Author Topic: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry  (Read 14222 times)

zephian

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #25 on: September 09, 2018, 03:01:03 PM »
Probably hard to see but I've been trying to get this to germinate for a while now... friday moved it to a window that gets full sun in the mornings instead of a window in my house that is tinted...and Bam! Germination!


You couldn't get them to germinate, now your gonna have 10,000 :)
Hopefully I have success with the yellow too....then I won't mind 10,000. :D
-Kris

pineislander

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #26 on: September 09, 2018, 05:24:53 PM »
Have you ever actually eaten the fruit? If I had a tropical greenhouse this space hog wouldn't be my first choice. They get big anda. fruit is the size of a garden pea Lots of fruit if the tree size is large but handfuls from a small tree.
Fruit size normally is much bigger than pea. More about the size of a penny.
I must admit I only have eaten from one tree which is large but fruits are small. However I just scanned many videos of the fruit other people are getting and the majority are far smaller than the 3/4"(19mm) of a US penny. If you normally get fruit like that Bless your Heart!

shpaz

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #27 on: September 10, 2018, 04:09:20 AM »
Probably hard to see but I've been trying to get this to germinate for a while now... friday moved it to a window that gets full sun in the mornings instead of a window in my house that is tinted...and Bam! Germination!


You couldn't get them to germinate, now your gonna have 10,000 :)
Hopefully I have success with the yellow too....then I won't mind 10,000. :D

Do you think a strong grow light will work as well as sunlight?
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Ethan

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #28 on: September 10, 2018, 02:19:38 PM »
I believe they need light to germinate.

00christian00

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #29 on: September 10, 2018, 02:27:05 PM »
I believe they need light to germinate.
Direct sun or just lots of indirect light?
After they germinate they can stay in the sun or they will sun burn(I doubt,but you never know)?

fruitlovers

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #30 on: September 10, 2018, 05:53:24 PM »
Probably hard to see but I've been trying to get this to germinate for a while now... friday moved it to a window that gets full sun in the mornings instead of a window in my house that is tinted...and Bam! Germination!


You couldn't get them to germinate, now your gonna have 10,000 :)
Hopefully I have success with the yellow too....then I won't mind 10,000. :D

Do you think a strong grow light will work as well as sunlight?
Should work if you put the seeds in close to the light.
Oscar

fruitlovers

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #31 on: September 10, 2018, 05:54:47 PM »
I believe they need light to germinate.
Direct sun or just lots of indirect light?
After they germinate they can stay in the sun or they will sun burn(I doubt,but you never know)?
Direct sun, not indirect light. Will be fine in sun after germinating as long as they don't dry out.
Oscar

shpaz

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #32 on: September 11, 2018, 02:25:34 AM »
Probably hard to see but I've been trying to get this to germinate for a while now... friday moved it to a window that gets full sun in the mornings instead of a window in my house that is tinted...and Bam! Germination!


You couldn't get them to germinate, now your gonna have 10,000 :)
Hopefully I have success with the yellow too....then I won't mind 10,000. :D

Do you think a strong grow light will work as well as sunlight?
Should work if you put the seeds in close to the light.

I'll put them under my 1500 watt grow light then  ;D
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Lory

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #33 on: September 11, 2018, 10:54:44 AM »
I had several of them in my property , they are one of the most invading species i've ever seen, fruit bats eat the fruits and spread seeds everywhere.
They manage to germinate and grow in pure limestone under the scorching equatorial sun.
Their roots are extremely long and can extend horizontally much much wider than canopy, forming a thick net of branched rootlets that can reach any other tree  avidly sucking water and nutrients.
I had several of them removed since they prevented other fruit trees to grow normally.
Some of them had roots longer than 30 meters (100ft).
By the way, any  root portion  exposed to the sun will promptly generate a new tree.
Look at this picture, these trees were born spontaneously from seed and are LESS THAN THREE YEARS OLD.....




Lorenzo

HibachiDrama

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #34 on: September 11, 2018, 12:55:40 PM »
Just an update to my earlier post, I tried dried clean seeds over a year old and also dried fruit over a year old, and none came up on moist potting soil in partial sun. Maybe they precipitated down into the medium as Oscar warned about, or maybe it was lack of sunlight. I'll try again with fresh fruit in the same conditions, when my new tree starts fruiting (the old one died last winter, despite protection...   maybe root rot?).

fruitlovers

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #35 on: September 11, 2018, 05:51:05 PM »
I had several of them in my property , they are one of the most invading species i've ever seen, fruit bats eat the fruits and spread seeds everywhere.
They manage to germinate and grow in pure limestone under the scorching equatorial sun.
Their roots are extremely long and can extend horizontally much much wider than canopy, forming a thick net of branched rootlets that can reach any other tree  avidly sucking water and nutrients.
I had several of them removed since they prevented other fruit trees to grow normally.
Some of them had roots longer than 30 meters (100ft).
By the way, any  root portion  exposed to the sun will promptly generate a new tree.
Look at this picture, these trees were born spontaneously from seed and are LESS THAN THREE YEARS OLD.....




Have had a fruiting tree for about 15 years. I was worried about them becoming invasive here, so kept a close watch on them. It seems the animals here do not spread them. I haven't seen any of the birds eating them. Even my chickens seem to steer clear of the fruits on the ground. No volunteer plants coming up anywhere. They do spread from the roots, and i've had to cut sprouts from roots about 35 feet away from mother plant. So that can become a problem if you do not keep up with pruning them.
Oscar

zephian

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #36 on: September 19, 2018, 05:53:36 PM »
Are these super slow growers when they're freshly germinated or am I just having more issues?
I've had only a dozen or so germinate, and that was about a week ago. They're not any larger than when I first noticed them in my pots.
-Kris

fyliu

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #37 on: September 20, 2018, 12:32:15 AM »
Yes, slow at first. Once they grow a few real leaves they will grow faster.

zephian

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #38 on: September 20, 2018, 10:31:47 AM »
Yes, slow at first. Once they grow a few real leaves they will grow faster.
Awesome, thanks.
-Kris

Bush2Beach

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #39 on: September 20, 2018, 11:45:53 AM »
It could be time for a heat mat already. It would be impressive to overwinter these young babes., they are 24/7 greenhouse plants from November to April here.

zephian

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #40 on: September 20, 2018, 11:52:10 AM »
I'm having better luck putting them outside. I had some on a heatmat inside but nothing happened. My day time temps are still 90-95 in the valley (ugh) if my night time temps drop more though I may put a heating mat on my outside table and see how they do. I plan on bringing plants in and placing them by my sliding glass door once night time temps drop in the 40's.
-Kris

zephian

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #41 on: October 03, 2018, 09:39:52 PM »
They're loving this humid weather! Still no yellows....



-Kris

zephian

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #42 on: October 25, 2018, 09:53:29 PM »
went on vacation and my sister in law watered while I was away... Lost all but a few of my sprouts and they're looking pretty sad...
One yellow .. had about 10. probably down to about 5 reds :(
-Kris

00christian00

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #43 on: October 26, 2018, 01:28:24 AM »
went on vacation and my sister in law watered while I was away... Lost all but a few of my sprouts and they're looking pretty sad...
One yellow .. had about 10. probably down to about 5 reds :(
I had tons germinate too and a huge mortality.
The only one who look healthy are the one completely sealed and in a rigid container.
Every form of stress kill them temp change, a little breeze, moving the soil, etc.
Try to cover them with kitchen plastic wrap tightly and open them every day for a second without moving them and seal again. The temperature should always stay high.

Heinrich

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #44 on: July 10, 2019, 04:12:44 AM »
Yellow and red Muntingia calabura. Seeds from achetadomestica. Fruits were packed in wet vermiculite. At arrival on my place, the pulp, seeds and vermiculite were a somehow slimy mass. This mass was spread evenly on top of seeding trays, filled with peat. The seeding trays were well watered, bagged and put on a warm place with indirect sunlight. After a week, the trays were taken out of the bag and put in full sun, for 4 days. The peat was kept wet and watered twice a day. Thereafter, the trays were taken out of the sun and bagged again. Seeds germinated a few days later.

After taken this picture, I have potted 50 seedlings. For me, that’s more than enough. However, with colder temperatures in autumn and winter, a high mortality may be expected.

Mike, thank you for the seeds. I appreciate very much, your help and your advice.




00christian00

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #45 on: July 10, 2019, 05:31:53 AM »
Yellow and red Muntingia calabura. Seeds from achetadomestica. Fruits were packed in wet vermiculite. At arrival on my place, the pulp, seeds and vermiculite were a somehow slimy mass. This mass was spread evenly on top of seeding trays, filled with peat. The seeding trays were well watered, bagged and put on a warm place with indirect sunlight. After a week, the trays were taken out of the bag and put in full sun, for 4 days. The peat was kept wet and watered twice a day. Thereafter, the trays were taken out of the sun and bagged again. Seeds germinated a few days later.

After taken this picture, I have potted 50 seedlings. For me, that’s more than enough. However, with colder temperatures in autumn and winter, a high mortality may be expected.

Mike, thank you for the seeds. I appreciate very much, your help and your advice.



How long to reach that stage?
Mine from last year never passed 1mm, some are still alive but same height.
The batch from this year slightly better, around 2mm(only a few) in 2 months ....
In case I can't get even this batch to grow, would you sell me a yellow muntingia seedling next year?

achetadomestica

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #46 on: July 10, 2019, 01:02:22 PM »
Yellow and red Muntingia calabura. Seeds from achetadomestica. Fruits were packed in wet vermiculite. At arrival on my place, the pulp, seeds and vermiculite were a somehow slimy mass. This mass was spread evenly on top of seeding trays, filled with peat. The seeding trays were well watered, bagged and put on a warm place with indirect sunlight. After a week, the trays were taken out of the bag and put in full sun, for 4 days. The peat was kept wet and watered twice a day. Thereafter, the trays were taken out of the sun and bagged again. Seeds germinated a few days later.

After taken this picture, I have potted 50 seedlings. For me, that’s more than enough. However, with colder temperatures in autumn and winter, a high mortality may be expected.

Mike, thank you for the seeds. I appreciate very much, your help and your advice.



How long to reach that stage?
Mine from last year never passed 1mm, some are still alive but same height.
The batch from this year slightly better, around 2mm(only a few) in 2 months ....
In case I can't get even this batch to grow, would you sell me a yellow muntingia seedling next year?
I would consider cutting a 2 liter bottle's bottom out and cover a seedling and create a humidity dome.
Keep the soil moist and the 2 liter bottle should have water dripping inside.  I know some people in CA
that have the same difficulty with Muntingia. I think it is a humidity issue?

Heinrich

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #47 on: July 10, 2019, 02:54:35 PM »
Yellow and red Muntingia calabura. Seeds from achetadomestica. Fruits were packed in wet vermiculite. At arrival on my place, the pulp, seeds and vermiculite were a somehow slimy mass. This mass was spread evenly on top of seeding trays, filled with peat. The seeding trays were well watered, bagged and put on a warm place with indirect sunlight. After a week, the trays were taken out of the bag and put in full sun, for 4 days. The peat was kept wet and watered twice a day. Thereafter, the trays were taken out of the sun and bagged again. Seeds germinated a few days later.

After taken this picture, I have potted 50 seedlings. For me, that’s more than enough. However, with colder temperatures in autumn and winter, a high mortality may be expected.

Mike, thank you for the seeds. I appreciate very much, your help and your advice.



How long to reach that stage?
Mine from last year never passed 1mm, some are still alive but same height.
The batch from this year slightly better, around 2mm(only a few) in 2 months ....
In case I can't get even this batch to grow, would you sell me a yellow muntingia seedling next year?


The seedlings are 4 weeks old. If I still have some after the winter, we can trade.

00christian00

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #48 on: August 26, 2019, 10:06:47 AM »
Yellow and red Muntingia calabura. Seeds from achetadomestica. Fruits were packed in wet vermiculite. At arrival on my place, the pulp, seeds and vermiculite were a somehow slimy mass. This mass was spread evenly on top of seeding trays, filled with peat. The seeding trays were well watered, bagged and put on a warm place with indirect sunlight. After a week, the trays were taken out of the bag and put in full sun, for 4 days. The peat was kept wet and watered twice a day. Thereafter, the trays were taken out of the sun and bagged again. Seeds germinated a few days later.

After taken this picture, I have potted 50 seedlings. For me, that’s more than enough. However, with colder temperatures in autumn and winter, a high mortality may be expected.

Mike, thank you for the seeds. I appreciate very much, your help and your advice.



How long to reach that stage?
Mine from last year never passed 1mm, some are still alive but same height.
The batch from this year slightly better, around 2mm(only a few) in 2 months ....
In case I can't get even this batch to grow, would you sell me a yellow muntingia seedling next year?
I would consider cutting a 2 liter bottle's bottom out and cover a seedling and create a humidity dome.
Keep the soil moist and the 2 liter bottle should have water dripping inside.  I know some people in CA
that have the same difficulty with Muntingia. I think it is a humidity issue?

Definitively an humidity issue.
I went on vacation and since I have many seedling in the greenshouse using drip irrigation would have been too difficult so I bought some nebulizers and a programmer.
When I came back they were double the size, and the greenhouse was a sauna :D
Many seeds that hadn't germinated yet( the other germinated 2 months ago) did germinate.
I also noticed previously that they like to stay waterlogged, I put the pots in some plastic container always filled and they were already much better.
This also explain why my previous tree last year did grow much better, I was watering thoroughly with a hose every day while this year the programmer is more conservative because I spent a fortune in water.

By the way, is the red stem a feature of the yellow variant or it's just because it's young?
« Last Edit: August 26, 2019, 10:08:39 AM by 00christian00 »

HibachiDrama

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Re: Germinating Muntingia calabura / Jamaican Cherry
« Reply #49 on: January 19, 2021, 02:18:39 PM »
Just a heads up for anyone attempting to germinate these, I noticed a huge germination difference between 74F and 80F. I had almost no germination for 1.5 months at 75F, but after month at 80F, almost every cell has seedlings growing.

Also, I found this link with interesting info on lab propagation: https://www.granthaalayahpublication.org/journals-html-galley/32_IJRG20_B05_3395.html

I've had 0 luck with cuttings, is there a trick to them?