HOW TO GROW GULMOHAR FROM SEED

HOW  TO  GROW GULMOHAR  FROM  SEED

Royal poinciana (Delonix regia), sometimes also known as flametree or flamboya, grows as a small- to medium-sized tree. The royal poinciana tree is prized primarily for its showy display of reddish-orange flowers. Pollinated flowers mature into dark brown seed pods that can measure up to 2 feet long. These capsules contain the hard, beanlike seeds used to propagate the tree.

1.Collect freshly fallen pods from the ground around the royal poinciana tree.

2.Open the capsules, if they are not already open, and expose the gray-brown seeds.

3.Inspect each seed and locate the embryo end, which has a seed car that looks like a small spot.

4.Clip off a very small piece of the seed at the end opposite the embryo end or file or sand the end down with a file or piece of sandpaper.

5.Fill a flat or other containers that feature plenty of drain holes to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from the top with a commercially available or homemade germinating medium, which could contain equal parts peat moss and sand or perlite.

6.Sow the seeds uniformly over the surface of the germinating medium so that they are lying flat, with the cut end and the embryo end on the same horizontal plane, and cover the seeds with about an inch of medium.

7.Mist or otherwise gently water the seeds and medium thoroughly at the time of sowing and regularly as needed so that the medium is always slightly moist but not wet. Once the seedlings emerge, decrease the frequency of misting so that the medium dries out slightly between waterings.

8.Place the containers with the seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light.

9.Lift each seedling out of the medium gently once it has developed two to four true leaves using a blunt object inserted under the seedling's root system and holding onto the plant only by its leaves, if necessary, and place the young plant into the ground or a container filled with high-quality, well-drained potting soil, positioning it at the same depth it was previously grown at.