How To Grow Your Own Christmas Trees From Seed

RSS

Growing Pinus Radiata 'Monetary Pine' from seed

 

Congratulations on purchasing a 
"Grow Your Own, Christmas Tree Starter Kit''.

The most common Christmas tree grown in Australia and New Zealand that can grow to three meters tall in 2 years.
Possessing a mild and pleasant scent and long, soft needles, the Radiata pine is the most well known Christmas tree variety in Australia.

 

How to use to use the Jiffy Pods provided 

 

Made of coir, or coconut hull fibers, Jiffy Pods are primarily used for starting seeds indoors. Because they are biodegradable and the entire pod can be transplanted into the garden or larger pots, Jiffy Pods are very useful for starting from seed plants that do not transplant easily or well. Rather than remove the plant from its nursery pot, it can be planted while still in its Jiffy Pod. The roots quickly grow through the pod in search of moisture and nutrients, and eventually the pod itself will decompose, causing no distress to your seedlings.

 Step 1

Place your Jiffy Pods into a bowl of water. After 10 minutes you will notice them swell to 7x their starting size.  

Step 2

Sow your seeds into each Jiffy Pod, following the directions in the "general planting advice" below. 

Step 3

Set your Jiffy Pods in a saucer or shallow dish and move to an appropriate location for germination, as recommended by general planting advice. We recommend a sunny position or heating pad. As the seeds germinate, the plants can be watered by pouring water into your dish, or they can be watered from above with a watering can. Generally speaking, Jiffy Pods dry out faster than plastic or clay starter pots and will most likely require watering every few days.

Step 4

Transplant the plants into the garden or larger garden pots, without removing them from the Jiffy-Pots, at the appropriate time for both the plants and your climate. When transplanting, ensure that the entire pot is buried beneath the ground. If any portion of it is above the soil, it will wick water away from the roots of the plant, which will be unhealthy for your seedling.

Pinus Radiata General Planting Advice 


Seed Starting Method Seeds must be cold stratified to mimic what occurs in nature.

It is best to raise seedlings and plant them out vs planting directly into the ground. 
Sowing Depth 4-5mm
Growing Season Spring / Summer but will germinate year around in sheltered & warm conditions 
Germination Time 14-28 days (sometimes longer - don't give up!)
Hardiness Hardy
Plant Spacing  N/A
Plant Height
Planting Position Partial or full sun
Days Until Maturity  Plant out into larger pots when seedling show signs of good root development.
Growing tips

Soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours before placing in the freezer for around 3 weeks. This is called cold stratification & helps to with quicker germination when the seeds hits warm potting mix.

What does it mean to stratify seeds?

In horticulture, stratification is a process of treating seeds to simulate natural conditions that the seeds must experience before germination can occur.

Many seed species have an embryonic dormancy phase, and generally will not sprout until this dormancy is broken.

We recommend placing your seeds in some damp potting mix, or wrapping in damp paper towel, in the freezer or fridge.

Do not be too hasty to discard seeds that have not yet germinated, seeds will often lay dormant (in hibernation almost) until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination and sprouting to occur. Containers placed to one side & forgotten about will often surprise long after they were discarded.

 

 

Previous Post Next Post

  • D&H Seed Harvest Co
Comments 0
Leave a comment
Your Name:*
Email Address:*
Message: *

Please note: comments must be approved before they are published.

* Required Fields