Protea Species, Broad-Leaved Protea, Duchess Protea, Ray-Flowered Protea

Seeds can be germinated by soaking them in grinded charcoal or smoking them in a bucket ( don't go above 30 C ). If they haven't germinat...Read Moreed make smoking water by powdering ash ( from burned paper ), strain it ( or filter) and mist over the seeds. You always need to soak the seeds for 2 days miminal , to enhance germination you can add some hydrogen peroxide ( 1 % )

Seeds need low temperatures for 10 or 12 hours around 10C or 12C and followed up by 10 or 12 hours of warm temperatures around 25C or 28C ( never go above 30C ). Putting them in the fridge also works if you have enough space ( don't put them in the far back where it freezes ). Fridge method is ideal in late spring , summer and early autumn. Seeds germinate better with light. Never cover the seeds because protea need oxygen to germinate.

When you sow them always spray them with some sulfur or any other fungicide but don't go overboard with them. Too much sulfur or copper can easily harm seedlings when they germinate ( i prefer sulfur ) . Ventilating is very important, remove the cover when you submit them seeds to lower temperatures. Make sure the soil never dries out but isn't soggy either. Once they get established they can take quite high temperatures and are very drought tolerant.

Soil mix should be a mix of leca, sand, coccopeat, coccofiber ( from husks ), small amount of charcoal ( 5 % is sufficient ), pumice or anything that is similar to pumice and some non-clumping cat litter ( non-dissolvable clay ) and above all peat ( chips prefered ). If you cannot make your own mix just use plain pre-made cactus soil and add some leca or grit. Soil needs suck up water, trap oxygen but also needs enough drainage.

You cannot transplant seedlings so you either grow them in disposable plastic pots which you cut open when repotting OR even better use peat pots made of pressed peat

Ventilate every 3 days, i prefer to ventilate daily ( even when the seeds haven't germinate yet) because seeds attract molds easily. Even seedlings need ventilation, if you don't chances are they will get fungus on them ( especially mildew ) . Seedlings need filtered sunlight however in winter they can be grown in full sun ( indoors or outdoors in greenhouse ). Spring sunlight will easily kill your seedlings and damage is only visible some time after exposure ( few days ). In summer give seedlings shade. 3 year old seedlings can usually tolerate full sun, some species at 2 years of age but be sure you gradually expose them. Another way is to make extra holes in shade cloths

Never water from above , never create movement in soil ( this is why i use some bigger particles and coccofibers ). Once you disturb the roots they die, this is also the case for germinated seeds. Just Mist them from a good distance until they're wet. It's better to water them from below and if you have enough sand and peat in the mix they will suck up moisture ( capillary action ).

What you should NEVER DO is using ANY FERTILIZER. Nitrogen and phosporus easily kills protea ( will kill them in one dosage applied) matter in fact almost all protea are phosporus intolerant. always use organic fertilizer. It's also important when plants get older to flush them with some distilled water to flush out any salts or calcium deposits. Only do this when your tap water is hard, rainwater etc poses no problem. P.Eximia is pretty tolerant and can tolerate both acidic and alkaline soils, they just do better in neutral or acidic soils. Protea tend to lean to cacti side regarding care ( never overfeed , overwater etc etc )

When seedlings get a bit older stop misting them and let the soil dry out before watering again. Remember NEVER water them overhead, even older plants die when you disturb the soil. Always use tray watering method.

In general P.eximia has a higher germination rate than most protea ( about 80 % ) however like other protea you will always kill a few when repotting them ( 30 % to 50 % usually dies ) unless you use peat pots. Some species have about 25 % germination rate like P.grandiceps for example so make sure you use peat pots.

Cold hardiness varies but in general is -6C to -8C , seeds from plants found at high altitudes withstand more cold but you have to protect them from winds and cold snaps ( fabric ). In USDA zone 8A they wil survive( use fabric against winds), in zone 7B you need to plant them against a wall, mulch and protect them with fabric every winter. Older specimen usually regenerate from the roots after severe freezes but rarely if never flower ( just plant at wall and protect them). If temperatures go above freezing during day they usually do well, what damages/kills them are consistent long term freezes with hard winds

Eximia is one of the prettier protea ( red leaf margins, greyish wax etc ) but hardier species are dracomontana, venusta, cryophila, magnifica, subvestita, pruinosa, recondita ( recondita varies). Venusta and subvestita are proven to be reliable in the UK. Some people have succes with magnifica as well.

Flowering is always a challenge in north european countries like the UK. Therefore it's a good idea to plant them in microclimates. I see no point in pushing them to the limit, just spoil them with the right location. You have to amend soil before planting them. Use wood chips, charcoal, peat, leca, coccopeat, coccofiber etc. Just make sure you have drainage. If you want to mulch them use coccofiber or anything that doesn't break down fast. You can also use Leca ( clay pellets ) as mulch.

Container grown plants are quite difficult to keep because they can get very large. Some will have extensive root systems and the constant repotting is a problem ( easily kills them ). If you want to grow them in containers and bring them indoors for winter grow smaller species like Protea amplexicaulis ( -6C, -7C) Protea nana or Protea sulphurea. Always plant them in a bigger container than needed so you don't need to repot them.

Eximia is one of my favorites, a very ornamental protea and very easy to germinate if you follow the steps i provided. Everyone loves this one.

I have not grown this plant. Duchess protea, ray-flowered protea, broad-leaved protea (Protea eximia, synonym: Protea latifolia) is indi...Read Moregenous to South Africa. It is 3 to 5 m tall and 2 to 3 m wide and has grey-green foliage. A plant that is not thriving and/or die-back is an indication that the soil is too rich. Chlorosis of the leaves may be caused by a magnesium deficiency.