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| Awhile back I bought some packets of Protea repens seed when on holliday ,I am a complete novice to Proteas besides "caffra" my favorite.I know proteas are quite difficult and smoke is involved.So I sat on them for 2years,but now I am quite ready to try.
Firstly has any-one any idea of the best soil mix for seedlings,and what season is the best for starting the whole thing in motion,I know the cape gets rain in winter etc but repens does well in isolated spots in Natal with summer rain so this might be less important.Also they have these thread like roots so wonder what to use for fertilizer perhapse wood ash?The other questions is has any-one got an easy way to home-make the smoke water. I was thinking of using the thick honey like layer from my mosquito coil covers but decided the chemicals might not agree. Any help gladly recieved
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by Conroe_Joe 8b (My Page) on Sat, Nov 1, 03 at 16:25
| Hi, Fine Bush People has a nice bit of information on germinating Protea seeds. I germinated some P. repens last winter in a soil mix that was about 50% typical potted plant soil, 25% coarse sand, and 25% perlite. I soaked them overnight in a "smoke disk" solution, I don't know if it was needed or not. I germinated them in December and January. Night temperatuers got down to 30 F or 40 F and that was fine. But, if it seemed like it would be colder than 30 F, I brought the seed pots indoors till temerpatures moderated. I'm not sure, but I think most Protea species need a clear difference between day and night temperatures, 25 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit. There is another article on Growing Proteas from Seeds at the Protea Atlas Project. Good luck. I got some germiantion, but I sure had trouble keeping the plants alive in Houston area. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I learned about this interesting plant group. Cordially, LINK: Protea Atlas LINK: Fine Bush People, home |
Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Bush People, Seed Article
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