hsaintandre
Seedling
The silk floss tree is a common species in my homeland, Argentina. It reminds me of my childhood when my friends and I used to challenge each other to climb them despite their prickles. During my last visit, I saw them in full bloom, and they were so beautiful that I decided to honor my roots and give it a try.
Back in France, where I now live, I couldn’t find any stock material, but I did find seeds. They were relatively expensive since they are considered 'exotic,' so I ordered just 5g, which gave me about 25 seeds
They don’t require stratification, and I was too excited to wait for the outdoor temperatures to rise (February 1st), so I started half of them indoors. I placed the seeds in small containers (250–400 ml) with a mix of blonde peat and pozzolan in a room at 20°C.
Ten days later, the first tip emerged, and by the third week, all the seeds had germinated.
The first set of leaves looked nothing like the adult ones. I had to wait until the third set to see the typical 5 to 7 leaflet leaves
It’s been 7 weeks since sowing and I have 12 cute seedlings.
They are known for having a strong apical dominance and being hard to branch, so I wonder which styles would suit them best. I’ve seen some beautiful large specimens, but I feel they could also make interesting mame or small shohin.
I’ll be posting their progress in this thread periodically.
If you have experience with this species, I’d love to hear your insights!
Back in France, where I now live, I couldn’t find any stock material, but I did find seeds. They were relatively expensive since they are considered 'exotic,' so I ordered just 5g, which gave me about 25 seeds
They don’t require stratification, and I was too excited to wait for the outdoor temperatures to rise (February 1st), so I started half of them indoors. I placed the seeds in small containers (250–400 ml) with a mix of blonde peat and pozzolan in a room at 20°C.
Ten days later, the first tip emerged, and by the third week, all the seeds had germinated.
The first set of leaves looked nothing like the adult ones. I had to wait until the third set to see the typical 5 to 7 leaflet leaves
It’s been 7 weeks since sowing and I have 12 cute seedlings.
They are known for having a strong apical dominance and being hard to branch, so I wonder which styles would suit them best. I’ve seen some beautiful large specimens, but I feel they could also make interesting mame or small shohin.
I’ll be posting their progress in this thread periodically.
If you have experience with this species, I’d love to hear your insights!
