HOW TO GROW GARCINIA CAMBOGIA SEEDS

HOW TO GROW GARCINIA CAMBOGIA SEEDS

Cambodge (Garcinia cambogia or gummi-gutta) has recently become popular, due to its hydroxy citric acid being advertised as an appetite suppressant. Although that use is controversial, this attractive evergreen unquestionably offers "groovy" lobed yellow or red fruits. Also known as camboge, gamboge, Malabar tamarind, or brindal berry, it grows to 60 feet with 5 to 7-inch glossy leaves, but it is only recommended for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11.

How to Germinate Cambodge

1.Peel the coats off the 2-inch seeds to reveal the white cotyledons. Immerse those cotyledons in a 550 ppm (parts per million) mix of gibberellic acid and water for 12 hours.

2.Choose a planting container large enough to accommodate the seeds. Plant them 1 inch deep in seed-starting mix.

3.Keep the mix damp and warm, and expect the seeds to take from three weeks to three months to germinate. Place the cotyledons in a covered container of distilled water for faster sprouting, which should take 10 to 12 days.

How to Plant Cambodge

1.Purchase a grafted tree instead of starting one from seed if you can, as grafted trees will flower in three to four years while seedlings can take seven to 12 years. Choose a protected location in full sun with sandy loam.

2.Dig a hole and mix 10 pounds of composted manure into the soil. Plant your cambodge  30 feet from any other trees, with its graft union no more than a couple inches above the ground, and water it well.

3.Feed the tree another 10 pounds of composted manure later in the year. Increase the amount gradually until a full-grown tree is getting about 100 pounds per year.

4.Watch for your cambodge to produce its four-petal red or occasionally yellow flowers in late winter or early spring, and its apple-sized yellow or red fruit four or five months later in mid-summer. Expect those fruits to fall when they are ripe.