Quandong - germination

[Chrissy Star]

Hi all the green thumbs out there...

I have tried and failed to germinated quandong seeds. The net does not propose this is an easy task - but I am sure if it has been done - it's been down by someone on this site (ie. the fantastic corroboree community has not failed me yet, thank you to all.)

ANY ADVICE PLEASE - on how to germinate the quandong seed ???

[tarenna]

Long-term seed beds are the answer. Elaeocarpus grandis syn. angustifolius seeds can take many months and potentially years to germinate. Pop them in a styrofoam box filled with potting mix and pick them out as they pop up. A pet frugivorous bird (e.g. Cassowary, Wompoo Fruit Dove etc) might accelerate their germination.

Good luck

[Chrissy Star]

Thank you Psychonaut.

A pet frugivorous bird (e.g. Cassowary, Wompoo Fruit Dove etc) might accelerate their germination.

 

Do you mean via passing through their gut, or via their dung?

[tarenna]

Both - i.e. passing through their digestive tract and being defecated and/or into the crop and voided is well-known to increase and accelerate germination rates. For many native rainforest plants the best way to get viable seeds is from droppings or pellets. For example currawong pellets are often chockers with the seeds of native plants - the germination rates from these pellets are much greater than seeds collected from the parent tree. For a number of species there is zero germination of seed collected from the parent tree and 100% germination from seed collected from pellets

I would love some pet frugivorous birds to help to get a lot of native plants going.. Otherwise it is good to look for where currawongs descend to water bodies to drink and find yourself some pellets that are voided by the watering point.

good luck

[dizzyanarchist]

i allways wanted a cassowary i wonder if theyd let me have one in a melbourne garden

[Jox]

^^lol^^

Can you run fast dizzyanarchist

[dizzyanarchist]

yes for a short period of time lol dont think me housemates dog would go to well with it but big claws on them birds look funny but have one over a emu anyday

[dizzyanarchist]

hang on how about dog poo?

[IndianDreaming]

Could you eat it yourself and poo in a pot?

[dizzyanarchist]

i think my poo might be a be a bit to stinky for that to much chilli in the diet might burn the seeds

[Kent]

I had the same trouble for a long time.

Eventually I collected some seeds that had been lying on the forest floor for weeks or months.

The flesh had rotted off them.

I potted them up and covered them with their own depth of mix, soaked the pot and wrapped it right around with Gladwrap.

I think they all germinated fairly close together in a few weeks.

A botanist from the Qld. Herbarium told me that he saw someone at an SGAP meeting with a tray full of seedlings and said that they come up OK.

I disagree.

There are some tall ones at the Southern End of the Fitzroy St. Bridge at Rockhampton, Qld.and a lot of old seed on the ground if anyone's interested.

If the Council geminates them themselves, if you give them a ring they may have some other methods.

Kent.

[Kent]

I vist an old man in Dululu in Central Qld. where I live and birds which the locals call Mountain Currawongs come into the house to pinch the dog food.

I collected their droppings and found 3 types of seeds, 2 numerous and 1 single seed.

I potted them up and 2 species of wattle germinated in a few days.

I suppose they were digesting arils.

Kent.