Anyone grown muntingia calabura from seed?

[Herman]

Does anyone have experience growing muntingia calabura from seed?  I was wondering how long before they germinate.

Thanks!

Herman

[Jsvand5]

I have tried a few times. They sprout in a few days, but mine always have had a problem shriveling up after a week or so. No idea why.

[Fruitguy]

Is there much variability in this fruit?  If not, then it may be easier/quicker to grow them from cuttings or airlayers.

[Tim]

Mine took a couple weeks in a sealed plastic container.  I kept it sealed the entire time to avoid losing any moisture, all the seeds from red fruits germinated -so many I had to pull the majority of them.  But everything sprouted from white fruits shriveled and died within 1-2weeks after germination from within the same container.

[fruitlovers]

Is there much variability in this fruit?  If not, then it may be easier/quicker to grow them from cuttings or airlayers.

Airlayers yes. Cuttings no. They are extremely difficult to start from cuttings. Maybe inside of a mist box with hormones it would be possible? Airlayers much easier. My tree produces lots of suckers, some as much as 35 feet away from mother tree.  But when digging these suckers out and trying to propagate they've always died.  So it's a weedy tree that's not so easy to propagate.
If starting from seed you have to give them lots of sunlight. The seeds will not germinate under shade. Not a single volunteer under the tree, although thousands of fruits fall under it.
Oscar

[Herman]

Thanks everyone for your replies!  I tried googling and can't seem to find this data.

So I currently have the seeds in a seed starter with a grow light above it.  Do you think that this will work or does it require actual sunlight?

Thanks!

Herman

[Fruitguy]

Cuttings no. They are extremely difficult to start from cuttings. Maybe inside of a mist box with hormones it would be possible?

I had a friend that started them from cuttings.  Maybe she got lucky?  I believe she used hormones and a plastic bag over the pot.  She had every cutting take.  Perhaps she was too successful as she was constantly trying to give them away.   No takers.

[fruitlovers]

Thanks everyone for your replies!  I tried googling and can't seem to find this data.

So I currently have the seeds in a seed starter with a grow light above it.  Do you think that this will work or does it require actual sunlight?

Thanks!

Herman

Should work if your lights are very bright, or if not you can shorten distance of light to starter tray. Also make sure to give them 12 hours of light.
Oscar

[Tim]

Sunlight requirement is news to me because all of mine were kept indoor with little to no light from my halogen bulbs, I didn't give them any light thinking they might get burnt.

[fruitlovers]

Sunlight requirement is news to me because all of mine were kept indoor with little to no light from my halogen bulbs, I didn't give them any light thinking they might get burnt.

May be why your white ones died.
Oscar

[Herman]

Sunlight requirement is news to me because all of mine were kept indoor with little to no light from my halogen bulbs, I didn't give them any light thinking they might get burnt.

Thanks!

[Soren]

Oscar, I have had some luck with cuttings - and that is without a rooting hormone, but at other times it did not work out at all. Shade, temperature, soilmix, time of year etc. all could to be factors which influence the success, and which I have not managed yet. A friend of mine cut off to big branches from a tree I gave him years back and managed to root both just by placing them in the soil during the rainy season...

[fruitlovers]

Oscar, I have had some luck with cuttings - and that is without a rooting hormone, but at other times it did not work out at all. Shade, temperature, soilmix, time of year etc. all could to be factors which influence the success, and which I have not managed yet. A friend of mine cut off to big branches from a tree I gave him years back and managed to root both just by placing them in the soil during the rainy season...

That's good to hear. Will have to try cuttings again. I've had the hardest time propagating this tree. Maybe it's just rotten luck with this one plant?
Oscar

[Soren]

Honestly, I am not using cuttings for propagation; I am using one of the mature M. calabura trees as a shade at my nursery, and the bird-droppings (full of M. calabura seeds) have now given me a source for seedlings as they sprout in the bags below at random after which I transplant to their own pots. I easily get 5-6 seedlings a month this way.

[Ethan]

I've had moderate success with cuttings, just placing them in a brown bottle w/water.  As the roots start to poke out carefully plant them into moist soil in a humidity box.  Filtered sun.

I'm going to try grafting some red onto my yellow rootstock, see how that goes?

-Ethan

[Conden]

I set the seeds under plastic in my greenhouse for months, but they still don't germinate.   The paper towel method isn't working either.   Perhaps I have to wait until summer when there is more sunlight?  I'm not accustomed to using growlights here.