Thursday 1 June 2023

Growing trees - Teloxys aristata (Seafoam) part 1

 I've seen Seafoam used for model trees and have always fancied using some to add extra quality to my scenery.  In keeping with my skinflint tendencies, I'd rather grow my own instead of buying the finished product.  I bought a pack of Teloxys aristata seeds last year from Chiltern's Seeds for £2.25 (along with some cherry tomatoes and some "Black Nebula" carrots), and I'm happy to invest the time in rearing these over the next few months.  A box of the fully grown sea foam would be between £15 and £15, and this should give me 10 times the amount.  I'm not likely to get a chance to use it for several months anyway, so the growing time won't be an issue.

As well as the seeds, I need a few other bits to start: seed trays and fine compost.

Compost (with scoop) and seed trays.

The seeds are tiny.  Don't sneeze whilst handling these - though with approximately 640 per packet, you can afford to lose a few.

Tiny seeds.  Gosh my hands look wrinkly.

I crumbled an inch or so of the fine compost into the trays and sprinkled the seeds thinly over the surface.  These propagators will provide a warm and cosy environment to encourage the seeds to germinate, especially as they'll be tucked away in the greenhouse too.

Propagators ready.

The last thing to do was ensure they are regularly watered, though not too much.  The water here is brown - that's not any special plant food, it's just from the bottom of our water butt, so rather cloudy.

A little drink for the plants.

The seeds were planted on 1st May and should be ready to harvest by late September.

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