germination, general preferences etc? For those who haven't

seen them,
they're extraordinarily large - one description has them as the

bowl of a
small pipe!


I thought eucalypt seed was fine and dust like inside the

containers?
Normally it will disperse after fires but if you crush the seed to

get it
out


The easiest way to do this is to put it in a paper bag and put it in a
closed car on a hot day. The seed pods will crack and scatter the
seed into the bag. I've always used this method but sometimes by
mistake. I found an interesting tree with amazing seed heads in the
middle of the most God forsaken plain in inland NSW and dropped one of
the heads onto the vinyl that sits around the gear stick of our farm
truck. Now I've got to figure out hos to get up teh seeds that have
fallen out into the folds of vinyl.

I have now given up as although I get them to germinate and
grow, the wind soon has them over. I think they are great trees as

the shade
is light and the smell is wonderful (and said to deter mossies!)


Make sure you never give them any phosphate. Aus is deficient in
phosphate.