Hardy Tropicals UK

Hello everyone
i am hoping to benefit from all your experience on here as i know there are some protea experts, I have a safari sunset which i planted about 4 years ago and is 6 foot high and doing really well but what i want to do is take cuttings or seeds and grow a load more from this plant , also expand onto other proteas, i have googled for this info and tried about 10 odd cuttings so far all died though the next lot i will try using hormone dip, but was wondering if any one had real experience doing this in this country
cheers for any info

hi degs
I do not currently grow any proteas but hope to in the near future.
I know trewidden nurseries have a good selection as do trevenna cross

Welcome, Degs

You might also be a fan of South African rugby/cricket

I've tried protea from seed and have never got very far. Managed to keep an established plant for a couple of winters and then 2010 hit!

Welcome

Welcome. I've found the germination is easy with wood ash in water, it's the growing on that I struggle with. Low light levels and all that

Welcome degs

I have not grown them but from what others are saying it might be similar to Mannihot, where the failures were caused by sowing too early. As I said I have no experience but would suggest a mid spring sowing so they have summer to get through their seedling stage.

This website is in Tasmania and suggests they like perfect drainage and impoverished soil. It says put cuttings in river sand which is a gritty sharp sand, with NO fertiliser, as that can cause rotting.

I have had several Proteas and tried to grow from seed.
Seed is a non starter, have managed germination, kept the seedlings going for quite a while but none to a successful outcome. Gave up on that.
Plants, I have bought several over the years and have just one left, a Cynaroides.
Its now survived its second winter in my care and I hope it will flower for me again this year.
I think the clue is poor acidic soil, zero tolerance of phosphates so no feeding, they are rumoured to be hardy but my survivor is in the conservatory kept very cool and half starved all winter. I'll give it some rainwater soon and see what happens.

Giving me confidence to try again... but I'll only buy plants.

cheers everyone
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cal i think one of those places is where i got my safari sunset from but will be checking them out again soon
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GREVILLE no posting.php?mode=reply&f=34&t=21927# but might think about it after our lot, i was lucky with mine it was out that winter but kept it under blanket every night and loads of pine needles around base still thought i was going to loose it though
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flounder yes i heard that as well something to do with bush fires, i will try that ,not sure what i can do about the light issue though
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Dave Brown thanks for that link,
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steph thats quite disheartening probably going to be near impossible to take seeds from my cones and grow them, still i am going to try but whether its seed or cuttings the main aim is to reproduce the plant i have, as they can just drop dead after 6 or 7 years
good luck with the Cynaroide

A friend of mine has Protea growing in window boxes in Cheltenham. They were grown by seed - fresh form Durban. He never waters them and I think neglects them. I will ask what he did to germinate/grow them/stop them from dieing. I got the impression that it was easy as he was surprised we did not grow them more in the UK.

Sounds an ideal scenario, sheltered environment, no feeding, no tap water and only rain if they are lucky.
Do they ever flower?