Propagating Ficus burtt-davyi seeds

[Nolliesk816]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has had any luck propagating Ficus burtt-davyi seeds in large quantity? Got a whole bunch of seeds, not even sure if they’re ripe or not. From other ficus I’ve seen you don’t need to stratify, but I guess I’m more worried about if they’re ripe enough to grow. They look pretty small.

 

[Gabler]

Were they pollinated by wasps?

 

[Nolliesk816]

Definitely not sure.. all I do know is they’re from a tree in the ground somewhere in Laguna Hills, Ca. They were cut down a few days ago. Gonna use the cuttings for sure but I’m just curious of the seedling possibilities.

 

[Shibui]

Not familiar with F. Burtt-davyii but other Ficus I know change colour when ripe. My guess is those figs are not fully mature but that's not always a problem. Many seeds are viable well before the fruit is fully mature and can germinate though immature seed typically won't store. That won't affect Ficus seed because it does not last long in storage anyway.
Ficus seed should be sown within a few months of harvest. For best results sow straight out of the fruit.
I was told that Ficus seed needs light to germinate so I don't cover seed like you would for most species.
Ficus seed is very small and difficult to pick from the flesh, etc inside the fruit and nobody knows if there were fig wasps around to pollinate the fruits. My approach is to sow everything and cross fingers. If there's viable seed you'll almost certainly get seedlings. If no viable seed you've only lost a bit of time and a pot of soil.

I typically squash the fruit add smear the pulp and seeds over the surface of the potting soil, water in, then keep warm until germination.

 

[Nolliesk816]

Yeah I only know the habits of other Ficus I’ve seen publicly like microcarpa, benjamina, rubiginosa, haha. But I do remember seeing a yellow fruit or two on a benjamina I think, but I know very little of this special one. Super excited. Thank you. Yeah I’m going to have some work on my hands with this as there is a LOT of seed. I hope I can find some variability with these numbers.
The person who owns this tree was a big source of burtt-davyi for the SoCal bonsai area, and she’s getting up there in age so I wanna help take care of them and learn what I can.

Thanks again!