5 per trade, great bonsai specimen. Easy to germinate and care for.
Please D-mail if interested =)
This message was edited Dec 16, 2008 10:40 PM
HAVE: Tamarind seeds
Can you tell more about the Tamarind? If you'd be interested I have some Mimosa seeds that we could swap. I am in the Mid-Hudson Valley of NY
well Tamarind leaves kinda look like mimosa leaves. They usually have long brown pods and their meats are used for dishes in SE asia and India. They sprout within 3-10 days, if given warmth, sunlight and a bit of moisture. You don't have to do cold/hot treatment, use primers etc etc. to break their dormancy. They don't do well with frost, so if you're making this into a bonsai specimen, overwinter them inside.
They don't require as much attention as orchids really, as I've written before to another DG memeber,
"As for the tamarind seeds, yes they're easy to grow. When I was living in Asia, tamarind candies were popular with children and then we would just leave them there. I'm so amused by plants/seedlings sprouting everytime I get these candies I just plant them in whatever pots I could find..within a couple of days you have tamarind seedlings! They also grew in between cracks of cement, as they are pretty hardy at that climate zone. They also grow here during the summer months in Canada. One seed got planted for some reason and they're just happy where ever you put them. I've been trying to bonsai them (I've seen them done bonsaid about 3-4 feet tall) since 2 years ago but my dogs keep eating them/knocking them down.
So just plant it in a pot/container, don't need any special procedures unlike maples (don't need to stratify, scarify, no cold/hot treatment etc.) and just make sure they have sun and keep the soil moist. These seeds are not from candies btw, they're heirloom from my aunt's garden/farm (she has lots of trees/plants back home).
If you're planning to plant them out, just plant them in a bigger pot, then when they get big enough, plant them outside (you've got to be careful though, they develop tap roots pretty quickly). I'll show you mine when mine has sprouted.
Another method you can try is putting the seeds in a plastic container with a damp/moist paper towel. Put the seeds in the container and cover with plastic wrap and let them sit out in the sun. I usually do this method for jackfruits, mangoes, limes....the not so easy ones for me to germinate due to weather limitations....Here's a picture of my "mock greenhouse" with jackfruit seeds in them (see pic at the bottom).
If these methods do not work for you, I'll gladly send you some more seeds. Don't hesitate to ask any questions ok? I'll try my best to help you out"
same too, if you want to try these seeds out, I'll send them out to you =D. As for your zoning, it's okay to have the plant potted in a container and leave it outside for summer (btw, you can start these seeds indoors with bright, indirect light...I just put them by my window sill usually). But don't leave it out for the winter. We have almost the same zone (mine's 6a CAD zone, which roughly is similar to your 5 US zone I think). In the winter, they need bright light, or you can put them under indirect light, just like most tropical plants (afircan violets, anthuriums etc.). Wouldn't recommend you grow these plants outside like magnolia trees, evergreeens etc. They'll die quickly. I just use them for bonsai. =)
and certainly we can trade. Let me know if you find something else interesting on my tradelist and I'll send them with the tamarind seeds.
This message was edited Aug 8, 2008 8:31 AM
I would LOVE to try them for bonsai! They sound pretty easy to start...how long do you train them before you go to bonsai? Or do you simply start them from seedlings in a bonsai dish? We are in Zone 5, so they would be indoors for sure. I just moved here, so don't have many seeds for trade, some mimosa, some Morning Glory President Tyler, that's about it right now, but hope to have more as season progresses. I also have tons of tiny red maple seedlings that could be used for bonsai or transplanted outdoors for dynamite shade trees.
evr, have you any picture of those exotic tropical fruit trees to share? I'd love to see how those Jackfruit pit turned out. A pix of a Tamarind seedling is also appreciated. I recently tried my hand on Avocado pit, now I've two healthy seedlings about 1.5 feet tall, but their leaves are much too large for bonsai specimens.
Kim
p.s. I've recently acquired some Durian fruits, and seeds, I was wondering if it's worthwhile trying them as ornamental, since our winter here maybe too cold for them as well.
Hi Kim,
I will take a picture of my jackfruit seedlings. they are doing very well despite the lack of sunshine during our winters up here. unfortunately for my tamarind seedling, it took a tumble (this often happens...I think it's because I know I can get an unlimited amount of seeds), but I'll start one seed up so I can take a picture of it. Tamarind seeds store very well compared to that of jackfruits and durian seeds. I have not tried sprouting durian seeds though, but same thing applies to them: have to sow them fresh...fresher the more likely they'll sprout. They look similar to jackfruit seeds =).
Would you also like some of the tamarind seeds Kim?
Eliz
Eliz, I've the tammarind seeds, thank you for your offer. Do I need to scarify the tammarind seed to aid germination? Thanks.
Kim
nope no need for scarification and soaking, just keep them warm and cozy =). they don't need alot of care and attention to germinate unlike the jackfruits
This message was edited Dec 21, 2008 10:57 PM
Thanks Eliz, I've all those three types of seeds, Durians, Jackfruit and Tammarind. I'll try to germinate the tammarind with a heat mat this time of year. Could you kindly give some pointers on the other seeds, how to germinate them?
I've a 3 year old Japanese Pagoda from seed. It's hardy here, and the leaves are somewhat similiar to the Tammarind, it's now 6-7 feet tall.