Hardy Tropicals UK

Hi all, any one grow Cordyline from seed? If so how did you get on? Any tips.

Very easy to do Jas.
Round about mid- May just pick the seeds out from the ripe berries, and sow in pots of multi-purpose or seed compost, lightly coverering the seeds place outside in a sheltered corner, and gently water them.
After a few weeks you'll get tiny little Cordyline growing, looking like blades of grass coming through.

One of last years flowering stems should yield enough berries for an entire forest of them, they're that easy.

I picked some seeds before ours keeled over in winter 2010 - 2011. I'm glad I did, we now have babies! Very easy, just do as Nigel says One thing I noticed, when they're really young, they don't like too much wind so you might want to put them in a more sheltered place for a while

Ness

Thank you all.

I found a useful way of removing most the hard shells of seeds like cordyline or at least weakening it to allow the elements into the seeds themselves.

Place the seeds on a hard flat surface and use another implement with a hard flat surface on top of them, press firmly whilst moving in a circular motion.

I used a thin, stiff white plastic chopping board bought in a 3 pack from Asda for about a £2.00. Put the biggest board on the bottom, use a smaller one on top to crush the seed cases with the 'pressure and circular movement' combo.

Obviously you have to gauge the correct amount of pressure for each seed type. This technique works really well with palm seeds that have a thin crunchy outer shell.

The seeds have to by dry too, otherwise it doesn't work. It's also really satisfying for some reason...

What size should they be by the end of the growing season?

Just throw them on the ground, seedlings pop up all over the garden here.

Adrian wrote:Just throw them on the ground, seedlings pop up all over the garden here.

Thanks,

Easy from seed, but check your sources if you are trying things like Indivisa. There can be a lot of contamination with Australis and you may finish up with a mix.