Cider Gum seedling and successful germination of other tree seeds

With considerable skepticism I announce the germination of a Eucalyptus genii and that we have a cider gum seedling!

If I’m right, and I am Never Wrong, we have successfully germinated a Cider Gum (Eucalyptus genii) seed and raised a Cider Gum seedling.

The trick to germinating them is in making the seeds experience their own private little winter, and when winter’s finished, they germinate for spring. You trick them into breaking dormancy by putting them in the fridge for a few weeks.

Some difficult types need two such ‘fridge winters’ before they will break dormancy and germinate.

I had not even the tiniest bit of confidence that any of the seeds would actually fall for me simply chilling them down. In a moment of weakness I put them in the freezer for a ‘few hours’ at minus 30.

Maybe three weeks later someone else found them – and they are germinating now.

More complete instruction on the stratification of tree seeds here it’s not complicated, if the instructions are followed it’s reliable – your biggest enemy is rot; mold and fungus. No particular solution, just keep your hands clean and use compost from a retailer.

I’m using these conifer seeds and these hardy trees and shrubs, and was fascinated to learn that Sequoia, some of the largest trees on earth, have tiny seeds the size of poppy seeds – such a massive tree from such a small seed!

The seeds I’m germinating might just include a massive species, there’s no way to tell from the seed. Incidentally, some of the seeds were as large as an almond. In fact they looked exactly like an almond. It could have been an almond. *mindblown

My son’s brought some conkers home and put them in the fridge! We’ll warm them up as soon as this batch has been transplanted to bigger pots.

One seedling I’m a little suspicious of is this one. I planted a Eucalyptus gunnii (Cider Gum) and this came up. Is it a Cider gum seedling?

Are you a real Eucalyptus seedling, or am I nursing a weed?

 

Time will tell if it’s a cider gum seedling, I can find images that look similar – fingers crossed!

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