This is how it works step by step:
1. Chill the seeds.Place the seed packet in the refrigerator and leave the seeds there for two months. This is called stratification and helps bring the seeds out of dormancy and promote germination.
Stratification replicates the dormancy period that occurs over the winter, allowing seeds to come back to life and germinate when removed from the refrigerator.
2. Plant the seeds in late winter.Eucalyptus seeds should be sown in pots indoors a few weeks before the last expected frost. Sowing should take place in mid-February.
3. Ffill the peat pots with potting soil.Use a porous potting mix that contains plenty of perlite for good drainage. It is also important to use peat pots that can be transplanted with the seedlings, as eucalyptus does not respond well to transplanting.
4. Plant the seeds.Scatter a few seeds onto the potting soil in each peat pot. Cover each pot with a light sprinkling of horticultural sand. This keeps the seeds in place and warm and moist while they germinate.
5. Mist the seeds regularly.Once you've covered the seeds with sand, spray them with water to help them settle into the soil. While the seeds are germinating, mist the soil every day or two to keep the growing medium evenly moist.
6. Keep the seeds warm.Place the pots in a warm place, e.g. B. in a heated greenhouse or on the top of the refrigerator. You can also place the pots on a heating pad to keep them warm during germination.
7. Cut off the weakest seedlings.Because you planted multiple seeds in each pot, more than one seedling may sprout. Inspect each pot and look for the largest, thickest, and healthiest seedling. Use sterilized scissors to cut off any weaker seedlings to ground level.
8. Replant the seedlings.Try to transplant the seedlings in mid-summer. By then the seedlings will have had enough time to establish themselves. The warmer temperatures this time of year are also ideal for moving eucalyptus outside.
